Rebecca, you need new cabinet hardware - stat! I say that with the utmost respect for your cute little kitchen. Why now try some bin pulls? And if you can afford it, marle counter tops would be glorious with your cupboards. Here's a link to a photo that reminds me of your kitchen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8230585@N06/3582208353/

I apologize for my spelling above.

What a darling kitchen! Do you like vintage textiles? Using period fabrics for curtains, dish towels, etc. are a super-cheap way to enhance the vintage look.

Brand-new vintage-style appliances (fridge, mixer, etc.) are readily available if you want to go as far as replacing appliances.

I wonder about your plan to use orange counters, though. I'm sure it will look great, but orange is so closely associated with 70s and contemporary decor that it might throw things off. Red would be more vintage-y.

But whatever you do, I'm sure it will look great.

Love your kitchen. I really adore vintage charm.

I can totally see a big white farmhouse sink, and white subway tile for the backsplash (or even glass subway tile with a tint of color/perhaps blue).
Why not let the white counter be one of those old porcelin, ridged ones that lead into the sink? I'll see if i find a pic for you.

Good luck!

I love vintage kitchen cabinets and your floor is gorgeous. A goose-neck faucet and marble would be beautiful around the sink, expensive though. And a classic backsplash would be subway tile, you could do a twist on it with a soft color. I might take the doors off the cabinets over the sink. It would open up the space and be nice if you have china, glassware or bowls you'd like to display. I might also remove the wooden valances because the windows are small and it would make them appear brighter. A new schoolhouse light fixture would be both fresh and vintage. I think a soft green or butter yellow would be good for the walls. Good Luck, you have great bones!

The big danger here is doing too much. You are lucky, lucky, lucky to have a vintage kitchen - I would change hardware, overhead light fixture, switchplates but otherwise leave every thing alone - just add vintage textiles.

There really is danger is ruining what you have. DO NOT remove the wooden valence, IMHO.

I immediately thought of zinc countertops. I TOTALLY agree with uwsperson about the valence!

If it were my kitchen, I would repair/paint the cabinets (still keeping them white), install new counters (marble, or Ikea butcher block if on a tight budget), farmhouse sink (maybe the ikea one?), stainless appliances, new hardware, and I would invest in hiring an electrician to install recessed lighting and well places pendants/fixtures (also under cabinet lighting). The wood floors could be refinished if needed. There's really not a lot you would need to do here to make this a great kitchen while still keeping the 20's/30's character. Good luck!

What year was your house built?

This is a very important question, because it should guide your renovations.

I would search through architectural salvage yards for an appropriate sink -- do not pick something that is older than your house, or it won't fit and will look a little odd.

I would also look for real vintage kitchen taps in architectural salvage places -- you will find much better quality (they'll just need a little sprucing up -- polishing or nickel-plating, some new washers, etc.) but they will be much nicer, much more appropriate and much better quality than the "fake old" types of taps for sale in hardware and kitchen design stores.

Whether or not you go with bin pulls should be guided by the age of your house and kitchen; they might be too country or too old for the age of your house. Check with vintage kitchen sites on the web to get a sense of what is apporpriate.

Another thing you could look into would be to get a reconditioned stove the same age as your house. Sometimes these came in wonderful colours, or you could look into having a stove re-enameled the colour of your choice. Or heck, white would look great!

As for the kitchen counter, chances are, it was a linoleum counter with chrome edging. You could make this your accent colour, with everything else a lovely white -- perhaps a light green, a cherry red, or a pistachio green...

Good luck!

Here are some links for you:

An article about avoiding cognitive dissonance in kitchen renovations:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/24/CMGFVBUSO91.DTL

chrome edging:
http://www.barsandbooths.com/bandbmetalbanding.htm

Here's the Marmoleum website... Perhaps you like the bright sunshine colour designed by Marcel Wanders?

http://www.forboflooringna.com/default.aspx?menuid=149

http://www.forboflooringna.com/Default.aspx?MenuId=32

A possible sink:

http://www.pasadenaarchitecturalsalvage.com/images/products/sep9-121.jpg

Here is an idea about stoves:
http://www.antiqueappliances.com/

Personally, I dream of a Chambers. You can find them cheap sometimes (check Craigslist and other sources -- saw a great one in working order for $400 a couple of months ago), although they often need some sort of repairs.

