Before & After Kitchen: Whch is Better?

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After is more cheerful. If the original cabinets were brighter,it would have been less depressing.I'd have the new white appliances professionally redone in true turquoise.
 
I think they destroyed a beautiful old kitchen!!  I'm willin go be you the original opven was coppertone and was replaced with the turqoise one, although the 2 colors could also have been original.  I loved the old fridge too!!
 
Can't say I like either of them. 

 

As for IKEA's opinion, I beg to differ.  There isn't a particle of "50's style and charm" left.  Not that it had much to begin with.
 
The paint and everything in the new one is nice. But the new appliances ruined it. Had they kept the original appliances it would be true vintage.
 
Old Kitchen

I like the Old Kitchen Better.

At least it's not a Cookie Cutter Kitchen from today's look. (Granite Counter Tops, SS Appliances, Cherry Cabinets, and Hardwood Floors.)

I bet in a few more years, (I Hope) all the Colors may come back. I really dislike some of these over the top kitchens. I mean How much space do you need to throw a few dinner parties a year when the Double Wide Sub Zero is filled with Take Out containers and the Dishwasher is set on Top Rack Only ???
 
I would have blasted that old kitchen the minute I bought the house. Just because it's old does not make it good. The cabinets were crappy particle board from the looks of them, the layout was cramped it was a disaster. Can't say the redo is what I would have done but it's much much better than before.
 
I like the older kitchen better-and would have kept the orig appliances.I would have painted the cabinets a light color ,though.From 1950's doubt the furniture was particleboard-was probably wood,and plywood.would be a MISTAKE to take that out and replace it with particleboard cabinets.If its wood-leave it!You can repaint or restain it.
 
Old Vs new

I think if had been me i would have preferred to keep the old cabinetary and appliances as well although the modern fridge on "old" looks very out of place and makes it all look even worse. What they dont mention is that they whole room has been re-decorated in light colours which makes the whole things much lighter - that would have been my first move. Add a vintage fridge and THEN consider painting the cabinetary - but definatly not orange, I think that would get "old" very quickly. And I dont see much 50s charm their either, but of course lets not forget that we are seeing genuine 50s charm right here, so we have teh correct terms of reference.

However, it does say the one of the current users needs access for a wheelchair so of course in this case function needs to take priority over form, although I must say I do not see much sign of it in the "new".

Al
 
New Kitchen

I think it brightened up the kitchen quite a bit. It may not have been what I would have done, but I certainly wouldn't have turned it down. I'm not a big dark cabinetry fan anyway. I also don't think turquoise and dark brown go together in the original layout at all. The wall oven was neat, but that was about it for me.

 

-Tim
 
The old kitchen was way too dark for my liking. I don't see anything 50's in the redo either but I prefer it. I think the countertops could have been more like the original turquoise and I'm not too fond of that stove for some reason.
 
Sometimes the older kitchen's wood looks darker just because of aging. Ie the finish often was not that dark when new at all. Folks clean with ammonia, the finish darkens due to fumes and dirt.

From a makeover kitchen designer, the old set up is always obsolete.

There is quite a high profit in makeovers.

The retired couple hears their ranch style house is obsolete, the new oven now has them bending over more! folks fork over 50K in a makeover, and now have to bend over to use the oven. Often it really does not matter, they are just remodeling for show!

Most folks want new stuff, thus old real wood cabinets are replaced with particle board. I have seen where a "1960's kitchen WORK triangle" is now lost and replaced since the designer has better ideas, hidden refrigerators.

A neighbor is gutting an early 1970's house's kitchen. Thus that great nice 3 hole premium sink has to go! It its place is a made in China 2 hole sink that is smaller. The original had a view looking across the water, the modern upgrade has one looking at a blank wall.

Some remodels are better, others may not be functionally.

Many of these Kitchens cabinets were not that dark when brand new, the wood got darker. Folks stained them darker too.

Our fully custom kitchen in a custom house we built in 1952 had pure wood cabinets that were really light pecan. When we moved away the new owners painted them white. Yet another new owner painted them real dark ; scuttlebut we got via Xmas cards from neighbors.
 
