Thanks Marco, that chandelier was bugging me a bit for the mix as well. In my mind I was thinking it could work if the harvest gold yellow tile just looked sort of like another texture on the yellow pine walls...kind of blending in of the same the color family so the white with red light would stand out in a good way when mixed with the curtains done in the (to me) more feminine fabric. I should have added some accessories in white on the lower half for further blending. I'm going to keep taking risks on mixing in these exercises though and am prepared to take the heat. In order to be original with wild spins on things I've much to learn but I think I can do it.

Lavender, I'm no good at critiquing but I do love the eggplant color.

Oh, that aubergine was fabulous.

YES, take wild leaps, jterrilynn. This is supposed to be an initial step--brainstorm, then eliminate and edit. You're doing the right thing!

I didn't dislike the chandelier or fabric one bit. But they seemed to represent a competing vision from the other elements. Actually trying to resurrect 70s colors and tiles is already a big, bold, attention getting move, and doing it with big contrasting color blocks threatens to crush little delicate patterns like that.

Marco, now there's a good idea for a topic! An exercise in mixing feminine, masculine and color blocks. Now you have me thinking, I should have painted the ceiling a color in my post. This is what I do to myself, I always think there is some way to make something work and I nearly go nuts trying to solve the puzzle without taking out the thing that isn't right.

I really like the fixtures in Francoise's scheme.

Mtnredux, the tole lamp is French 1920s and @ 1st Dibs. It's $1500 there, but I think you could get something by following eBay. My parents' kitchen has a tole chandelier with one large metal shade, more like a bouillotte, and it came copper painted, got customized in black and white and further updated in green and white, so this is something that although you don't see it a lot, they are out there and you can paint them to suit.

I'm getting a serious crisis of vision about my remodel. I was extremely committed to true '20s, touches of very early Deco (more delicate than '30s Deco). However, these sorts of folksy kitchens are also extremely authentic for the '20s, and they've giving me pause.

Looking back at some of these designs, I think anachronism is really important. I can't think of any example of any room done in earlier decades that still reads as timeless that doesn't have some--not all, but some--antiques.

Pal,

Thanks for the info about the tole lamp. I love 1st dibs, but you sure do pay up for for being "1st'.

My house is pretty much done so I have abandoned my hunt for laminate counters. I wouldnt want laminate floors in my kitchen because it has a five openings into other rooms, all but one of which is wide plank so we used it in the kitchen too.

Marcolo,
I don't think the neutral kitchen crowd does come hear to complain and ask for how to add color. I think they love their kitchens and their kitchens are loved, for the most part.

Your are rethinking your vision for a real life kitchen? Or this exercise? I did not know you had a kitchen. I thought you were just a roving advisor, hired by the people advertising right over there -------> And up there ^
In fact, I thought you might be a few different people, a whole staff, thrown in here to keep us going, but kept in a sort of design biosphere so that we can always hear from you, 24/7.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Those were countertop materials I posted. The third one would have been close to the right color, the first one the right...density, I think.

mtnrdredux,

Slightly off topic, I love your theory about Marcolo.
Perhaps this thread, linked below about his kitchen, was just meant to throw us all off?!
I've often wondered how many people on GW have multiple personas on GW.
Hmmm... food for thought.

Anyway, tt was a fun thread back in 2010 and it had the feel of verisimilitude.
So much so that I have been wondering all these months how Marcolo's 1920s kitchen plans were evolving.

Here is a link that might be useful: Marcolo's 1920s kitchen design challenge

Boo all the images are gone!

MT, I always thought you were really Michelle Obama lol.

Gee, I thought this thread had a very good vibe going.

Anyone who seems to have read so many of my posts really ought to know my story already. This forum has great advice but sometimes you really have to have a strong tolerance for meowing.

Now marcolo it's all good! Like decorating sometimes there just has to be a bit of jesting for fun.

Part time curmudgeon part-time go-go dancer? Or is that me?

