Wall colors for a Craftsman Era hom's kitchen? (house, bungalow, price)
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I say craftsman era home's kitchen because it appears that the original kitchen was replaced in the 1960s.
Early 60s.
The wood around the windows is original as are the windows - 6 panes of glass on top, one on the bottom.
The counter top is a generic formica - almond. Looks 1980s. Another replacement.
We are working with a tight budget and paint is our friend here. The cabinets are solid and I see no reason to rip them out,
Beyond paint, I was thinking of tiling the counter and adding a small curved peninsula with shelves.
I collect art deco style pottery and dished - colorful and whimsical stuff. Including fiesta wear.I like lots of colors and mixing them, but I am thinking that the wall color should be soft, with all of that suber bright pottery.
Also the window above the sink is very close to a neighbor's deck. Too close. Should I use a shade on the bottom half - do as to permit light and - what kind of curtains?
I know craftsman Arts and crafts shades are available online and most are quite pricey.
But back to the wall color. Right mow it's bright dark tuquoise and gold. I'm not sure what they were going for. Reminds me of a Howard Johnsons Restaurant.
PLEASE DO NOT TILE THE FORMICA!!!! I cannot stress strongly enough what a HORRIBLE IDEA THAT IS!
I agree that PAINT is an easy way to make your kitchen less of a nightmare. There are MANY excellent resource for homes like yours -- two the BEST places to get ideas are the MAGAZINES "Arts & Crafts Homes" and "American Bungalow". Excellent! They both also publish books and "collections" that focus on kitchens / baths.
Colors like soft maize, buttery off whites, pale jades and nice light tans all work well with craftsmen style homes BUT that assumes you have cabinetry that is close to original wood color / style. If you don't something in that tone I might consider getting a wood veneer overlay / refacing to get either a California Bungalow Douglas Fir or more traditional Quarter Sawn Oak.
I would recommend AGAINST doing any "re-re-muddling" with the 1960s era cabinets / counters. DO NOT create a "curvy" peninsula! You can try out the newish "counter refinishing" kits sold by major paint firms. I would definately try for a "soapstone" grey / black look.
To stay authentic with late teens-early 20's bungalows your choices are white, white and white.
But that's boring so get some bungalow books and look for inspiration. Bungalow Kitchens by Jane Powell is a good one!
You could paint the cabinets; don't bother trying to get tile to stick to formica as it just won't. You would have to rip the countertops out, do a new plywood base, top it with cement board and then tile... a much bigger job but probably worth it!
Kitchens in even the absolute highest style bungalow / craftsmen era home done by masters like Greene & Greene were VERY plain. White was common, and frankly the room more likely to have nicer cabinetry would have been the parlor or dinning room.
Of course that was a century ago. We don't use "lead white" paint for anything, windows are no longer a single layer of glazing and we use things like forced air gas furnaces that are 97% + efficient...
It is more than appropriate to use colors from the palettes of the beautifully hued nature themes that continue to makes craftsmen / arts & crafts homes so appealing.
btw The single biggest reason I really would discourage any one with a craftsmen style home to tile over a counter is becuase the more appropriate place for tile in a craftsmen kitchen is the BACKSPLASH -- the OP certainly could do a very appropriate and attractive DIY project with a field of inexpensive plain tile and one or two lovely accent / medalion tiles that would a really quick way to increase charm of an otherwise bland space.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chango
To stay authentic with late teens-early 20's bungalows your choices are white, white and white.
But that's boring so get some bungalow books and look for inspiration. Bungalow Kitchens by Jane Powell is a good one!
You could paint the cabinets; don't bother trying to get tile to stick to formica as it just won't. You would have to rip the countertops out, do a new plywood base, top it with cement board and then tile... a much bigger job but probably worth it!
We had a 1920s kicthen in our house before we moved it (could not move hte kitchen). It had metal cabinets painted sort of mustard yellow. Looks like the original paint no other color under it. The walls had a yellowish with white flecks formica type stuff on them. Not sure what it was made of.
Kitchens were never shown to guests. Even middle class fmailies frequenetly had help who handled cooking and kitchen cleaning. Even without help, the kitchen was basically a storage closet with some tools for preparing food in it. THe focus was on keeping it easy to clean rather than looking nice. Thus kitchens were very basic and spartan even in an otherwise fancy home
We were not thinking of putting tile over laminate or "Formica"- we are not contractors but we know at least that.
I have seen 1920s - 40s kitchens with tile counter tops. We are not going to get an icebox and a tiny 3 burner stove to try to get the kitchen to look original. We have a growing family and like to entertain.
We want to keep it "in the spirit" of an Arts and Crafts Kitchen.
One idea we were tossing around was black and white tile (not floor tile, counter tile) pale gray wall and white cabs. Wondering in all off the whites should be creamy?
My wife also likes yellow and green tile and blur and white, with the same color walls.
The suitability of a high pressure laminate like Formica as a substrate for tile is generally OK so long as it its good shape and is sanded to provide 'tooth' for the tile adhesive.
it is silly to act like a suitable countertop would somehow be a liability.
The suitability of a high pressure laminate like Formica as a substrate for tile is generally OK so long as it its good shape and is sanded to provide 'tooth' for the tile adhesive.
it is silly to act like a suitable countertop would somehow be a liability.
Seriously so what does this mean??? That we should not have countertops? None of them are appropriate for an Arts and Crafts home? Now I'm really confused.
Of course you need to have countertops in any kitchen. The point of posting that link with hundreds maybe thousands of counters made of tile is that NONE of them are really appropriate in a craftsmens / arts&crafts style. once you put tile on the counter it is all but impossible to put tile where it belongs in a craftsmen kitchen: the backsplash.
What would be appropriate would be a natural material like soapstone or slate. Marble or granite would also be visually and functionally appropriate. Of course those all tend to be costly. There are more cost effective / easier to work with man made materials like solid surfaces made of recycled paper, simulated soapstone commonly used as tops in chemistry labs, a range of attractive butcher block type material including things like recylced bowling alley maple , traditional high pressure laminates with more appropriate colors / finishes and even refinishing kits fromm major paint firms to create a durable an attractive surface that is more appropriate than the typical uncreative DIY solution of hard to maintian and incorrect for style tile.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12
Seriously so what does this mean??? That we should not have countertops? None of them are appropriate for an Arts and Crafts home? Now I'm really confused.
Seriously so what does this mean??? That we should not have countertops? None of them are appropriate for an Arts and Crafts home? Now I'm really confused.
My Craftsman style kitchen has butcher block looking counter tops. Not exciting but looks ok and I am like you, I like my colors to come from my collected bowls and pottery ware. I like a cream/white kitchen, or a salt crock type off white/beige That goes so well with the primary colors a jewel tones of your preferred 40's - 60's art deco...turquoise, that weird yellow....I also like the look of the copper back splash...pretty affordable using the new "old" looking copper ceiling tiles....or the mini glass tiles for back splash. My back splash and walls are tongue and groove...I live with it because honestly we always seem to have somewhere else we need to use our money...I don't mind, it is a genuine old material
I'd live w/ the ones you have if they aren't broken and get a feel for what you want, that way you really know and only do it once. Painting and refreshing the walls is a good start. I would use shutters on the bottom of your window...I have those and you can find them at second hand or garage sales very cheaply. I use a very interesting valance for the top. Mine happens to be some 40's looking floral material in colors similar to some other pieces I have. It is always fun setting up a new home...Enjoy
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Reminds me of a Howard Johnsons Restaurant.
"Authentic" vs "appropriate"....
