100 Years of Kitchens

This Thanksgiving, let's be thankful for the evolution of kitchen designs.  Here's a look back at the past 100 years.

The Early 1900s

I tapped into my mother's memory bank for this one.  Although a child of the 50s, she grew up in a home that dated back to beginning of the 20th century.  Her recollection of her childhood kitchen was spot on with the images I came across.  Kitchens at the turn of the century typically consisted of a hardwood floor, an oven, sink, and a centrally located table to prepare food (much like the islands we're used to today).  Built-in cabinets were hard to come by at this point, so free standing pantries and exposed shelving were used for the storage of food, dishes, pots and pants, etc.  Also exposed were heat pipes, yet to be built on the inside of the walls, along with their cast iron radiator counterparts. Functional kitchens, but lacking in style.

The 1920s

Enter style.  And enter the modernized kitchen that we're more used to seeing these days.  The 1920s brought a more accessible and sanitary kitchen with easy to clean linoleum floors, built-in cabinets, and counterspace.  Although it might have shrunk a bit in square footage, it still managed to accomodate all that the modern housewife required, while packing a punch of style with it.

The 1950s

Ugh, I love this time period.  Who doesn't want their kitchen to replicate a diner atmosphere?  Ok, maybe it's just me.  Or maybe it's because the picture below features the the exact table, color and all, my grandparents had in their kitchen, and it conjours up many happy childhood memories.  Functionality with bright pops of color was most common.  Also notice how the laundry has made its way into the kitchen?  Now the modern housewife can conveniently take care of all her chores in one area.     

The 1970s

Ok, when I saw this picture I had a flashback, because this was my childhood kitchen.  Complete with the harvest gold floor, refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and even telephone.  Dark cabinets accompanied those earthy tones, which were most commonly offered in harvest gold, avocado green or burnt orange.  Simplicity was the feature here.  The basic straight lines of the cabinets, the simplistic cabinet pulls.  I guess we needed that to compliment the paisley curtains and wallpaper!

The 1990s

And after all of that color, we needed a change, and boy did we.  The 1990s, followed by the overindulgence of the 80s, brought no style or color at all.  Although it did bring the return of hardwood floors, which unfortunately matched perfectly to the cabinets.  Plain almond or white colored appliances went along with plain formica countertops.  But it wouldn't be that way for long...

The New Millenium and Beyond...

Granite.  Stainless Steel.  Islands.  Lighting.  Color.  Texture.  Today's kitchen is known as the central gathering place in the home.  So it must look its best.  Buyers have almost come to expect a kitchen with all of the features mentioned above.

A modern kitchen has almost everything from each time period.  We'll take the idea of the island from the early 1900s, the idea of style from the 1920s, the idea of convenience from the 1950s, the idea of color from the 1970s, and the idea of texture from the 1990s.  And after 100 years of progression, the kitchen doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.

Article by Kim Fromentin
for Compass Real Estate Group, LLC