Kitschy Kitchen #17

I have been thinking it is high time for another Kitschy Kitchen.

I was cruising over on ThisOldHouse.com and came across this article:

We Found Our Dream Kitchen on Craigslist

Therein is detailed a kitchen remodel by some fortunate Massachusetts homeowners who came across a "find" on Craigslist. A nearby kitchen dealer was selling a display...



























They jumped at the opportunity. Even though the display had some obviously poor color choices (stark bone white and brown cherry in combination).

This is a kitchen that would only have happened under such circumstances.

Kitchen dealers usually replace their displays every few years when they get "tired" or aren't prompting purchases as expected. Or because they have changed product lines.

The homeowners were fortunate in this case. Additional matching cabinets were available to fill out the scheme.

Unfortunately, they didn't decide to buy an oven cabinet, even though they really, really, needed one (see image 1 of 11). Probably a cost issue.

In image 2 we see that the original display had crown molding. Sadly the buyers decided not to use it. The upper cabinets look very naked as a result.

In image 3 we see the dishwasher placed obstructing the door to the basement, even though the owners say: "we made sure the basement door next to the dishwasher could open all the way," says Jack. "It just fit! It's like we were Cinderella and the kitchen was the glass slipper." No further comment necessary here. I'm sure the kids can get through.

In image 4 - WELL! There's the crown molding!

Skip the ad and go to image 5, where we get back to the oven "cabinet" with wine cooler below. Cool. That little niche to the right of the oven cabinet is so unusable. In image 6, I won't even comment on the temporary oak countertop in the niche.

Image 7 is actually fine, except for the painted sheetrock wall behind the cooking surface. That is not likely to hold up long, considering the cook is a chef. A little tile or something to protect the surface would be good.

8 and 9 are "befores".

Image 10 shows the happy family doing their best to conceal the strange size doors at the top of the oven cabinet and hood. Something odd has happened to the hood. It looks as though it has been cut down in width. And not very well either.

This Kitschy Kitchen has lost all semblance of function, and whatever beauty there was in the original display has been lost as well.

The upshot: Buy and install a kitchen designed for another space at your peril. The compromises you will have to make to make it work may not be worth the effort.

Peggy

Kitschy Kitchen #15

I ran across this kitchen today on This Old House online
Editors' Picks: Our Favorite Kitchens Ever.

























Where shall I start?

First, I can see why the editors were enamored...the colors are stunning. The tangerine walls are the perfect counterpoint to the cherry-tone cabinets and stainless accents.

But the microwave on top of the fridge??? I certainly hope the inhabitants are tall.

And the sink jammed right next to that 48" commercial range on the left and 12" from the fridge on the right...Maybe the inhabitants are tall and really skinny, and don't need much counter space or wash dishes - ever.

Then there's the window on the left side of the range...Looks operable to me.

I'm also not so sure about that stainless pendant swagged from an old ceiling fixture in the center of the ceiling.

I just couldn't resist chiding editors who should know better.

Peggy

Kitchen-exchange: I'm Back!!

Kitchen-exchange: I'm Back!!

Sorry Everyone

Hi everyone.
I have been caring for my husband, who is a disabled Vietnam veteran, for the last eight months while he has fought an infection stemming from a 39 year old bullet lodged near his spine.
He has been hospitalized for the last ten days.
If you pray to a God...pray for us.
If not, have good thoughts.
I'll be back when I can.

Thank you,

Peggy

Kitschy Kitchen #14

I haven't been inclined to post on here for a while.

But I am INSPIRED today!





















"With an open-layout and a large center island, this kitchen from 1958 is way ahead of its time."

I found this image on Kitchen & Bath Business' web site:
Retro Chic or Just Weak?

This is probably a St. Charles steel case kitchen: The epitome of style in 1958, and for years to come.

St. Charles went away in the '90's, but a new St. Charles has recently arisen from the ashes like a phoenix. They are doing steel cabinets just like the old St. Charles, and I wish them well.

In other posts I have moaned about American appliance makers being behind the times.

Now I find that they have amnesia!

What makes me gaga over this kitchen is the undercounter oven in the island...Dacor didn't re-invent those until the early '90's...Some 30-odd years later. The controls down at the bottom aren't very handy, but I certainly give them credit for ingenuity.

I am struck by the integrated electric burners in the stainless steel island counter.

I recently posted on Kitchen _Exchange about the same sort of integration in a current maker's kitchens:
Oh La La & Green Valcucine!

And the integrated dishwasher over there against the wall in the cabinetry. I don't really remember when Miele started offering integrated dishwashers, but I think it was also later in the '90's.

I think our American appliance manufacturers are STUCK. They are unimaginative and dull in their thinking and design, just like the auto makers.

All the appliance new ideas come from abroad (whine).

I do give credit to Sharp for the Micro Drawer, and Dacor for the undercounter oven. But we designers, and you homeowners, want INNOVATION; not stick-in-the-mud sameness.

Peggy

Bossy's Kitchen

Tonight, while following my Google Alerts in my never-ending quest for kitschy kitchens, I came across a HILARIOUS parody post on kitchen design rules by a wife and mother named "Bossy".

Before you click over to be entertained, realize that the language is a bit "blue". All quite necessary to make her points. You'd swear too if you had to cook in her kitchen!

And don't stop at her 13 rules; the comments are hilarious too.

Peggy

Kitschy Kitchen #13

A new Kitschy Kitchen!

This one appears on the Brownstoner blog, which I LOVE. "An unhealthy obsession with historic Brooklyn brownstones and the neighborhoods and lifestyles they define."



I read through all the comments to see if anyone picked up on the code violation with the range right up against the wall on the left and rear.



Now I'm a San Francisco area Certified Kitchen Designer, and I know that codes can vary from city to city and state to state.

However, when it comes to appliances, inspectors always defer to manufacturers' instructions, and there is no manufacturer of such a range who would not require 6" of clearance to a vertical combustible wall.

The lack of counter space is an inconvenience at worst. But the safety issue is huge. If the owners ever have a rangetop fire (the most common fire in any home) that burns the wall on the left, or at the rear, their insurance company will not cover the damages.

The owner explains that his wife designed their kitchen, and that's fine. But she and the people who installed it should have read the installation instructions.

The fridge should have gone into one of the closets to allow for at least 6" of counter space on each side, AND the range should have a back splash installed to protect the wall behind. The no-backsplash installation is reserved for island installations only.

Peggy