Or maybe more like Dawn Davenport:

"I'm a liar, a thief, and a real 5h!tkicker."

Anyway, what's next? Something a bit more restricted or structured?

No, Marcolo, I actually literally meant that I did not know you were redoing a kitchen. I think it must have been a long time since you talked about your plans. I do remember you saying things like "ive always wanted to do a such and such kitchen" (chinoisereie, was one). But I had no idea you were working on plans.

I went back to the link, and alas, no more pictures!

Have you posted before about a mood board for the 20s deco kitchen? That sounds very interesting.

oooh, that was worth revisiting, if only for the best. gardenweb. picture. ever:

Haha, pal you can't be he's dead.

Hey, I will be at a meeting for 5 days starting tomorrow, and I am not taking my laptop. I may be able to check in but I won't be able to play :( Don't do anything fun until I get back :P

I loved the Kitchen Hoplite. If anyone knows where to order one online, please link.

mtnrdredux, I've told my tale of woe a few times. Short version: We thought we'd be able to start our kitchen reno even before moving in. Reality intruded, and we've been throwing money at it in multiple unexpected $10K chunks ever since. I now fear my kitchen is unfixable in its footprint without a bumpout, but I'm not sure my house will support the expense of an addition. I have stumped the very best, including buehl and johnliu.

Dammit, pal! Why didn't you tell us earlier you were leaving? We need your guidance in choosing the next project.

And how did you ever get that picture of me on a Sunday morning?

I do want to point out that was the exact getup my mother adopted for bedtime to preserve her '60s up-do when I was little. I am the youngest in my family. Figure it out.

Pal.

You mean next for this thread? Should we stick with Marcolo's paradigm about how to discuss them (eh uniqueness, cohesiveness, etc).

Francoise, since I dont have to scroll up too far:
Unique. - I am very happy about your table and banishment of the island. It is refreshing. I would have done that but since I had a mega galley I couldnt really go that direction. I also like the table with those chairs. It makes me look back at the table Pal put with the Dollaways, and now that table looks like mdf bases for those BedBathnBeyond sidetables people cover over? The rug is also a great choice. Kitchens need more rugs, and I'm all about D&A. I would like the lights better without the pasties/tassels. I love the napkins and am going forthwith to look that co. up.
Cohesive. Yes
Contextual. Yes
Revival, Yes
Realistic in budget. I suppose so.

Ok pal, but it looks like you are going to miss out on Marco's S&M outfits.

Oh no, Pal. We need to wait then. We need to be fully staffed for this.

Ok, Marcolo, I don't think I knew that. And I know I never saw that layout before!

Is that for towels, like the ever popular kitchen pig?

Scale may be wrong.

But I think it would be a great image for laser cut tumbled marble backsplash.

I had such high hopes for this thread, and yet it all ended with me looking at Divine's high school picture on Wikipedia while rewatching "I'm So Beautiful" on Youtube.

Such are the best-laid schemes of mice and men.

Hey, I did my part. I read your instructions contributed, and then commented on four other mood boards using your criteria.

No, you were well-behaved. Then pal had to post that damn picture. Memory lane has many on-ramps.

I've never posted anything like this. So, bear with me. The house I'm thinking of is probably more recent than others. Maybe even closer to the scary 70's center halls that I'm very used to seeing. I live in the midwest. Most of the houses in my neighborhood are this style. I'm a middle 30s stay at home mom on a budget. I want to update my home and not have the chickens or farm animals on my walls. There are tons and tons of trees in my neighborhood. So, green is prevalent in my situation.

I'm showing the kitchen so you can see the dark gray next to the white tops. I know. Gray. But, I picked a heritage color from BM. Been around forever and has a green undertone. The lighter gray is revere pewter for the walls.

I'm pulling my scenario mostly from a fabric. It's close to a fabric that I have with the same colors. It's more of an oriental than a floral. But, I would use hot house in a red hot minute. I'm just too lazy to photo my fabric. But, I have been considering this fabric forever. Was thinking the extra seating would be in this. And, the shade in the kitchen.

