Times Union Spaces Cover Story: September 2021

Throwback kitchen style

Nostalgia can often be a welcome factor in making a house feel like home, especially when design elements from the past trigger a positive memory or contribute to a timeless style that can be admired years later by a future generation.

One distinct look that evokes that feeling is the retro kitchen, a popular style from the mid-20th century that added bold pops of color through tile or wallpaper, cabinets made of steel or light, oak wood and appliances that today might seem more frivolous than functional.

At 1 Gingerbread Lane in Albany, the kitchen has been left untouched since the home was built in 1955. The galley-style space is outfitted with metal,teal-colored cabinets and original appliances with shiny metallic finishes. Vintage, blue, green and cartoon-like floral wallpaper clings to the walls and ceiling, 

“Most people who viewed the home appreciated the original design of the kitchen,” said Barbara Walton, licensed real estate broker at Walton Realty Group. Walton said the house has been in the same family since 1966, and the only known repair was adding a new refrigerator to replace the original combination cabinet refrigerators from the ’50s.

The home is under contract, but the buyers do not plan to keep the retro kitchen.

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The buyer’s agent, Lisa Demase, associate broker with Nick DeMase & Associates, said the new homeowners will retire the retro styling in the kitchen as part of remodeling the entire house. Demase said they plan to try to preserve the appliances and keep them in working order, perhaps for another use. The split-level architectural style is what drew them to the house. 

“Split-level homes were popular in the 1950s because they offered more living space by staggering the levels of the home, and they were more affordable since they could be built on smaller lots,” said Walton. “Today, they are attractive to buyers because they are easy to imagine as open concept living spaces.”

The home at Gingerbread Lane is a rare example of a home where a 1950s kitchen was kept intact, but there are other examples of homes on the market with throwback styles. Homes for sale at 3252 Tibbits Ave., Troy and 15 Van Winkle Drive in North Greenbush have a few modest, retro-yet-timeless features that could be transformed into something new while keeping the trend intact.

“Retro design styles are trickling slowly back into popularity, even though all-white kitchens remain the most trendy,” said Jessica Soto, senior designer and project manager at the Albany-based Kitchen & Bath World. “And the meaning of retro is evolving too into a new, revamped design trend — ‘Retro Nuevo,’ if you will.”

One retro trend Soto says her customers are bringing back into their kitchen designs are light woods, like oak, an element also found in the original cabinetry in both the Troy and North Greenbush listings.

“Lighter woods remind us of nostalgic, warm tones and they are being used with the newly popular two-tone or tri-tone kitchens,” said Soto. “We’re seeing quarter-sawn and straight-grain oak wood to modernize the throwback trend in today’s kitchens as well.”

Caroline Harmon, trend strategy manager at Lowe’s, agrees with Soto that warm tones are having a moment in the kitchen, noting the opportunity for existing wood cabinets to receive a DIY upgrade to take them through the next few decades in style with a pop of color.

“Cabinet color can make a huge difference in a kitchen, which is why it can feel overwhelming to some homeowners to change it up,” said Harmon. “Two-tone cabinets, where upper and lower cabinets each have their own color, add a bit more dimension to the space.”

Harmon suggests homeowners keep the upper cabinets a white or neutral color, and to brighten up the lowers with a pastel paint, such as a pale lemon or even a bolder, bright teal (like Gingerbread Lane) to bring this look to life.

To add fun, retro design elements into the kitchen that are less permanent, both Harmon and Soto recommend upgrading backsplash tile or adding wallpaper in a tasteful way, in an effort to make the space feel fresh and modern while also adding value for a future resale.

“For the most part, strong pops of color are being used as accents and not as the main focal point,” said Soto. “One way to achieve that is by using a retro paint color or unique pattern for the backsplash,” said Soto.

Retro can be infused without completely overhauling the space with the use of either peel-and-stick tile or peel-and-stick wallpaper, a cost-effective way to change up styles without making them permanent.

“Items like these, or even the addition of retro wall art, won’t break the bank but will serve as a fun update to your space,” said Harmon.  

If you’re a homeowner in the market to create another splash of nostalgia, retro appliances are readily available online to fit a true commitment to the 1950s kitchen. Gas range stoves come in blues and greens, refrigerators are found in bright red with old-school metallic finishes, and less expensive countertop appliances such as toasters, hand mixers and microwaves can also add splashes of color without turning back the clock on how these appliances function.

Harmon recommends any homeowner interested in applying retro style to their kitchen redesign create a mood board first using inspiration from the internet, other homes and elsewhere.

“Taking this step will help to ensure you won’t end up clashing patterns or colors, and will allow for easy swaps as you prioritize your selections and visualize them in your space,” she said.

And with that commitment to a bolder style comes the consideration of ensuring the rest of your living spaces flow into the kitchen and complement the colors being used.

“Finding ways to infuse similar colors or patterns throughout rooms is the best way to keep each space distinct, while ensuring your home has a cohesive aesthetic,” said Harmon. “For example, if you go with a bright teal backsplash for your kitchen, add a throw pillow or accent rug in your living room that carries in that same color, big or small, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well they work with one another.”

“Retro is a strong style element, and simply accenting with retro design decor would keep the kitchen fixtures and permanent elements neutral for resale, but also allow the homeowner to express their personal design style by accessorizing,” said Soto.