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I have seen only a few kitchens on the virtual convention website.
I was lucky enough to have room to slip my white Chambers between my existing cabinets. I have a white fridge and a black/white DW. I have a white apron front sink with a bridge faucet, maple floors, granite counters and cabinets from the 50's 60's or 70's, probably 70's.
I have picked out my replacemant white fridge and DW (as soon as they break, either tomorrow or in 5 years, you know how it goes). When that happens, the cabinets will look pretty shabby and need to be replaced, and thus the granite will have to be removed. I'm trying to get ideas on what type of cabinets, counters, etc. go well with Chambers stoves.
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I've been dreaming about what my kitchen will eventually look like, but until then, I live with...
freestanding metal cabinets with rusty corners. A nice big double white porcelain sink, some shade of brown cobblystone linoleum floor, half painted walls, a portable DW, a bottom freezer wonderful french door fridge, a "primitive" ginormous free standing pantry, a bookcase, and to top off the look, a fake dark wood round table from the early 80's. In as word, it looks like the spider that was on LSD decorated my kitchen!
My chambers sits beside my 1970's brown Caloric, naked and waiting to be painted. But oh the vision I have of red linoleum flooring and real cabinets and some actual counterspace. I'm getting a chrome yellow and black table and chairs from my folks in a few months which was my grandparents. It's kind of funny how I didn't start out trying to do a "period" kitchen, and yet all these 1940's items seem to be falling into place.
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On period kitchens-can I recommend a great book/writer? I have found the series Bungalow Details by Jane Powell to be awesome. Her book 'Bungalow Kitchens' like changed my life (and my poor husband's) She works with a phototgrapher so there ar elots an dlots of pictures from both real houses and some uh, lik eshow houses, historically significant bungalows, I guess. I do not live in California) That's how I decided I really wanted a vintage stove. [Yes, there is at least one chambers stove depicted in the book.]
I have posted before about her article entitled something like Avoiding Cognitive Dissonance in kitchen design or something like that (UTSF-use the search function). She talks about kitchen archaeology and what would have been where at what time. The kitchen is really the most complicated room of the house. It was true 75 years ago and it's true today. There's a lot of finagling to get things just right.
That said, here's a shot of the unfinished kitchen in our 1910 bungalow by the lake. Now that the floors are done and the stove in working order (thank you) the plan is to install white but not bright white semiglossed beadboard to 4' on the walls, paint, and make 40's-ish vintage-y curtains, including for over the open-shelf pantry you can see at the back. I found that Jo-Anns has a line of vinatge fabrics, but I'm just not at that point. We have a chrome & yellow enamel 3-shelf rolling cart and I got a very very cool hobart kitchen scale that is like the chamber's long lost baby brother ($10 at thi sestate sale clearing house place in Lake OCunty called the Miscellaneous Barn. I gotta give my props to them b/c I furnished like everyone of my places from that place!) also a chrome breadbox my sister gave back to me cause she couldn't make room for it in her kitchen. (Philistine!) We have an el-tacko speckled countertop which is not even cut to the proper size, so that will be replaced eventually. But the kinda clean-line fridge made me happy, especially the fact that a) it's 28 inches, allowing the chambers to fit just fine and b) it was at costco and therefore a good price.
Post pictures, people! Erin
unfinished kitchenhttp://img128.imageshack.us/img128/3296/wideview1ie.jpg
<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ July 12, 2006 07:56 PM: Message edited by: lkeriegrl ]</font>
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That was a great article. Thanks for mentioning it [img]smile.gif[/img]
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After I received a call from a retired Interior Designer asking if I knew anyone who would be interested in her 1952 Chambers 90C, my husband urged me to purchase the beautiful pastel yellow stove for our own kitchen.
Of course, it wouldn't fit between our awful cabinets, so I immediately began demolition. My kitchen is an 11 foot galley style with the worst cabinetry I have ever seen -- So it is with great joy I pull out each piece. My plan includes bead board backsplash, tiled counters, wall papered end walls, open upper cabinets, and lower cabinets with baskets (a few with doors). My current dishwasher and fridge are harvest gold, so the pastel yellow Chambers appears a little pale next to them, but I think the overall look to the kitchen will still work out well. The wall paper for the end walls looks sort of like marble with various shades ranging from the palest of yellow to the richest of gold.
We are doing one side at a time to keep the kitchen still relatively functional -- I design and build the cabinets, my husband mounts them to the walls, my mother paints, etc. -- it is a family affair.
One thing I'd like to add regarding the design of the kitchen. My propane service would not allow me to position my Chambers at the end of the kitchen. Instead, it must sit near to the center of the wall. Considering the heaviness of the stove and the desire to be able to move it easily should the occasion arise, and adding the fact that the cabinets to the left of the stove are stationary, I designed the cabinet to the right of the Chambers to be a "break away" cabinet. That is, it will sit against the wall, but can be rolled out of the way thereby giving access to the stove. It will also be able to be used as an island cabinet if desired.
As we progress, I will be sure to post pictures later.
Ann Matthews