Cabs: raised painted, uppers in pointing, lowers in chelsea gray or pigeon by FB.

Tiles: Cheap, cheap anne sacks- nine dollars a sf. Not the super small mosaic or the normal subway. I think that they are three inches long. Really want to do a herringbone subway pattern, but was trying to bring a little more color.

Countertops: corian (yes. corian) in cameo white. I like the soft and not shiny look to it.

Finishes: are in polished nickel as I'm trying to bounce light which seems to be nil in homes like these. The chandelier's shades are glass. Not in love with those. Was thinking more traditional silk or something like that.

Curtains: Could be ivory or linen with the orange trim. (must have orange trim as I'm trying to pull in the orange of the red oak floors that everyone has here.) And, they have to the valance.

Chairs: Must have queen anne around here. Of course, the green isn't perfect. But, I want something similar, but probably skinnier and taller... with the nailhead trim. This would be the two captain chairs.

The tall hutch is more farmhouse. But, I love the height. And, the color is right for the dark, dark trim you see around here. I'm trying to honor that color. Mind you, I would want the trim and the moulding in pointing still.

I know that my scenario is more in depth than the other posters. Probably, since this is similar to what I'm doing with my home. It's about 2:00 here. Haven't figured out how to post this board. So, you'll have to click on the link. :) Oops, I realized I forgot to find a pull and I wanted to paint the interior doors a glossy black or the chelsea gray. Sorry about that.

I was trying not to be the zig zag rug blogger in my kitchen. But, it definitely leans more that way could be my age. BTW, I do like zig zag rugs. But, was trying to be more...

Here you go.

Marcolo- No chance of opening the kitchen to another room?

Kimiko- I like your kitchen colors a lot...just wondering if an antique brass would work better than the chrome/nickel? I love that silver tray...there should be one in every kitchen :)

Celerie Kembel's "Hot House Flowers" is not Asian, though it sort of looks that way. It's a Jacobean print, which was originally based on 17th century crewel work. However it is a very classic traditional print. It actually has a bit more green than you can see in the little thumbnail.

It actually comes in a green colorway.

{{gwi:2109882}}

I would also lean toward brass in that concept.

Lavender, no, no opening up here--wouldn't help and I wouldn't like it. We have more unplanned big projects to tackle before the kitchen, unfortunately, but I hope to start talking to an architect over the next few months, unless the economy tanks again!

Marcolo- What if we did 1920s kitchens, while Palimpsest is gone? There are so many possiblities, it might be really fun! Maybe choose a style, show some pictures of the architecture and design elements that we're choosing...and then make the kitchen board. You've already named two styles and I can think of another one. What do you think?

Well if we are making pitches for the next topic, the material I had in mind to design around was Marmoleum Asian Tiger.
{{gwi:2109500}}

My impression is that a lot of people like it, but they don't know how to use it.

Marcolo: The fabric I have is more Asian. The hot house has a similar color value. I was too lazy to actually photograph what I have. I do love that fabric. Still can't decide if that is what I want. Love both colorways.

Lass: Thank you. I was thinking of the brass originally. I think it would pull out the orange nicely. And, it would warm up the gray. I do think that would be more appropriate for a colonial. Thanks for the suggestion!

Here is a link that might be useful: oxide

Kimiko- I really like antique brass with silver...and somtimes a little copper. It's such a pretty combination...and I think silver is much warmer than the nickel and chrome. It seems to have more of a glow to it, but maybe that's all the polishing :)

Does anyone else want to weigh in on '20s kitchens vs. the Asian Tiger vs. something else?

I have a couple of concerns. I really want these to be applicable to real projects someone might do. Do we really think the Asian Tiger is a potentially popular product?

Second--My worry is that for '20s kitchens we'll just get people posting the typical vintage white kitchen look. Some have already done that, and we don't want people to just link to their finished kitchens! We could try to emphasize the post-sanitary (white cabs, white subway) look that started to become popular in the mid-20s. See below for what I mean.

