Mrs. Stephens, Your Frigidiare Flair Range Has Arrived

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looks an awful lot like the Tappan Fabulous 400

I wonder if Tappan made the Flair for Frigidaire or vice versa?

Evidently these units did not need to be built in, they rested on a standard base cabinet. The burner unit was available in electric or gas and slid under the ovens when not in use, so that the front of the burners (the handle and front plate) were flush with cabinets. The ad shows that a 30" model existed as well, for use in kitchens with a standard 30" range space. What I like about them was two ovens side by side at a convenient height. Evidently this was less expensive than building in a conventional double wall oven, plus all you needed was a 30 or 40 inch space and a base cabinet.

In 1961, we moved into a 1935-era house with an original kitchen. Within weeks, mom had the kitchen gutted and started from scratch....tossing out a big white gas range in the process (sorry I was only five, I don't know what brand and whether it should have been kept). She put in maple cabinets, stainless Frigidaire electric cooktop and double wall oven, left a space in the cabinetry for the existing GE fridge (from our previous house) so it looked enclosed if not built in, and best of all a Kitchen Aid superba dishwasher. The new kitchen was the envy of the neighborhood because it had a built in dishwasher, in a neighborhood where people with original kitchens had to wash by hand or use a portable model. I wish I had old photos, the kitchen was very contemporary for the time (white Formica was big back then) and she even used stainless steel before it was in vogue.

 
I always bake bread and prepare meals showing off my bosom and shoulders, and in French heels!

*LOL*

Great advert! Thanks for sharing.

My only concern about sliding out range drawers in a unit not being well secured, would be the chance of the thing tipping over. Even more so with wee children in the home.

L.
 
Safety

HOPEFULLY the unit wasn't just stacked on top of a base cabinet. More likely it was bolted down to the cabinet. At least the main weight (ovens) was centered over the cabinet, and only the burner drawer stuck out beyond the cabinets.
 
I see what you mean

I took a closer look at the Flair, you are correct, it appears to be freestanding and I would be worried about it being top heavy.

The Fabulous 400 looks as if it was NOT free standing and was bolted or mounted on top of a base cabinet, given that the cabinet in the photo under the range appears to match the rest of the kitchen. Given a choice, I would take the 400 if it is more securely bolted down.

The only thing I don't like about the 400 is the cutting board. No chance to wash it. Not too sanitary. I wonder if they sold replacement cutting boards for people who had sliced grooves their original boards?
 
Fabulous 400 was offered in a gas version

According the ad in the link I posted above, both electric and gas versions of the Fabulous 400 were offered. The designs of the Flair and the Fabulous 400 are quite similar, but we don't really know if one manufacturer made them for both brands. The main difference I can see is that the Flair was free standing and included storage cabinets below the cooktop level. So it needed a 40" or so gap in the cabinetry. The 400 mounted on top of a base cabinet, in 30" or 40" versions, and the cabinetry beneath the unit matched the rest of the kitchen.

The Flair would definitely look like a freestanding unit in a typical kitchen, like the Hotpoint and GE ranges of the late 60s and early 70s that had an overhead conventional oven over the cooktop, and a larger oven below the cooktop, with integrated exhaust fan. The 400 would have had a semi-built-in look. It was exposed on its top and sides, but the bottom was attached directly to base cabinets, and the unit had no feet or base of its own.
 
Fabulous 400 was offered in a gas version

According the ad in the link I posted above, both electric and gas versions of the Fabulous 400 were offered. The designs of the Flair and the Fabulous 400 are quite similar, but we don't really know if one manufacturer made them for both brands. The main difference I can see is that the Flair was free standing and included storage cabinets below the cooktop level. So it needed a 40" or so gap in the cabinetry. The 400 mounted on top of a base cabinet, in 30" or 40" versions, and the cabinetry beneath the unit matched the rest of the kitchen.

The Flair would definitely look like a freestanding unit in a typical kitchen, like the Hotpoint and GE ranges of the late 60s and early 70s that had an overhead conventional oven over the cooktop, and a larger oven below the cooktop, with integrated exhaust fan. The 400 would have had a semi-built-in look. It was exposed on its top and sides, but the bottom was attached directly to base cabinets, and the unit had no feet or base of its own.
 

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