My kitchen is the same vintage! My kitchen cupboards are almost exactly the same, and I even have a similar valence (mine's over the sink). I wonder if the little bathroom I see in your pictures was originally a pantry? I still have a little pantry nook that we've been thinking could make a nice bathroom! Unfortunately I don't have your beautiful wood floors. When we moved in the cupboards were white and the walls were a dark olive green. We painted the walls bright white and the cupboards a great green -- Benjamin Moore's split pea. We also found old porcelain handles in a few different shades of grey and blue for the cupboards (from a reclaimed hardware place), and put in some open shelves in the corner (green too). That's all we've done so far ... but I have more plans. Anyway, you might want to consider a bright/fun colour for the cupboards and white walls (instead of coloured walls and white cupboards) -- I'm really happy with it.

Anthropologie has some wonderful vintage-y knobs and pulls that could work well in your kitchen.

Oh Robin's Egg Blue, what can't you do?!

I LOVE your little kitchen...this is what I would do...or maybe half of this. Or maybe nothing. Because your kitchen is already so perfect! http://www.flickr.com/photos/seesawmarjoriedaw/4168713641/

It is a wonderful kitchen, I would try to leave it alone as much as possible - that is, where things need to be replaced because they are not functional, worn, etc, replace them with something as close as possible to what is there. If you start replacing stuff with "vintage-y" components you'll end up with a 2000's era remodel, and then someone will come along in 2030 and say, "who ruined this wonderful kitchen with a 2000's makeover?"

MARG1E--- your rendering is adorable!!! LOVE the ideas shown.

I'd replace the hinges and pulls on the cabinet doors, as you mentioned. Definitely replace the light fixture and add more lighting to make the place come to life. Love the farmhouse sink idea, too.

You may want to rethink the orange countertops idea, though. Even if you don't care about your home's resale value, I can tell you from experience (I grew up with 70s colored formica counters), you'll need to work around this in future renovations, which may be limiting. Go neutral here (liked the suggestions of butcher block or neutral stone), and indulge your desire for warm colors by painting the wall by the windows, or brining in orange accessories.

If you want to modernize a bit more, you may consider removing the scalloped valance (although it is so charming!). I really think that's all it needs, it's such a lovely kitchen and doesn't need much at all!

I think you can make some modern updates without ruining the charm. I think a fresh coat of paint (maybe this is where the yellow or orange you were considering for counters comes in) and new hardware will go a long way. I'm not sure about the sink, but I do think that corian and quartz are both valid options for countertops. Maybe investigate vintage tile for a backsplash? If that floor is the original wood floor throughout the house-don't change it!

Margie - I also love your rendering! Though I wouldn't paint the cabinets blue and would maybe do a schoolhouse style pendant instead of the yellow one. But I adore the green curtains paired with the robin's egg blue walls. It's so fresh and bright. Yellow counters could be a nice addition if they're bright and sunny. I wouldn't do orange.

I also like not doing anything for a backsplash. I don't think they're always necessary. But if you really want one, what about penny tiles? I think subway tiles would be too harsh.

i like the orange corian countertop idea. check out my blog for lots of great kitchen renovation ideas! we are renovating a 1940s something kitchen... http://hishouseherhelp.wordpress.com/

Definitely new hardware and a fresh coat of paint on the cabinets if they need it....keep the wood countertop, but replace the white with either a subtle gray & white marble or the same wood as the other. A farmhouse sink would be great with a big new faucet. The floors are great....I would use bin pulls and small matching knobs for hardware...Update with new stainless appliances if you can afford and bring color in via wall color and accents. I would consider tiling the backsplash with either a simple subway or you could bring in some color with a glass tile. there is a lot to work with here though...good luck!

Your kitchen looks to be in great shape and it's all about the little details at this point. Since the cabinets alone give a cute, vintage feel, I would choose updates that are retro in the sense that they pay homage to the original period, but are also contemporary.

Agree with bin pulls for drawers in a nickel, and some new pulls for the doors too - something with just a little detailing, but not too fussy (and not too sleek.) Even a new nickel outlet cover will make a difference!

I would remove the scalloped detailing above the windows - even though they can be cute, they are the most obviously dated thing. If they are hiding lights, you could replace with a simple straight piece of wood cut to size and painted.

For the sink, I would get a farmhouse sink that cuts down into the two little fake drawers below. And for the white countertop replacement I would actually choose a grey in the same darkness value as the wood to make the kitchen feel cohesive.

