Looking At 1950's Kitchens: From The Pages Of Vintage House Beautiful Magazine

Gallery of 1950's Kitchens

Looking at old magazine and book photos is a great way to see color palettes, cabinetry, design elements, textures, textiles, accessories, furnishings, wall decor and more.

Thanks to the folks of House Beautiful Magazine, we get a chance to see a variety of popular 1950s kitchen styles.
Which of these pictures shows your dream kitchen?

These kitchens were advertised as "modern", "efficient",
"space saving", "revolutionary", "complete", "flexible" and "cheerful". Postwar homemakers could finally relax and enjoy reading House Beautiful Magazine with plenty of decorating advice for the Mid-Century housewife.

Revolutionary Ranch House Kitchen

This ranch-house kitchen also was chosen as a "pace-setter" in 1950, sporting a "revolutionary electric range." "This comes in separate units," the editors wrote. "The idea is to use as many four-burner tops, ovens, and storage drawers as space and need demand, in whatever combination is most appropriate. This flexibility of choice means you can have what you want, exactly where you want it, to cater to personal convenience."

Colorful and Gay Kitchen

A "pace-setter" in 1950, this kitchen was chosen for its more traditional look. "Traditionalists want a colorful and gay kitchen," according to House Beautiful editors back then. They wrote that the three pace-setters were "revolutionary because they actually offer complete kitchens as they are wanted today, planned according to the best standards of efficiency, time- and labor- saving. And besides this, they are all colorful and cheerful, with a real decorative quality which is related to the other rooms of the house in which they are built."

Pace-Setting Kitchen

This kitchen might not look contemporary today, but in 1950 it was ahead of its time — so much so that House Beautiful chose it as one of three "pace-setting" kitchens of the year. "When you can get a complete kitchen, laundry, and a place to eat into a space only about 12' square, it's a real achievement," the editors gushed. The kitchen boasted a cooking range bisected by a work counter, a hooded ventilator and grille to control cooking steam, odors, and grease built into the wall cabinets, and a washer and dryer in their own corner.

Source;
http://www.housebeautiful.com/kitchens/kitchens-1950s-0609

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.comVisit my website, CDianneZweig.comDianne is a member of:The American Society of Journalists and AuthorsThe Authors Guild, Inc.