We should also urge people to update the look somehow.

Thoughts?

Here is a link that might be useful: Be sure to check Gallery 1 AND Gallery 2

I doubt the Asian Tiger will become a main stream popular product, but I'd enjoy seeing how people might make it work in a kitchen.

I'd still vote for the updated '20s kitchen though. I'm thoroughly enjoying these threads, but not brave enough to pull something together yet.

This is my busiest season so I'm very late to this party, but I did want to contribute. My pretend 1950's Colonial Revival is a young couple's first home, and they've broken the bank getting into this house so their budget is small. It has a typical galley kitchen with an eat in area at one end, and was updated some time in the 80's with oak cabinets and white appliances.

Their design inspiration is an old sampler that was handed down from the wife's great-great-great-grandmother.

So they rip up the vinyl and paint their subfloor in a vibrant mustard yellow sampler pattern

They paint the cabinetry that bluey green and use a couple of punched tin pieces in place of some of the panels & put plain brass knobs and pulls on it.

Buy a plain Formica Travertine laminate counter from Lowes and put a white cast iron vintage sink from the architectural salvage store on top and pick up a plain chrome Moen faucet while they are at the box store.

Their splurges are buying two new punched tin light fixtures to replace the central fluorescent and the bird and vine wallpaper for the small amount of wall in the breakfast area and above the backsplash of the laminate counter. They find a vintage clear glass and harvest gold pendant for over the sink and a vintage brass chandelier on craigslist for over their vintage brass "pineapple" table that they already own. They build a small painted teal banquette into the corner and use the various fabrics on the bottom for pillows along with two ladder back chairs that they paint teal and cover with the yellow gingham. Of course when they are antiquing, they pick up those canisters and the phone and a few other 70's accessories in that harvest gold.

Of course, they keep the white appliances for now, but this will be their "facelift" for the moment until they can afford a more thorough remodel.

I just wanted o show that you don't have to spend a lot of money to achieve a cohesive design. Nor do you have to rip out and replace everything that currently exists. Paint is cheap, and cabinets do not always need to be painted white to "update" a kitchen.

Marcolo- Thanks for the link! It will be so much fun to look through these, this afternoon :)

Maybe we could state...there will be no 'one true kitchen' examples (LOL) but something that would be functional for today, but work with the style of a home, built in the 1920s? The romantic revival styles, the early art deco, isn't prairie style part of that too?

I think with romatic revival, you would have Colonial, English/Tudor, Storybook, French/Norman, Spanish, Egyptian, etc. to choose from. The white kitchens and marble are more Edwardian, aren't they? I'm no expert, but they don't seem to be 1920's kitchens. The exposure to Europe, after WWI, the new technologies, the reaction to Victorian architecture...there were so many influences...and the fact that a very large number of homes were built in the 1920s!

LWO- That's the kind of kitchen project I wish we saw more of on the forum and on TV! What a great way to work with what you have and still update a kitchen for your family. I love that the sampler is the inspiration for the kitchen. I also really like the colors and fabrics you've chosen, and the no fuss finishes...along with the fun flea market finds. Great kitchen :)

Could we do an updated 1920's kitchen with the constraint that the new cook wants to avoid white cabinets? (That's me, for example, but I promise not to post any ego shots of my OKM.)

I am game for a post-hygeinic 20s kitchen with a twist. Should we have a deadline? 3 days?

Also, I think we need to have a rule. I think, if I scroll back, some people have posted a mood board and not gotten a comment. I think anyone who goes to the trouble of posting one deserves at least one comment. Maybe in the format Marcolo suggested and I used, or some other. Also, unlike a FK post, i think its fine to be critical.

Sounds fun, but I feel like I've been given a homework assignment and I haven't paid enough attention to the prof this semester. Three days is plenty of time to cram though - perhaps too much?

