Posted on: September 6, 2006

Get Real!

Is Retro a Fit or Miss for Your Kitchen?

By Matthew M. F. Miller
CTW Features

Round and wide: The signature retro look tends to take up a little more space then traditional appliances. If you’re looking to retro-fit your home, start with major appliances and work from there, says designer Rosemary Abell.

Canary yellow’s resurgence was only a harbinger of dated things to come. Retro décor has been a consumer mainstay since the first “Austin Powers” film made it hip to look ‘60s again, and products ranging from turquoise Kitchen Aid mixers to classic rotary telephones assumed vibrant hues and a sense of whimsy.

Now, a multitude of fashionable items from the mid-20th century are being mined as a way to blend the quaint styles of past generations with modern convenience. Creating a visual relationship between the “old” and new in your home, however, can be a cumbersome hurdle for amateur designers.

“Retro is a very definite look. It evokes thoughts of the 1950s woman with an apron pulling a cake from the old Frigidaire,” says Arthur Tanturri , owner and operator of Chelsea Kitchens, New York. “If you’re interested in that style, take it all the way through. It’s not easy to integrate a retro fridge in a modern kitchen with cherry cabinets and hardwood flooring.”

What started small with the revisiting of classic countertop items, such as toasters, juicers, and blenders has now segued into larger appliances and kitchen features. The Northstar refrigerator and range from Elmira Stove Works, Elmira, Ontario, recreates pull-down latches, rounded corners and chrome accents, moving the trend from accessory to dominating feature. Tanturri also sees the return of cast iron, double-basin sinks and the emergence of enameled microwaves and dishwashers lending modern amenities a bygone style from an era in which they didn’t exist. “There’s a store down the street with these amazing retro displays and people just stop and say, ‘Wow!’” he says.

Rosemary Abell, head designer for DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen, Waco, Texas, says, “What retro does is give you color and punch, but it’s important, from a design aspect, to consider the whole.” Stainless steel, smoked glass and metal are all components to making the room pop, but Abel says that the key is to think hospitality and simplicity.

“There are always a lot of guests in the kitchen, so go for a place where everyone will feel comfortable. All of these colors and textures add warmth, but if you feel it’s too busy, you’ve gone too far,” she says.

Tanturri urges decorators to consider not only what the rest of the room looks like, but also the rest of the home. “There’s value to some difference, it keeps it from being hum-drum, but you can’t have an ultra modern living room leading into a country dining room with a retro kitchen,” he says.

Although the major appliances are available in colors ranging from mint green to flamingo pink, Abell suggests adding bolder items such as a powder blue mixer, a retro clock or a vintage painting to carry the bulk of the retro style. “To make it work, though, it’s important to do the big, stable items in a more neutral color and opt for retro accessories. Those things add retro design without altering the kitchen, which will limit resale value,” she says.

For homeowners unsure of their longevity in their current home, sinking money into a specific look can sacrifice a lot with potential buyers. Look at what else you are going to bring in besides the pink fridge. Start with the major appliances first, and then figure out your cooking needs, storage requirements and space allocations – retro items tend to be wider. Abell says that if you fail to cohere to the architectural style of your kitchen, all eyes, including yours, will keep looking at that one thing that doesn’t belong.

Countertops, where the norm has become granite, also are attempting to go back in time. For its new collection, Formica refreshed its VirrVarr style countertop to feature a powdery blue background with gray lines crisscrossing one another. The pattern also is available in white with gray lines to give a modern update to the 1950s staple.

“The world is willing to take a chance again on color for color’s sake,” says Renee Hytry, senior vice president global design, Formica Corporation. “Formica’s new classics collection allows designers to reinvest in retro color influences from the ‘50s and ‘60s, when graphic patterns and bright colors were used in everyday environments, signaling an openness to change.”

This openness to color and change is a fun look but one that Tanturri, the resident kitchen design expert for HGTV, recommends be done modestly.

“One thing I wanted for my kitchen counter was a blender, the kind with the motor underneath the countertop and controls along the edge. I also wanted a textured glass cutting board, frosted with a stainless steel band that is backlit. These are retro touches that are doable in any style,” he says.

Wood cabinets are a definite no with retro according to designers. Stick with metal cabinets, or something with a glass door that will adhere to the style. Both Tanturri and Abell suggest that those going full-steam ahead should consider black and white tiled flooring, or even a terrazzo floor that replicates linoleum.

If designers appear to be a bit skeptical of retro’s long-term success in a kitchen, consumers don’t seem to share their concerns.

“The retro rage keeps gaining momentum. We’re getting huge interest from all age groups including people who can’t even remember the ‘50s, but they like the look and attitude,” says Brian Hendrick, Elmira’s vice president of sales & marketing. “We’re seeing them ordered for trendy garage renovations, retro kitchens, loft apartments, ‘50s-home restorers and others who just want a taste of nostalgia in their home.”

“Would I get tired of it? Yes. Does it make sense for a rental? No. This is for people who collect Betty Boop dolls. Retro is strictly for having fun. I say if you want it, really go for it. It’s pretty much all or nothing the way I see it. It’s like wearing madras with bellbottoms. They just won’t go together,” Tanturri says.

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Matthew M. F. Miller, author of “Maybe Baby: An Infertile Love Story” (HCI, 2008), is a syndicated fatherhood blogger

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