Sometimes we're so busy looking into the future that we forget to revisit the greatest hits of the past. Here are 15 ideas from old-fashioned kitchens worth incorporating into your own setup.
Above: An enamel farmhouse sink with a drainboard provides space for washing and drying plus elbow room to cook. This one is in the Queens, New York, kitchen of Aesthetic Movement founders Jesse James and Kostas Anagnopoulos (the cafe-au-lait bowls are from their housewares line Sir/Madam). Source a vintage sink from a salvage dealer near you, or consider the 42-Inch Cast-Iron Wall-Hung Kitchen Sink with Drainboard, $995.95, from Signature Hardware. Tour this apartment in Calm and Collected.
Above: An enamelware wall-hung soap dish keeps sinks clutter- (and slime-) free, and is also ideal for storing scrub brushes. See Julie's version in A Mini Kitchen Makeover, and source your own on eBay. Photograph via Martha Stewart.
Above: Store dishes tidily within reach in a wall-hung plate rack. For sources, see 10 Easy Pieces: Kitchen Plate Racks and Design Sleuth: The Stainless Steel Indian Dish Rack. Photograph via Fleaing France.
Above: For sink-side hand drying, the roller towel on a wooden rack is ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries. Shown here, Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen's Wood Towel Holder (£28), and Roller Towel (£28 for two) from Labour & Wait in London. Ancient Industries sells a similar Wood Towel Roller for $45. See Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen Air Their Dirty Laundry.
Above: Work-of-art vintage stoves are the ultimate hearths. And they're often scaled to fit small kitchens. This one is at the Hudson Milliner, a B&B in Hudson, New York (see Steal This Look: Hudson Milliner Kitchen). Reconditioned vintage ranges can be sourced from Savon Appliance in LA, which specializes in Wedgewood and O'Keefe & Merrit (Julie once lived with a vintage O'Keefe & Merrit and loved it). Antique Appliances of Clayton, Georgia, is another source. For a list of vintage range dealers across the country, go to Retro Renovation.
Above: A boon for any kitchen, large or small: a pullout cutting board. Kitchen cabinet specialists Wood-Mode make a range of built-in storage designs, including a Pullout Chopping Block. Photograph via J. Ingerstedt.
Above: Isn't it time to bring back a little pattern underfoot? This black-and-white tile design is in the kitchen of the Hudson Milliner B&B. Note that gray grout helps hide the dirt.
Above: The easy alternative to a root cellar? A classic hanging straw basket (with wide vents for air circulation), such as this one in Justine's Old Cape Cod Cottage. See Gardenista's 10 Easy Pieces: Onion and Garlic Baskets for sources. And explore Justine's house in the Remodelista book. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
Above: A British favorite that deserves to be discovered here: the pulley laundry drying rack positioned above the range to catch the hot air. This one is in deVOL's Shaker Kitchen. See Object Lessons: The Sheila Maid Clothes Airer for a history and sources.
Above: In a kitchen by San Francisco architect Malcolm Davis, an open-to-the-outdoors California pantry is designed for fruit and vegetable storage. (See more at Steal This Look: Malcolm Davis Kitchen in SF.)
Above: When did the broom closet become a luxury? The perfect cleaning supplies cupboard, broom closets make perfect use of the narrow space next to the fridge. This one is in Jesse James and Kostas Anagnopoulos's New York apartment (see first photo).
Above: No need to go digging for a bottle opener when you have one waiting on the wall. Rejuvenation offers a range of vintage examples, including the Grand Prize Lager Beer Bottle Opener, $24.
Above: Old-fashioned, under-the-shelf cup hooks let you keep your mug handy (and on display). Photograph via Walnut Farms in East Sussex.
Above: A black-and-white checked floor somehow never looks tired. This easy-on-the-legs painted wood version is in Mark Lewis Interior Design's Tufnell Park project. See Steal This Look: A Classic English Kitchen for an Oscar-Winning Costume Designer.
Above: A working fireplace in the kitchen: the ultimate luxury? We think so; see more at A Floating Farmhouse in Upstate New York.
For more kitchen takeaway, go to:
- 15 Life-Changing Storage Ideas for the Kitchen
- 11 Design Details to Steal from High-End Bespoke Kitchens
- 14 Kitchen Storage Tricks to Steal from the Bathroom
- 11 Kitchen Islands Gone Glamorous
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on February 6, 2015, as part of our issue called The Humble Abode.
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