My kitchen and I are becoming friends. I'd never have thought it possible. But as I hoisted my garbage can out from under the sink last Saturday and scrubbed it clean, it became clear that something's shifted in our relationship. I'm not afraid of my kitchen anymore.
Is it the fact that I'm actually learning how the things in my kitchen work? One Saturday, I was cleaning out one of my drawers and rolled the drawer out just a little too far in the process. The little wheel came off its track and, try as I might, I couldn't get it to roll back in properly. For about one minute, I thought I'd just have to leave it sagging there until the landlord could get to it. Something moved me, though, to pull the drawer all the way out, kneel down and poke my head in there so I could figure out how the other drawers operated. Lo and behold, I figured out exactly what I needed to do, and the drawer rolled back into place perfectly! And I had to do some investigating, but I was able to get my microwave functioning again, too.
Maybe it's just the fact that I'm spending so much darn time in there cooking. No longer is my visit to the kitchen just the booty call it takes to reheat a frozen pizza. I'm right in there washing, chopping, peeling, grating, mixing, kneading... doing the stuff it takes to make this relationship work. (I'm not sure I like where this metaphor is going!) I'm not always successful in the kitchen, but I'll not make the same mistake too many times. And all this one-on-one time has really made me notice things I never noticed before. Like that my kitchen sink has a brand name etched into it. Who knew? It's a Kingsford II.
And let's face it, we women like a kitchen that's a little rough around the edges and needs some taming. I've been putting my Saturday cleanings to good use by reorganizing things to make my storage space more efficient. Breakfast cereals are now stored together instead of being mashed into whichever cupboard would have 'em. Likewise with baking staples, canned goods, and dishes that don't get everyday use. Just last weekend, I cleaned out that mysterious fourth drawer I'd forgotten about and put it to use holding my aluminum foil, plastic wrap, freezer bags, cheesecloth, and extra sponges.
Henry Humphrey, the editor of Woman's Home Companion Household Book (1948), tells us that beauty trumps even efficiency when it comes to the kitchen. It is vital that a room in which the average homemaker spends more than four hours per day sustain her spirit with vibrant colors, contrasts in texture, and cheery novelty motifs. Some of his advice is surprisingly practical advice, however. Here are some of my favorites:
- Good kitchen color schemes are bright. Since there is generally so much white in the kitchen (sink, stove and refrigerator), it is advisable to stay away from white walls unless the room must have them to reflect light.
- There are many styles from which to choose when decorating a kitchen. Early American, French Provincial, Mexican, South American, Swedish, Polish, Pennsylvania Dutch all have been used successfully. You may add to the list indefinitely, but your kitchen will be much nicer if you pick a style before beginning to re-decorate.
- Wallpaper is a charming finish for the breakfast nook. It offers both texture contrast and eye-interest as a relief from the smooth kitchen walls. Wallpaper also relieves the feeling that meals are eaten in the kitchen, and gives the effect of a separate room.
- Never hang curtains on a window over or near a stove.
- Breakfast nook windows should be treated in accordance with the view outside. If... nothing can be seen but ash cans, a blank brick wall or your neighbor's kitchen windows, Venetian blinds with a fluffy valance and short window sill-length draperies will make your breakfasts pleasanter and more private.
- In the interest of safety and cleanliness, carpets and rugs of any kind should never be used in the working area of the kitchen.
lemon-yellow/turquoise
pale turquoise/cherry
yellow/shrimp
apricot/pale green
chartreuse/sea-green
lavender/deep blue-violet
17 comments:
Pale turquoise/cherry gets my vote! Those are the colors of my blog right now! I love the advice he offered--but was especially surprised to see "Venetian blinds" mentioned. I thought that was a more modern invention! Who knew? :)
I second the pale turquoise/cherry! LOVE IT. I can't say I have the same relationship with my kitchen yet but it's getting there. In my efforts to better more organized I have emptied and re-organized all my cupboards and even built a few more.
SO far we're on great terms from the counter up. Counter to the floor...not so good!
pale turquoise/cherry happens to be my favourite colour combination. but yellow/shrimp sounds nice too!