The place I would have fun with color is the walls. There's not a lot of wall showing, so maybe a bright, cheery green apple!

I'd put one of those half doors like Lucy Ricardo had in her kitchen, so you could visually block the toilet from your kitchen and still let in the light and view from the bathroom window. Add a vintage light fixture and cabinet hardware, paint and decorate and enjoy your cute kitchen.

It wasn't Lucy R's kitchen, googling turns up Mr. Ed, and says the doors were popular in the 50's for neighbors to stop and visit across and they were invented to keep farm animals out in the 1600s. But half a door is no obstacle to a determined farm animal. Anyway, it would look charming.

valance, not valence, unless you're talking about molecules or bits of france. and i'd keep it if i were you. yes, it dates the kitchen, buy you obviously like the date.

i love the rendering margie did, but i'd go with slightly less space age drawer pulls. love the idea of the yellow light.

we had a 40's kitchen that we gutted, but it was in far worse shape than yours. good luck!

Pet peeve: when people correct spelling, but don't use uppercase letters.

As far as the kitchen-- not sure how the countertop colors you are considering make this any more modern... on the contrary, I think they'd read as more cottage-y/vintage.

Personally, I'd go classic and neutral... a soapstone (or soapstone look-alike) countertop, white small-scale subway tile backsplash, and pewter or brushed stainless handles on all cabinets.

Trim out the dated valances for sure, add your color with a fabric or woven-reed Roman shade.

I'd do a single-pane French door on the bathroom with white opaque glass.

I'd do a stainless farmhouse sink.

I actually am nixing my suggestion to remove your window valances - they are very cute. I think I was just projecting: I have a valance in my un-updated kitchen that is definitely not cute...

I have corian counters in my kitchen and they are extremely easy to care for. I tend to prefer keeping the counters neutral and having the ability to do fun colors on the cabinets. Then when you want to change it up a bit, all you need is a can of paint.

I also think that even just changing out the hardware and bringing in modern fabrics would be relatively inexpensive and would do wonders.

Good Luck!

here are a number of useful links:

http://www.amazon.com/Bungalow-Kitchens-Jane-Powell/dp/0879059508

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0912514425040.html

http://homerenorepair.suite101.com/article.cfm/restoring_vintage_kitchen_cabinets

http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/product_detail.asp?item_no=P0840C

New countertop, new hardware and new paint. Just please be period correct in your choices. Do some research on the time persiod and the materials they used back then. Good luck!

Oh my god, what a cute kitchen! All these great suggestions above and very little work will make it even better.

Lots of good suggestions but I'd take when the house was built and research what wouild've been in that house at the time, the colors etc and go with that as your starting point.

I'd get some glass pulls and knobs for the cabinets and drawers, repaint and if you want to tile, go w/ a color that is as close to what would've been used at the time for your backsplash, and use an accent color if you wish (a lot of times it can be plum, burgundy or black), very comon in older homes up through the 50's.

And I'd leave it much as it is, but do replace the light fixture and try to add additional lighting that won't too obvious but allow for good safe light levels for cooking.

Good luck

Somehow I remember Lucy Ricardo having one of those half doors too. I think it was the back door in the kitchen leading to the porch/fire escape (not the door between the kitchen and LR).

Your kitchen is adorable. Good luck and remember to send updated pics!

What an adorable kitchen! Fortunately, you really don't need to do much to get great results. As others have said, the real danger here is doing too much.

As a general rule of thumb, I would keep the bigger ticket items (cabinets, flooring, sink, countertops, tile, etc.) in keeping with the vintage of the kitchen. IF you want to introduce some modern touches, you can do so via accessories.

Also, your kitchen looks as if it was remodeled in the 1940s. That is nice! Your house has evolved over time, and it is perfectly fine to have elements from different eras blended together. As long as you don't get too far afield, you don't have to be a slave to one era.

Specific suggestions:

---Repaint the cabinets a single color of your choice. Before you do so, take off all of the doors and remove all of the hardware, and sand them down to the wood with a power sander. Old houses tend to have many coats of paint on the doors and hardware, which ultimately impedes their function. People then assume the cabinets don't work (don't close, aren't square, etc.), and think they have to replace them. That is not usually the case. Also, spray the cabinets if possible. And use the highest quality paint you can find. If at all possible, have this done by a professional. And don't forget the interiors.

