A Dream Kitchen, 1936-style.

[selectomatic]

I was leafing through the April 4, 1936 number of Collier's magazine (I really do need to catch up on my reading one of these days!), and I came across this.

Aaaah! So modern. So beautiful.

-kevin

 

[frigilux]

If you look at photos of midewestern farmhouse kitchens from the mid 30's, I'm sure this must have looked tres futuristic and luxurious by comparison. Much more cupboard space than most kitchens back then. A garbage disposer and a dishwasher? Ooh-la-la! Great flooring, too.

 

[maytagbear]

Oh, so lovely!

Thank you for posting this.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[gansky1]

This is just beautiful. I think I've seen this ad in one of my 1930's House Beautiful mags - just love the clean lines and colors. That floor is to die for! Somewhere I have the service info on those dishwashers pictured in this ad.

 

[cehalstead]

a beautiful kitchen

I have a House Beautiful magazine from 1938 with a very similar kitchen depicted, except that it is a HotPoint advertisement.....

 

[washertalk]

Wow, nice pic. It is amazing how much things HAVEN'T changed since that idea.

sink , stove, rangehood, dishwasher, refrig, built-in cabs.

The first thing that went through my mind when I saw this was. This is the original kitchen from JAck, Janet, And Chrissies kitchen on Threes' Company. Simply add 70s wallpaper and a awesome 70s harvest gold single door GE refrigerator and your there. Even the storage on the end is similar.

 

[danemodsandy]

Flooring:

Man, that would have been a fantastic floor to have back in '36!

The way that would have been done was with inlaid linoleum. Those semicircular pieces, plus the yellow stripes would have been cut and fitted on the site, by skilled lino guys.

Once it was down, it would have needed repeated waxing with Johnson's Glo-Coat (fairly new product then) until that movie-set gloss was achieved. Not that Glo-Coat was actually good for the floor, mind you, but it did give a knockout shine.

Most people would have thought a kitchen like this was science fiction. The Depression was easing a bit by '36, but not enough for many people to actually own something like this.

 

[tlee618]

Kevin that is so fun!! Thanks for sharing it. Reminds me so much of the GE Carousel Of Progress exhibit down here at Disney World. One of my all time favorite attractions there. It takes you through 4 different time periods in history featuring all GE appliances. So So neat.

 

[appnut]

Uhh, I can't figure out where the dishwaher is in the ad.

 

[danemodsandy]

appnut:

To the left of the sink.

 

[bundtboy]

it's a top loader

you don't see a door or drawer because it's an electric sink with a top loading dishwasher with a door on top of the counter directly to the left of the sink. I can't really see it drawn very well in this one either, but those 3 knobs surely must control it somehow. Maybe Tom knows.

...just got back from coney island...woo hoo..

I dig this old GE ad though. It's beautiful.

B

 

[63getelevision]

I'm going to horrify some of you into a coma, if I had that 1936 kitchen in new condition, I'd use it without "improvements". I'd only improve a degraded or wrecked kitchen. It's beyond me why people need 1000 square feet or more with all kinds of things that even gourmet cooks don't use. It is one thing to build a brand new home with these insane kitchens (and bathrooms) but to destroy a beautiful old home to put it to 2008 and beyond is criminal. A little off topic, but I seethe when I see the bonehead stunts people pull. I know they can do what they want but really?

 

[selectomatic]

The GE Carousel of Progress came to my mind, too -- especial

I loved that attraction -- I never had the stomach for the 'real' rides.

-kevin

 

[washertalk]

I agree with you Alan -63GE.

I like what you said about reusing a good quality existing kitchen, as is.
and
The rediculous standards of today.

But ya know, BIGGER is Better in America. Right? No.

the (republican) thinking is -Its best to have people scrambling about trying to achieve a pathetic standard and wearing themselves out than being satisfied with our current state of Over abundance and paying attention to REAL issues like global warming, political fraud, conservation and those "frivolous" concern of the "far left" lol.

Tell the head honchos, I'm officially NOT playing.

 

[washertalk]

What I want to know is what is this figure in the GE ad wearing the red cap and appearing to be projecting breasts?

lol, In a way it looks like some kind of catholic statue. lol. Perhaps a Lady Magdalen or something. I don't know my catholic, stuff. Did ge think so highly of it's self that it was next to godliness. Cause- that ain't so. lol.

Her hair looks something like Magenta's from the Rocky horror picture show.

LET's
Do
the time warp
AGAIN.

I wonder what kind of appliances Dr. Frankenfurter had in his kitchen and laundry room? hmmm.

 

[63getelevision]

Thanks, Washertalk! Even I'm not against new things, but I see HGTV sparkling kitchens from '50s to '80s in the shows about buying houses, selling, or refurbishing, people tramp through and sniff "needs updating". If our 1961 counter had not had the bald spot next to the sink, it would not have been replaced. If the '81 Kenmore fridge had lived, I'd still have it. The '65 Kenmore deluxe range and or the '74 Frigidaire would be here, but Mom didn't want them. The '61 Frigidaire fridge left for the Kenmore, because Mom was tired of defrosting.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Even though this kitchen was beyond the reach of many people during the depression, the nation was very divided between those affected by the Depression and the very, very rich who had enough money that they were not affected and went on with luxurious living, bought up stock and real estate at depressed prices and then got richer when the companies they owned received the defense contracts when the nation started war production.

Notice that the stove top, the sink and counter tops are Monel, another pricey feature.

The dishwasher had three controls that controled the water, the drain and the power. While it required someone to operate the controls, it offered cycle flexibility. I think I have some information about this at home so I will look it up before I start lying.

 

[beadsobleach]

Suddenly its 1940!

Reminds me of the kitchen in 1937's "A Star is Born"

 

[decodriveboy]

Fabulous

The kitchen is gorgeous, and would look right at home down here in many of the houses in this region. Many were built in the 1930s-40s-50s. Mine was built in 1955. There's a great appreciation in this region for preserving architecture and furnishings from this time period.