The 1950s Kitchen

Styles come and go and over the years home fashions change in the same way that clothes do. The choices you make regarding your home fittings and installations can have an impact on your quality of life, lifespan of your home dcor and value of your home.

The kitchen is often the focal point and engine of the home where family get together. It should be durable and functional but that doesn't mean that style is off the menu. These days the most popular kitchens are incredibly contemporary with high gloss surfaces, stainless steel appliances and a minimalistic approach free from any kind of clutter. This is not dissimilar to kitchens back in the 1950s. Retro 1950s kitchens are very fashionable right now and there are copious websites selling 1950s style kitchen goods and accessories. Lets take a look at the 1950s kitchen.

The post war boom brought about many changes in the home, and especially in the kitchen. Newly introduced open plan fitted kitchens became very popular as they are today and appliances in stainless steel and chrome made themselves at home on kitchen work surfaces. Formica and plastic were often used for tables and chairs, where chequerboard vinyl was used for flooring, most commonly seen in black and white or red and white.

The most important 1950s kitchen accessory was a huge American style fridge ideally painted in an eye catching bright colour. These days you can buy fridges like this easily on the high street or if you look a little harder you may be able to find an original reconditioned one. America had a huge impact on 1950s kitchens and fridges were just one way that American influences shined through. The 1950s home also adopted kitchen diners and jukeboxes.

In terms of colour schemes within 1950s kitchens pastel shades such as pink, aqua and turquoise were considered incredibly stylish. This is in contrast to today, where intense colours such as black, aubergine and red are popular choices for high-gloss kitchens. There was also a strong preference for abstract, geometric patterns, as well as animal print designs.

Today, modern kitchens echo many aspects of 1950s kitchens . They have straight fine lines and open plan fitted kitchens are completed with stainless steel accessories such as bread bins, swing bins and toasters. This may be because there is something brilliantly nostalgic about them. There are many places online and on the high street that specialise in the sale of 1950s kitchen appliances and accessories making it completely possible for you to design your own perfect 1950s kitchen.