---Hardware is important. You need to replace the current pulls and knobs. The hinges look like they have been painted many times. If the hinges are vintage, I would dump them in paint remover and if necessary, replate them. If they are damaged, you can get new, vintage style hinges via Van Dykes. Trust me, these small details are not expensive and they really do make a big difference! The link for Van Dykes is:

http://www.vandykes.com/

---Keep your wood flooring; it is lovely! If there is some reason you need to replace it, I would consider linoleum. This would be in keeping with the vintage of the kitchen, and could also be bright and fun.

---Keep the wood countertops, but replace the formica areas with a different material. Mixing the materials is a great vintage look (and very personalized). I would not go too high end on this, or it will be out of place. Most stones or granite would be wrong. Marble could work, but I don't think it is the right look for your kitchen. I'd consider one of those recycled paper counter tops in black (unfortunately, I can't remember the product name right now, but I'm sure you can find something with a bit of research. I've seen this in Sunset Magazine and it is terrific.).

---Keep your backsplash tile very simple. I suggest a super simple white 4x4 backsplash tiles. These are VERY 1940s, and very inexpensive. I installed these behind my stove, and it looks fabulous. Yes, I could have gone with super-expensive-custom-hand-painted-craftsman-reproduction tile, but my architect talked me out of that and into this -- and he was right. We got it at Dal tile for next to nothing. It looks great, but is not trying to be the trophy-museum kitchen. I like that. (Trick to making this look good: If edges will be visible, install a concrete drywall type product as a base under the tile so it has true depth, rather than just putting it directly onto your wall/drywall. Sorry, I don't know the proper name of the base product!)

---I would advise against the farmhouse sink. This is NOT a farmhouse kitchen. I think they look very contrived and will be really dated in a few years (except in actual farmhouses, that is). I would do a simple enamel or porcelain sink, in white. You could do something vintage, or new. If you go new, I'd do an undermount for ease of use/cleaning. You probably won't be able to do a vintage integrated sink/counter (though the idea is nice) since it would be difficult to fit with your existing cabinetry.

---Keep the valance over the sink.

---Aside from these, the rest is your kitchen "jewelry" so to speak. New light fixture. New sink hardware. Paint. Easy stuff. Your personal choices.

Not sure about the sudden call for "period correctness" here when the request was to *slightly* modernize it... and getting this more period correct would, I believe, entail more of a gut-job than it seems they are interested in.

I think "fresh vintage" is a very easy thing to hit on kitchens these days, and would be appropriate here. But I actually think, for example, a stainless stove (that actually looked like a stove, not a spaceship) and a cabinet front fridge (not a retro-repro) would really be the ticket here.

But the more I look at those cabinet pictures, the more I want to get over there and rip the doors off... I hate it when cabinet doors don't cover more of the guts of the cabinets.

Though your kitchen looks more 1950s than 1920s, it's still very cute. I'd keep neutral with the countertops and perhaps do a beadboard backspash. It would up the cottage-y charm. A schoolhouse style ceiling fixture would help, but you will probably want to supplement with some under cabinet lighting. A cute rug and curtains, some reproduction hardware from Rejuvenation, and your good to go!

Such a cute kitchen! Hardware is definitely an easy change. Anthropologie and Rejuvenation have cute, colorful knobs and pulls at decent prices. You can keep the cabinets white or go with color and keep the countertops neutral. Search through flickr for renovated retro kitchens and painted kitchen cabinets- there are lots of great inspirations.

Keep taking another look because I have been updating a 30's house. I tore off the ugly popcorn ceiling that came down on big pieces of sheet rock. Underneath was the original beadboard. Painted it glossy white like woodwork to accentuate the texture of the wood and bounce light. Put in a modern $29 Home Depot ceiling fixture that has three movable light cones that I will shine onto different areas of the room. Mixed some oops paint for a soothing green shade and have new white appliances. I used cement tile to fix the sagging counter (we make tile) and replaced the ugly stainless with a deep double white porcelain sink and a brown curvy lever faucet. Can't afford retro appliances and aren't trying for a time warp, just a mix of past decades into something fresh. I left the cabinet doors out in the rain and decided that leaving the doors off, putting some handprinted paper on the backwalls and painting the shelves would look more interesting. You are lucky that things seem in good shape and decorating is the fun part.

