Expert: Rikki Nyman - 5/18/2011

Question
QUESTION: We are doing a remodel on a kitchen in a two story american colonial style house that was built in 1934.  We are considering using the new Viking owned St. Charles metal cabinets.  Probably in colored as opposed to stainless (as stainless shows too much fingerprint).  What is your opinion on this being appropriate to the time period that the house was built?  Thanks

ANSWER: The short answer is a qualified "yes."

Steel cabinetry started appearing in homes during the mid-1930s, but it really didn't get popular until after WWII. What I have seen in residential applications tended to be relatively high end; it was used more commonly in industrial applications, laboratories, and hospitals.

Wood was the predominant cabinet material. Metal was relatively rare. Monel, a metal with a look similar to stainless steel, was seen on counters, but I don't think it was nearly as common as tile, marble, wood, or linoleum.

World War II put the breaks on most building projects, with the exception of remodeling to house war workers. There was a limit on how much you could spend as many materials were diverted to war production.

Also, styles really didn't change much from 1940 to 1950. Colonial styles in particular were deeply entrenched.

After the War, steel manufacturing was highly efficient and retooling yielded all kinds of new marketing opportunities including the steel cabinets produced by Mullins (Youngstown) and St. Charles to name just a couple companies.

From about 1946 to 1955, there was a design trend that I think is particularly cool. Colonial met up with modern materials like steel cabinets and contemporary design. Some of the kitschy traditional details started to fall away as some of the more Modern details were incorporated. That's a window you could probably explore.

The new St. Charles hardware like the square bar pull and the large round knobs are more reminiscent of the mid-century than some of Viking/St.C's other designs. Of the colors, I'd probably go with the Lemonade, Sea Glass, or even the Pumpkin. You could do white, but that might be kind of dull ... of course, it would be easy enough to use color on the walls, etc. Generally, white in kitchens ... especially period kitchens ... is always safe.

Color combos that were VERY popular in that period included red, white, and blue; yellow, green, and red; and blue, white, and yellow. Those are timeless and age well in vintage homes.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Rikki Nyman
www.antiquehomestyle.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for that very helpful information.  We are off to take a second look at the St. Charles line at the dealer today.  One other question.  Are we still much safer going with wood in this kitchen?  Thanks so much for this great service!

Answer
1930s kitchens were still primarily wood and if I was doing a faithful restoration, I would go for the wood cabinets. I've posted an image in my gallery on Flickr from a PDX home that I recently viewed. http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5625790167_5d23ce28f5_b.jpg

This kitchen still retains the cabinets originally installed in the mid-30s with the tile counters and floors. The owners' changes are minimal and include a dish drawer (Fisher & Paykel) that you can see in the lower right corner.

Good luck and have fun!

Best,
Rikki Nyman
www.antiquehomestyle.com