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Designing a Retro Kitchen

Styles of the past or adaptations of them can bring a special flare and charm into your kitchen. By mixing antique furniture with modern furnishings you can give your kitchen a makeover in style…and it’s also an affordable way to do it too!

If you like the retro vintage style…

Kitchens in this old-fashioned style are certainly warm, cosy and stylish spaces. Choose shabby chic pieces of furniture and shaker style wall hanging shelves with moulding details, rustic painted or distressed. Restore antique furniture and use it to equip your kitchen. An Aga stove is a star feature in any retro vintage style kitchen but you can choose from a wide range of cookers that adapt to this style. White,cream and green pastels are characteristic colours of this style. Accessories are essential to bring that vintage feel into your kitchen. Get old product boxes or vintage signs from flea markets and antique stores.

Retro style with a touch of sophistication

For those more inclined towards the lines of minimal and sleek design, a modern retro style will give your kitchen a classical elegant feel. Get inspiration from the Art Deco style of the 1920′s and 1930′s which blended elements of traditional architecture with the modern and sleek curvature of decorative elements. Incorporate granite worktops, black and white geometric patterned floor and tiled backsplash, glossy white cabinets with no decoration, metallic chairs and lighting. This is a plain style, so good quality appliances with stainless steel finish will be all the decoration you need. Get white ceramic plates, bowls and cups to complement this style.

Choose cream, black and white schemes and bring life and contrast by using a retro red accent wall. Because of  its simplicity it is a great way to create an elegant space without spending too much.

Bold retro styles for the nostalgic types

For a glamorous retro look, the 1950′s is the style to follow with its bubbly forms, oversized light fixtures and pastel colours. Choose Formica for tables, worktops and chairs and vinyl for covers and tablecloths. If you have space, include a breakfast bar with stools reminiscent of the American milk bar and Rock n’ roll era. You can easily find retro kitchen appliances such as kettles, toasters, stand food mixers and scales to equip your kitchen in the 1950′s style since it has become a very popular trend in recent years.

If you would like to transform your kitchen into a fun place then the 1960′s and 1970′s will be a great source of inspiration. Use a retro colour scheme of a few bold colours from the sixties such as dark orange, green and brown and choose your wall and base units in one of these colours or solid white. Wooden furniture in walnut was also very popular. You can make your kitchen more lively by using big flower patterned wallpaper, curtains and cushions.

For a funky retro look, go back to the seventies! Use psychedelic or striped patterns for your furnishings or a feature wall. Incorporate pieces of plastic and metal furniture with modern lines and dark stained cabinets lifted off the ground with Danish modern-style legs. Choose avocado green, burnt orange, and harvest gold for the décor and kitchen appliances.

If you prefer a more subtle version of these styles, use smaller prints and geometric patterns, pastel and mutted variations of the bold colours with neutrals for the floor and walls. Combine retro furniture of curve lines with modern furnishings. And look out for old furniture and reupholster it with modern fabrics for a more authentic look – and make your redecoration project more economical!

The Cooks Kitchen design

Some people are born to entertain….other people are born to cook and if you are one of those you’ll need to know how to organise your kitchen to make the most of your space.

First when designing your kitchen is to understand the Kitchen Work Triangle, the ergonomic principle that is the basis for an efficient and functional kitchen. The points of the kitchen triangle are the three main areas in the kitchen: the fridge, the sink and the stove. When designing your kitchen, you should make sure you place these areas at a distance that is neither too far away so that you don’t spend too much time moving from one area to the other, nor so close that you don’t have enough space to work comfortably. The sides of the kitchen work triangle should be free from obstacles so that you can move freely and always place the triangle in an area that other people will not have to cross to get somewhere else.

300px Work triangle The Cooks Kitchen design

A diagram depicting the kitchen work triangle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When planning a cooks kitchen you will need to take into account a wider range of cooking activities than those using the kitchen for basic tasks. If this is your case, use a zone design approach, grouping activities together for an easy workflow. Apart from taking into consideration the basic primary zones of preparation, cooking and cleanup areas,with zone design you can plan for other aspects such as additional preparation and cooking areas, positioning of extra kitchen appliances and storage.

If you have a big square shaped room, introducing an island will allow you to work more comfortably and efficiently making the interaction between main zones easier. Islands are a good spot to place the sink or even better your cooking range since you can be facing your guests while cooking – or wow them by flambéing your crêpes suzette  if you are a bit of a show off!

If you are a keen baker it is worth planning an area with sufficient worktop for mixing, kneading and appliances like your stand food mixer and breadmaker. To make it really functional plan for drawers and cabinets storing baking utensils, mixing bowls, baking trays, cake tins, baking ingredients – I would recommend having your chocolate chips in a secret drawer to make sure they don’t dissapear before you need them!

It is very important to plan your storage space carefully – this will help you save time when working through your recipes. Make sure each zone should include storage space for its own utensils and ingredients. Store your knives, cutlery and chopping boards in the preparation area and place deep drawers for pots and pans, shallow drawers for cooking utensils and shelves for seasoning and spices within easy reach of your cooking zone.

Designing a cooks kitchen adapted to your style and space can appear a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many showrooms where you can bring your ideas and see in computarised design programs how they can be adapted to the dimensions of your kitchen and lifestyle.

 

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