The cabinet doors look like they need to be adjusted, and it looks like some don't close properly. If the cabinets themselves are in good shape, you might consider replacing the doors only. Online companies such as Scherr's have a wide selection and offer custom doors, or you could work with a local cabinetmaker.

I think the beadboard backsplash suggestion is a great one. Would you consider a stainless counter with an integrated sink for the area near the fridge? Stainless is expensive, but it's a relatively small counter area.

The wood valance over the sink seems more 1950s than 1920s to me, but it's certainly charming. I don't think the valance would look right with a beadboard backsplash or even with a subway tile backsplash. It's fussy, while those two elements are not fussy. There's just something about the wood valance that seems off to me for that period.

After reading the rest of the comments that have come in since my initial comment, I have to agree, the kitchen is most likely NOT original to the house. Being that the house was built in the early 1920's, most likely what happened is that by the late 1940's and definitely into the 1950's many of the older houses had their kitchens redone and if so, this was probably done in the early 50's before the onset of the MCM movement due to the various elements that are within the space, the rounded corner shelves above the sink, the valances etc. Looks like the kitchen had a mild facelife w/ new knobs, pulls, appliances updated and perhaps a dishwash added at one point and the lighting does look new or near new, judging by its style.

Whatever you do, I'd do a little research and find out what and when the initial reno was done and use that as your starting point for making the kitchen homey.

Ooops, meant facelift

how about keeping it mostly same, except for fresh paint and hardware?....and this....

http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/feature_item.asp?cat=87&subcat=4

maybe update the appliances with vintage, as needed.

I'd also find a dishwasher that can be fit with a cabinetry front, so the only appliance visible is a range.

And I still stand by the farmhouse sink idea, still in stainless. Funky, modern, a statement on a relative budget.

Your kitchen is lovely and simple. All it really needs is some accessorizing with new hardware, fixtures and textiles. If you are on a budget and want to modernize and add functionality, I would pay attention to what's INSIDE the cabinets. You can still have all the vintage charm but with modern conveniences (pull-outs on gliders, divided drawers, etc).

Lucky duck, I love this kitchen. I agree with some of the others, looks like a 50s re-do to me but so what. Those have to be real wood cabinets. I'd say white ceramic knobs would look best and be true to the era. Leave the floor alone, paint the cabinets, invest in a nice honed black granite countertop (looks like soapstone but holds up better). Glass subway sized tiles for the backsplash. Add some color with one of those retro styled frigerators and a refurbished gas cooker or commercial grade range (if you're a cook). Some funky old style light fixtures will cap it off nicely. Im jealous - have fun and good luck!

Love your kitchen!

If I had one like yours, I would turn to this kitchen makeover for inspiration:

http://www.hashai.com/?tag=kitchen

As others have said, this is a later kitchen reno (c. 1940s, '50s) in a house built in 1922 (oops, missed that the first time). The reason is that kitchens in the '20s were made of pieces of furniture that were moved around -- they didn't have built-in cupboards. Do some research, and you'll see. However, given that the house is older than the kitchen, you do have some "muddle room" -- i.e., introducing elements that are not of the period. You can actually go a bit earlier than the kitchen using the rationale, "well, maybe the original owners like their sink, and tried to find a way to keep it", etc.

Still, keeping it simple is best.

As much as I like farmhouse sinks, I don't think it fits with this kitchen. Ditto for soapstone (or lord forbid, honed granite!), which would *never* have been put on cabinets such as these but rather, on framed cabinets, and so will always look out of place (like these: http://www.eccabinets.com/KitchenPages/traditional-kitchen-cabinets-36.php ).

The wood counters are really charming! You know, most probably, the original sink was a large white porcelain one, with draining boards extending for the whole length of the counter -- just my guess, but it looks right.

i'd try some new knobs. check out anthropologie. maybe try looking at swedish accessories.

ooh, lovely!

as many people have said, you may need to be careful to not overdo it. in keeping with 20s-40s kitchens, i would like to keep most of the major parts simple (maybe not even paint the wall, but to refresh it some), and add color and interest through the smaller parts - hardware, backsplash and lighting.

perhaps glass cabinet hardware wold be a nice change? i like the colored glass subway tile idea someone mentioned for the backsplash.

as for the countertop, if there is any way to match it, i can't imagine anything more lovely than simply continuing with the wooden ones for the sink counter. a double-drainboard sink would be stellar, but i think any white-porcelain would look great if you go with darkish counters.

good luck!