American Kitchens Musings:

[danemodsandy]

Joe:

The dark colors and the shrouded windows are what I'm tawkin' about. I have rarely seen the point of a '50s ranch so thoroughly missed by its owners.

Those houses were designed to be light and bring views of the outdoors to the indoors. Turning one into a DIY funeral home says to me, "I don't understand the least thing about the house I live in."

If you want to live in a dark, gloomy house, there are plenty of old Victorians to choose from. And come to think of it, the Victorians appreciated more light and color than I see here.

 

[circlew]

Thanks, Sandy. Wasn't sure what they used.

I should also point out that the countertops in the '53 Youngstown kitchen I mentioned, were not sold as part of the Youngstown set; they were custom made by the local dealer who installed everything.

My dad's uncle and aunt's kitchen, original to their 1936 home, had Whitehead steel cabinets with continuous Monel tops with large double sinks of Monel. Still looked great when the house was sold in '91. Their house (Cape Cod style) was of course nicer than average for the time, but not a palatial mansion by any means.

 

[tolivac]

Window covering in the master bedroom-not sheets or JCP curtains--but those look like RAGS I just wiped out a transmitter with!UGLY!!!

 

[circlew]

Oilcloth

Sandy, I'd forgotten that some people used that to cover countertops. While I don't know of anyone around here that did so, I remember my grandfather and some other relatives of my mom in Mississippi, had counters or tables that had it tacked to them. It gave the kitchen a distinct smell that I can still remember.

The only oilcloth we had was an old tablecloth, and a pillow my sister made at Girl Scouts.

 

[sel8207]

what's oilcloth look like?

Is it porous?
Can you cut on it, (to make pickle cubes)?
Do you just replace it or wash and dry it out, then re-use it
What color is it? Does anyone have a pic of it? Les

 

[danemodsandy]

Les:

Genuine oilcloth is hard to find in stores, though you can get it online. Since at least the 1960's, it has been largely replaced by a vinyl lookalike (on a fabric backing) which is available at any decent fabric store.

Oilcloth came in many colors and patterns. The classic ones were red-and-white gingham checks, and blue-and-white gingham checks.

If you have a Hancock's Fabrics anywhere in your vicinity, you should be able to find vinyl oilcloth in the vinyl fabrics section.

Oilcoloth - genuine or vinyl - is not a very hard-wearing surface. It is especially vulnerable to cuts. If you have anything to chop on a surface covered with oilcloth, you need to use a cutting board. Oilcloth generally lasts a year or so and then needs to be replaced due to wear and tear.

Here's a Wikipedia link explaining about genuine oilcloth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilcloth

 

[tolivac]

At one time real oilcloth was available from sign shops-was used to make low cost banners.Then it was replaced by the vinyl "oilcloth"for banner use.Now the low cost banners are made from heavy paper or poly.Haven't seen or heard about real oilcloth in many years-just heard about it in an older book I have about signmaking-banners.And the vinyl "oilcloth" is also used as light duty upholstery material-like for kitchen table chair seats.

 

[NYCWriter]

Formica ...

"I remember my mother specifying Formica for the counters. Other kitchens had linoleum countertops. Maybe these were similar. They certainly would be cushioned and far kinder to things than granite has shown itself to be in today's kitchens."

We have a quartz countertop in the kitchen at work, and when I wash my teacup and glass lunch dish, I'm constantly finding myself having to be extra careful in setting them down on the counter. After 45 years of being able to plop all manner of glassware and china on Formica countertops growing up (and in my own homes), I'm finding the stone surfaces rather jarring. I'm glad I don't have stone surfaces at home; I bustle around the kitchen fairly quickly and I'm sure by now I would have chipped or broken quite a few items on stone countertops.

 

[tolivac]

The picture of the vinyl oilcloth rolls reminds me of those you used to find in five & dime shops.Read the Wikipedia article about the real oilcloth-some of the linseed oil used to treat the fabric contained lead-additional waterproofing-coloring agent.So to some folks the lead may be a concern.

 

[danemodsandy]

New American Kitchens Info:

I just found this 1955 ad showing the wood-front line, described as "new," so it appears that the wood-front cabinets were available from that time. The line was called "Pioneer."

Pulls are different than the other "Pioneer" cabinets shown upthread, and the sink top is white instead of Coppertone, which would seem to indicate that AK tinkered with the look over the course of the "Pioneer" line's run.

Interesting that AVCO found it desirable to go with a traditional-looking offering so early - white steel cabinets were still very popular in 1955.

 

[jpb]

A bit late, but I have a few sets of these. The pioneer, with the lazy susan but no sink, and the white steel sets with sink. I have 2 sinks. Both are steel.

The countertops are made out of steel (which is what gives them the streamline modern shape) and covered with formica. I have both yellow (marble? Cloud haze?) and seafoam linen. The countertop seams are covered with chrome that closes them together pretty well. They were all rescued from various places. Oddly, all from homes built in 1956. At this point, the countertops need to be replaced. Or at least recovered with new formica. I've spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what makes the most sense. Do I keep the original Loewy shape? Or go with something else?

 

[jpb]

It seems like Ike liked the pioneer kitchen. I'm drooling over the pantry. Thoughts on the color scheme? Not my blog, but the only place I've seen the pics:

http://www.yorkblog.com/cannonball/2012/08/22/eisenhower-national-historic-site-part-3/

 

[mikael3]

I love that Ike’s kitchen has both an electric and a gas range.  Overall, it’s an interesting space; but it very much looks like the maid’s area, and not a place where the family would go.