I hate those dark wood kitchens, I find them totally depressing! The oven however could have been saved. It looks like that was the only turqoise appliance in that kitchen. Personally I prefer an even more modern kitchen than the new one. My taste would probably shock some people here. lol
 
The new kitchen would look better in a new house, they could have brightened the existing kitchen and cleared for wheelchair access too. My cabinets were white enamel, and repainted yellow once, then white again. I'm considering stripping them completely. Some of these little places still have their original cabinets. Cheap, but solid wood.
 
I Liked This Comment

"I felt that too. It was so bright, too much so, it reminded me of an institution; school, jail, or hospital of some sort. It did not have the look of a private residence at all. The before and after photos lacked any kind of art of personality in the room. It was dreadful."

When the "after" picture was taken, I believe Nurse Diesel and Nurse Ratchet came in for a cup of coffee to talk about their patients. LOL

But, it was true what the poster said. It was too bright. HOWEVER, I did like the lighter looking wood cabinets.
 
"I also don't think turquoise and dark brown go toge

That was a popular color combination in the 50's and it has seen a revival in recent years.

 

The development where my partner and I used to live was built in 1956, and one of the original exterior color combos was turquoise/aqua stucco with dark brown for the wood skirting.

 

Using those colors in a kitchen is an entirely different situation.  Those cabinets are too dark.  Perhaps flipping the colors around so that the cabinets were painted a light-ish aqua with coppertone appliances would have been a better option, but still not one I would choose.
 
"I also don't think turquoise and dark brown go toge

I should have clarified, that they don't particularly go well in the case of this kitchen. I have seen some 50's houses around with the color scheme, but the kitchen at hand is very unattractive to me. I used to have some TV dinner trays that were turq n' brown.

 

-Tim
 
If it were me...

I would have taken out the dark wood also......and repaced it with PINK YOUNGSTOWN CABINETS!!! THAT would have looked good with turquoise!!
 
Had a buddy in college who grew up about 2 miles from whre I did.  His parents' house was probably about a year or so newer.  Original was a GE Turqoise kitchen.  By mid-1970s, with a family of 6 or 7, the dishwasher & fridge had been replaced with GE shaded cpooertone4 SxS and bol dishwasher.  I think the countertops were turqoise or white.  I really liked it.  To me they complimented each other and those two appliances colors together would be a choice I'd have in a vintage-look kitchen.  (remember, no 50s pastel pinks for me).  As for the original kitchen's fridge, that breaks my heart such a classic bottom-mount fridge aws probably thrown out too.  Y'all have3 no appreciation for what a beautiful "modern" fridge that was in its day.  I find it intersting the handles on the old fridge sure do look like my 3 year old Kenmore Elite bottom mount--the same curvitures. 
 
No doubt the original GE fridge was a sight to behold.  I wonder if it failed or if they just wanted a bigger fridge.
 
I like the old kitchen, it looked very homey and cozy.Probably held lots of memories for someone.

The new kitchen is light and airy and over all I liked that but thats where it ends for me.

I found this to be the lazyiest re do Ive seen in years. There is not one thing I can see that refers to once what was except maybe the decorator stole the floor plan, thus the lazy comment.But for whoever the clients were and whoever the decorator was maybe this is exactly what they wanted and thus the decorator be justified

but my own personal reaction is "Id kill if my kitchen was ruined like this."

ok ok guys calm down, its just comments.No hate mail.Im just saying if that was my old kitchen and this is my new kitchen I grossly failed to communicate.
 
White Appliances

The plastic handles and control panels on white appliances tend to turn yellowish after about 10 years, if they last that long. I prefer metal, chrome, glass and porcelain or darker plastic parts. Acrylics are good to, especially when colored or designed on the back side and protected from wear.
 
Don't believe everything you see....

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I see a photographic trick at work.   There is no question that the old cabinets and especially all that paneling on the dining end of the room in the "before" kitchen cut down on the ambient light in the room.  BUT..........look carefully at the before pictures, particularly the shot looking towards the dining area.   Judging by the amount of reflection off the oven, and the back of the woman at the table it looks to me like the pics were taken with very little sunlight coming through the windows.  Was it a cloudy day or were the blinds on the windows closed?   Contrast that with the "after" view where the light coming through the windows is so blinding it makes me wonder if there are floodlights positioned outside the windows.  </span>
 

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