A retro-inspired kitchen

Step back in time in this retro kitchen in Chichester. Sue Booth of Vintage Kitchens, LLC in Concord remodeled the space to resemble the homeowner’s grandmother’s original 1950s kitchen.

Ben and Donna Brown’s family-friendly kitchen in Chichester visually evokes a bygone era but now functions as efficiently as any modern, twenty-first century kitchen.  

Sue Booth, owner and principal designer of Vintage Kitchens, LLC in Concord, replicated the original kitchen built and designed by Ben’s uncle and grandfather for his grandmother in the early 1950s. “The Browns came to me with preservation in mind,” Booth says. “That sixty-four-year-old kitchen conjured so many wonderful memories for Ben and his extended family.”

To maintain the kitchen’s authenticity, Booth and the Browns utilized old photographs to replicate, as closely as they could, the kitchen’s vintage features: red and gray vinyl tile flooring; period appropriate hardware found on eBay; and new Bullnose Red laminate countertops with custom vintage-style aluminum edging and rounded shelves.

Many of the kitchen’s vintage appliances were salvaged, including its original porcelain sink as well as a Caloric wall oven and cooktops. Ben says the appliances were showing their age and he found a nearly identical set for sale on Craigslist. “We purchased the pieces, and mixed and matched the best parts to get a functioning and good-looking set,” Ben says.

Overall, simple changes and attention to detail yielded big results. A series of shifts throughout the kitchen—such as moving the refrigerator, oven and microwave to the back wall, and coupling the once separate dining room with the kitchen—allowed for greater flow and space. More accessible storage units were also installed for the homeowners’ convenience. “It is the same kind of space but used more efficiently,” Booth says.

What makes this kitchen fabulous

• 1950s-style retro refrigerator from Elmira Stove Works
  www.elmirastoveworks.com
• White cabinetry crafted by Vintage Custom Cabinetry of Vintage Kitchens, LLC in Concord
  224-2854 www.vintagekitchens.com
• Lighting from Rejuvenation Lighting
  www.rejuvenation.com
• Countertops from Arborite laminate with aluminum edging
  www.arborite.com

The original Caloric wall oven was salvaged and rebuilt with parts from an identical appliance found on Craigslist.

Mid-century antiques and details, such as the cabinet hardware, fit perfectly with new, yet vintage-looking appliances, such as the ’50s-style Elmira Stove Works refrigerator.