Kitchens.
These rooms are a place where I can be almost all of the day. I love the feel of them whether new or old, modern or traditional, outdated or updated. On Sunday night as I watched the last episode of Mad Men I thought about the kitchens of the 60’s and 70’s. I was a young wife and mother then and, yes, I lived through the mini dresses, bell bottoms, drinks, foods (like rice-a-roni, stovetop stuffing, jello molds and frosted sandwich loaves), hairstyles and the music of those times. All left behind. And thank goodness, forever.
In 1968 we purchased a piece of property in Manasquan, NJ and I began reading through house plans looking forward to building my first. I must have had thirty or so magazine-type books with each page having renderings at the top and the floor plans beneath. After careful consideration, I selected a house, sent away for the plans and hired a builder. I was 23 when the house was finished.
Today, that house is still as pretty as ever. A shake-shingle, center hall with 4 bedrooms, two baths (en suite was not yet popular), living room; dining room and kitchen. The nicest thing about the house was that it had wonderful windows and lots of light, hardwood floors and had an atypical kitchen – one that was like a little hall that connected the garage to the main house. It had windows in the front under which the kitchen table sat; and in the back, over the sink. It also had a little porch that was set back from the main house and was very convenient for kids coming in and out, watching what was going on in the neighborhood and unloading groceries from the car. A beautiful firethorn grew up on the fireplace that we could see through the front windows. The picture at the top of the page is of this house – you can the little kitchen porch is situated. The picture was taken in 1972 and featured in the “Let’s Visit Mr & Mrs……” in the Asbury Park Press.
When the house was in its last stage of being built, it came time to select the kitchen appliances. I was so excited – and the latest thing was appliances in colors: avocado, copper-tone and harvest gold. Everyone thought these colorful kitchens where “the” thing and I wanted to make sure I selected something I could live with for a long time. My sister would have avocado and my mother had copper-tone – so harvest gold it was (just like Pete’s wife had in Mad Men!). I was on a very limited budget, but opted to splurge on a Kitchen Aid gas stove followed by the usual GE double-door refrigerator and dishwasher. Printed washable wallpaper covered the little bit of wall space I had and there was a printed vinyl floor – a cozy kitchen that was quickly outdated. I learned a lesson about decorating and design going forward. In the future, white everything and a wood floor was the answer for me and still is.
I remember my mother’s kitchen – a coal stove (which changed to a gas range), metal cabinets and two large, lift top sinks – for washing clothes! She had no dishwasher, and the refrigerator didn’t have a freezer – just an ice box. Ice boxes held 2-4 ice-cube trays – that was it! We’ve come such a long way from that kitchen to those in Architectural Digest today.
There have been many kitchens in my life since then and I have found a way for each of them to work – from the farmhouse 50’s kitchen at Doug’s place in Colorado to slivers-of-kitchens in Manhattan (you don’t really cook in Manhattan – although I did at Christmas), to a huge Texas kitchen with a “cave” for cooking – I’ve loved every one. My favorite is still the kitchen in the Tampa townhouse. All white cabinets and appliances, center island, high ceilings, beautiful light and a wood floor. Lots of good meals were prepared in the Tampa kitchen – and no matter the size of the dinner or holiday – the kitchen was always crowded with people talking, tasting and drinking!
Today, I’m in a kitchen with nice tile floors (very hard on the back), and chic black granite countertops (very, very hard to keep spotlessly clean and streak free) and stainless appliances. This is going to be my kitchen for a long time and I have no plans to change it. The nice thing about it is the skylight, and it is one of the biggest rooms in our home.
Point is, the kitchen always attracts people. It is always the warmest place in the house by temperature or comfort. These days when we have a dinner party, it is a place the guys go to talk about wine and sports while they mix their drinnks, and I have to shoo them out when I am close to serving. I love that it is the first room I go to after waking up in the morning; love the smell of fresh coffee brewing and the quietness of the space. There is a breakfast area in the kitchen, but it doesn’t have a table – rather a chair and ottoman, a little table with a small lamp and a hutch holding all of my cookbooks and a new collection of things hen (or chicken or rooster).
I only wandered into the hen look recently and I admit it is a little kitshy, but I like it. My plan is to have the hutch covered with everything hen. It is fun to search in second hand or antique shops – hens, roosters and chickens as a motif go back to the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. It is a new project for me and much less expensive than replacing the tile floor!
I’ve just finished cooking a “not Thanksgiving” turkey dinner for Doug. It is not as plentiful as Thanksgiving, and there is not a dessert course. It is the only time, except for Thanksgiving, that we eat turkey. We have finished the meal and our first glass of wine, and in between the first and the second, I always stop to clean up the kitchen. There is nothing more satisfying at the end of the day then to turn off the light, take a last look and say goodnight to my favorite place – my kitchen.
Till next time,
E
Paradise Found 