Sassy Lassie's Kitchen Week

After just about one year in our new home, I finally feel as though our kitchen is complete. Each day I love walking into this kitchen and starting my day. To say it is sunny and bright is an understatement and I adore the feeling it gives to me. When I invite people over to my house for the first time, I always tell them ahead of time that I have a very retro kitchen, so they don't feel obliged to ohhh over it. I certainly know it is not most peoples ideal kitchen. It is pretty over the top. But it is my ideal kitchen, at least for the moment. I can't tell you how many people have said to me, "My grandmother had strawberry wallpaper in her kitchen." When I hear this, I know I am on the right track in making this a vintage kitchen. This week I am going to take each day and show you a part of my kitchen. I hope you enjoy.

To take you back in time. This is how it looked when we bought the house.

 Youngstown Sink Unit

Green walls and fairly unadorned. 

A single man lived here for 50 years and there are places you can really tell that there was never a woman's touch. The kitchen was one of them.

And this was the look I was going for.

 And here is mine.

I really think I achieved what I sought to create.
All for less than $250.00

The table is now in the center of the room.

Here it is last Christmas.

I so enjoy having a place to sit and have a cup of tea or coffee with a friend here.

1) I took all of the Youngstown cabinets off and spray painted them with appliance paint.

2) Wallpapered entire upper half of walls, painted lower portion white and added a cherry red border.
3) Took butcher block out of our other house and installed it next to Youngstown unit.


More this week...I hope you join me...will also show you the few DIY projects I did.

Kitchy Kitchen

We/ I am starting to think seriously about how to re-do or re-create our new kitchen. Hubby and I are at odds somewhat as to how to proceed. I would like to keep it looking somewhat old...and he likes a newer look. He is used to putting in really high end kitchens in the homes he builds, but we can we afford these type of kitchens. I am the cook in the house and a pretty good one if I don't say so myself, and from the time I started cooking at the age of 19 I always loved cooking from scratch. I was never one to use mixes or prepared foods so I can get along well in a cooking style similar to those of old. We do not own a microwave and would never use one, so don't need to make room for that. I do have a Cuisinart and a Kitchen Aid Mixer which I use often. So will have to find a place for them.

I would love to find the perfect bread box and canister set for the counter and maybe that will be it. Hubby uses a French press for his coffee, although we do have a fancy electric coffee grinder. We need to add some storage in cabinets and drawers and are trying to work that out together. Hubby feels overwhelmed at the moment as he is doing all the work. My time will come soon. I have started a small amount of packing this week.

This is our kitchen today.

The unit in the center is a mint Youngstown sink. I love it. Hubby likes it. I bought the wallpaper below to put on the top section of walls. I want the kitchen to ooze cheerfulness and happiness. The paper was on sale for not so much at all so if it looks horrible or I hate it when it arrives, I will come up with a new plan. The floor is a green and white speckled linoleum and in really good shape, so it will stay for the time being. The lower part of the walls will be a shade of white/cream to match the wallpaper, but for the most part will be covered up with cabinets and shelving. Any ideas for me? What do you think of the plan?

And for all my sewing friends, look at this 1950's kitchen complete with spot for sewing machine.

Sewing machine in lower left corner.

Here is a wonderful sing-a-long about Youngstown Kitchens.