Cream and blue 1930s kitchen shines with liveable appeal

✯ Day 216 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

It was the chairs in this classically elegant 1930s that caught my eye first. They're quite similar to the set (which was painted white) that sat around our kitchen table when I a little girl. Swooping backs, gentle angled legs, and solid wood construction saw us through countless meals, evenings spent doing homework, weekend afternoons of spirited board games, and the catch-all spot for years of family memories.

Beyond the chairs, there is a lot that draws you into this good sized, nicely arranged vintage kitchen. It's crisp, almost modern feeling palette of creamy ivory and serene dark blue is really chic. You could throw in hits of dark red, lush green, tranquil turquoise, sugary pink, chic chocolate brown, or punchy yellow, amongst others, if you wanted to expand the hues further in a similar room.

{Pretty, almost nautical hued 1930s kitchen image care of clutter shop on Flickr.}

 

I really like the open floor plan that allows for a very nice number of cabinets. The cute little pot-and-pan nook, charming pair of windows (with both curtains and blinds), and eye-catching (but not startlingly so) floor are all terrific touches.

What this kitchen lacks though, is an abundance of counter space, so if one was to model their cooking arena after this 1930s design, you'd probably want to make more room counters - and a dishwasher and fridge for that matter, too (unless you really, really want to go for an authentic 1930s look and feel! ).

These small cons are outweighed by the many lovely charms of this kitchen though, very much including those back-hugging wooden chairs, which all add up to a great image for your vintage home decor inspiration file.

Perfectly vintage looking, enamel kitchen canister set

✯ Day 210 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Having a place for everything and everything in its place really is a wonderful thing. If your storage options are both functional and beautifully vintage looking, all the better! Few places need practical, attractive spots in which to stash the sundry elements of daily life more than the kitchen.

Tracking down full sets of vintage food canisters that are in good shape, in colours the that match your decor, and which are for sale at a reasonable price can be tricky, especially if you don't have many (or any) local second hand or antique stores to scour (and the internet shopping gods are not in the mood to smile on your hunt).

I absolutely adore vintage canisters and always make a point of bookmarking any that I come across for home decor inspiration. Unusually sellers only have one set available (the canisters being vintage items after all), but UK home decor seller Dirty Dollie is currently stocking a four piece canister set that looks every bit the vintage part, yet (I believe) has been produced in recent years.

This darling pale cream and light jade green canister collection features a tin each for pasta, bread, flour, and biscuits (though you could certainly store anything you fancy in them). Made of classic enamelware, these dry goods storage containers are sure to add a marvelous dose of old school charm to any counter or shelf in your kitchen or panty.

 

The set retails for £50.00, which may seem a tad steep, but is honestly quite comparable to what I've seen similar sets from the 40s and 50s going for in recent years (actually, I was watching a similar pale pink set on eBay last year that ended up selling for nearly $200!).

Should you desire, there's also a darling little matching tin for string available, too (for the much more wallet-friendly price of £8.00; scroll about 3/4 of the way down this page to find both listings).

If you're smitten with this lovely vintage style canister set, but don't actually need it in your kitchen, you could easily use it to store everything from craft supplies to fashion accessories, small tools to candles in any room of your house.

Sweet, cheerful and splendidly mid-century looking, this four piece canister set is a terrific way to stay organized and add a hefty dose of old school allure to your decor.

A stellar 1950s example of effectively using grey in home decor

✯ Day 87 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Grey is having a moment right now (though, to be fair, it's one of those hues that, to my mind, never goes out of style). It's been huge trend for nails, seen splashed across the display windows of shoe stores, and put to work on a myriad of accessories over the past few fashion seasons. Naturally that means it's also permeating the home decor world.

Yet, despite the fact that so often when a certain colour in limelight is treated as if it's only just been discovered for the first time, there is nothing new about grey. The love child of white and black, this colour is elegant and friendly, for it pairs every bit as well as either of those hues with just about any colour under the sun (including the sun itself; grey and yellow can make for a really standout colour combo!).

I think grey is more a exciting home decor option than beige. Though generally a mellow colour, it seems to have the kind of personality that positively comes alive when you match it up with brighter, notice-me shades (like royal blue, kelly green, coral, and marigold). The last time grey really had an interior design moment was the 1980s, but that was no means the first period in which grey captured the attention of home decor fans.

While we often think of houses from the 1950s as being sprinkled with delightfully confectionary-like hues such as soothing turquoise, butter cream yellow, marshmallow white, and taffy pink (and certainly many homes were decked out in these beautiful shades), there are plenty of lovely examples of homes from the fifties that dared to delve into using bolder colours, too.

 

Take for example, this engaging 1950s kitchen. Though somewhat small in size, its layout manages to effectively squeeze in a lot of different decor elements, from a fully stocked fridge to a utterly delightful writing desk nook (and don't even get me started on how cute that built-in magazine rack is!). Here we see a medium strength grey woven through a room that comes alive thanks to punchy pops of strawberry red and snowy white.

While the designer (or home owner) could have just as easily painted the walls white or cream, they went with grey and the look absolutely works. White and red alone might have made this perky kitchen (the image of which comes via saltycotton on Flickr) too taxing on the eyes, but thanks to the introduction of cool grey, the palette becomes grounded and liveable, but still enjoyably exciting.

If I could, I would snap up the layout and colour scheme of this appealing vintage kitchen in a heartbeat, ensuring that both the colour grey and that seriously awesome magazine rack were part of my kitchen's look. Is grey a colour you're feeling - whether in home decor or fashion - this spring, too?