I have mixed feelings about kitchen remodels.
My current house was built in 1941. The kitchen was remodeled in the 70's. Out went the stand alone gas stove, old fridge, etc. I can see from other homes on the block what the original kitchen must have looked like: small (4x4) ceramic tile counters, with little end of counter rounded knick knack shelving, darker tile trim around the edges, etc. I can tell where the old gas range must have been from the remnants of the flue in the attic.
The remodelers tore down a wall between the kitchen and what must have been the mud room. In its place they extended the counter to be a peninsula; this is where the fridge probably once resided. On the peninsula they put an electric smoothtop (vintage Corning). Where the range once sat, they put in a full size fridge alcove and beside it, built-in cabinetry housing a P-7 wall oven. The cabinetry is of moderately good quality, no particle board, all plywood and birch veneer. So they did that right. And of course the oven is good as well. A bit on the small side by today's standards (24"), but still works perfectly. However I'd rather have an old Wedgewood gas range instead of the drop-in cooktop (which I replaced with a gas unit).
All the appliances were late 70's harvest gold, which I really dislike. I've replaced them with black or stainless - the one 70's remnant is the harvest gold range hood over the peninsula. I want to take it down and paint it glossy black or maybe faux stainless at some point, but it will be a bit of a chore. I found a stainless P-7 oven on Craigslist, and swapped out the stainless door panel for the harvest gold one the oven came with. Looks much better next to the stainless fridge. However, overall, I'd probably prefer the original '41 kitchen. OK, the wall oven is nice, I like that part.