Wow, LWO!! That is fantastic. You've given a lot for us to talk about. I was staring at samplers this week trying to figure out how to work them in--your idea is pure genius. Someone who updated a kitchen that way might never get around to a full renovation.

Lavender, every word is spot on. The One True Kitchen is very specifically Edwardian in inspiration, sometimes veering into a bit of Victorian butler pantry. In the '20s, color and prettiness came in, and there was a lot of interest in European design brought home to the farm by doughboys who had seen Paree.

Circus, I agree on the no white kitchens. What about no subways? We probably should also exclude straight-out craftsman, too. Those are very easy to just cut and paste, because there are so many gorgeous examples on the Web.

Mtnrededux, yes, we should write the rules to say, everybody deserves a comment, and nobody should feel slighted by criticism, right up front.

Don't know about the deadline, though. People may have busy schedules.

Who wants to write up the post? I don't mind doing it again if people can wait for the weekend, but at the same time I have no desire to take over like Reese Witherspoon in Election. We do have to specify the Rules and point to that website as homework.

I don't know if we should exclude white cabinetry, since there are some pretty examples, in the 1920's kitchen link. Maybe challenge people that if they use white cabinetry...they better bring in color with their floors, appliances, tiles, trim, etc.?

White cabs are certainly 100% authentic to the '20s. But I guarantee if we allow them, we'll get bunch of standard white kitchens with a "pop" of color.

I don't think you can outright ban subways. My understanding of tile history is that the reason subway tile and 4x4 tile dominated wall applications in the early part of the century was because they didn't have adhesives adequate for larger tile. If you take out subways, you are really limiting people's choices with regard to period-appropriate tile.

I'm all for excluding white cabinetry, though.

I may put Asian Tiger in my 20's kitchen, if you think it is too far out for its own thread. If we ever decide to do one around it, I'd be ready.

Isn't that where the 'critique my kitchen' comes into play? I mean, if someone does that...I don't think they shouldn't expect many kind comments about their choices.

Also, should we pick an exterior shot of our 1920's style home and maybe a quick explanation of the space? I really like the way LWO did the post, above. There was a 'family story' to go with the story board :)

I wouldn't ban anything. Just make it clear what we are looking for.

I put three days because I wanted to give people MORE time. It felt like there was a race to answer. But I guess now that I look at it, this has been up 4 days already.

I suppose I can simply express a very dim view of white. Perhaps ban a scheme that's completely white--a white hutch, or white doors with a stencil pattern might be OK.

Subways, I'm not sure about. They stopped being used much past the mid-20s and did not reappear in any significant way until this century. People really need to wake up from this delusion that subways have always been timeless and classic and used in kitchens every year from 1900 til today. And frankly, whether they've been used or not, who needs an exercise like this to see more of them?

I am very late to this party, work sure does get in the way of fun, real and virtual. Anyway, take this as carte blanche to critique anything I post, ever, on any topic, the only way we learn is to have different points of view heard.

And I have to confess that, as usual, I didn't read the directions well, I didn't keep budget in mind and I didn't do a real colonial revival, oops. Selfishly, I used elements that I would have used in my own kitchen had I the funds; Crown Point cabs, lavastone counters, over the top lighting and fabrics that I'm sure are in or close to 3 digits a square yard. I also used things that I thought were a contemporary take on colonial revival, albeit without really researching CR at all, I guess that would have been too much like work.

Love the Asian Tiger marmo, great colors and feel.

sandyponder

Before this thread ends, I just want to thank the contestants. Especially Marcolo, who inspired me with the Corian Thyme. I loved how the counters looked with that window view enough to want to try to create a color board using it for my eventual kitchen. Maybe even with the grays.

I also want to thank Marcolo for the articulation about people here who are "clawing for help in design direction--and all they're actually thinking of doing is in infinitesimally small variation on the One True Kitchen. Which is probably going into a '70s raised ranch". In my case, it's not a raised ranch. It's just a regular old tiny ranch. And I appreciate all the help I can get.