If I could have my dream kitchen, I think I'd go for either the lemon-yellow/turquoise or the apricot/pale green. I'm stuck in dreary Apartment Land now where all the walls are beige, all the cabinets are dark faux woodgrain...
Amber, the Venetian blinds around at the time were the big, clinky, metal kind on thick straps. Harder to clean that the plastic ones today, but they made a lovely sound!
HBIC, you're killin' me here! I can't say that my kitchen floor and I are entirely on the best of terms either. I guess we still have some issues from the baseboards down.
I will vote for lavender-blue violet, as my kitchen is relentlessly sunny and would need a deeper color to cool it down.
Also, I love that I still have original cabinets but ohhhh, the floors. They are original too, and have been sanded so many times I can't do it again. I have to put up with them or get new ones!
my vote is yellow/turquoise. I would not have the turquoise color on the cabinets. Our neighbor had those when I was growing up. They were great fun but limit your decorating scheme. I like the cherry/green of the 40's also. now those wonderful venetian blinds were great and lasted forever. i retaped and recorded many in my youth. i'd love to have them now. We dusted them regularly and washed them in the tu in the spring. keep sending those kitchen pictures I love them.
sorry trouble with the computer keys sticking. that was washing them in the tub.
Jeanne, I love those vintage kitchen illustrations, too! The bright colors and sparkling whites are always so cheery. Thanks for sharing your memories of the metal blinds. I had forgotten that the straps were actually called tapes.
I love this picture. I could almost do something illegal to have that kitchen. LOL.
The early 1940's house that we lived in (1958-1962) had a red and white kitchen (no remodeling had been done). My great-aunt's house of the same vintage had a pale pink and pale green kitchen. I loved it. (In house that my mom and dad built in 1962, the kitchen had yellow walls and turquoise appliances.)
Burning question of the week: Are you finding that you save money by cooking every night instead of re-heating take-out?
The red-green kitchen is so enticing.
Hey Jitterbug,
Just wanted to let you know that my website (Circa 1952) changed and unfortunately Google didn't carry my followers over. I'm working to fix it, but it looks like you'll have to re-follow. Give me about a day and I'll have the new follower's link working. Thanks!! The new site is www.2nutsinashell.com
(I didn't want to post this on a recent post!)
pale turquoise/cherry! Those are the colors of my present and one past bedroom. I read that blue suppresses the appetite. But I think the red balances it out. The cozier you want to go, add more red, I guess. Plus, it's easy to find things for the kitchen on these colors, and they also look good with yellow, orange, and everything in between.
You've come a long way, baby!
Packrat, it sounds like colorful kitchens run in your family!
Great question, Shay. It's hard to tell yet --- as I wasn't really eating takeout every night. Maybe one night per week. Most of my dinners were frozen meals of one sort or another and they're certainly not as expensive as takeout. I'm going to try tracking my "food dollar" again in a few months and see if there have been any changes in the amount I'm spending and the kinds of food I'm spending it on.
Amber, thank you so much for posting your new link. Congrats on settling on a new name --- it cracks me up!
Glove Slap, thank you! Hey, I would guess that any of the cooler colors - like blue, lavender, and pale green - dull the appetite. (I'll be stopping @ the paint store on the way home from work!)
I would have to say turquoise and cherry but with yellow, as that will be my color scheme when I get to the kitchen. Probably butter yellow too. I still can't decide between an actual old school linoleum floor or wood in the kitchen. Once I get my breakfast nook/room I am definitely doing wall paper to tie it to the kitchen but give it its own personality.
Pale turquoise and cherry is my fave, but they all sound so nice and fresh and bright. I'd much rather that than the industrial style stainless steel and white a lot of kitchens are these days.
50sgal, I prefer natural wood floors myself, but Mr. Hudson - and probably most interior designers of the period - proclaimed that wood just wasn't practical for the modern kitchen. That you should choose a linoleum with the appearance of wood if you were trying to create a peasant or provincial-type design.
Piroska, kitchens need some color! Who wants to feel like they're working in the kitchen of a restaurant when they're at home?
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