Are you looking for some retro kitchen inspiration? If so, you have come to the right place! In this blog post, we will be showcasing 15 colorful vintage mid-century modern kitchens. These kitchens will brighten your day and get your creative juices flowing!
1. Pretty in Pink
The kitchen in this 1940s bungalow in St. Cloud, MN, still retains all its original vintage charm. Like most kitchens of this time period, it’s small but has plenty of storage thanks to all the pink metal cabinetry.
Check out the western-themed details, like the vintage wallpaper and the mounted horns. The black and pink linoleum floors are a nice touch as well.
2. We’re Letting Mom Out of the Kitchen … Kinda
This beautiful pink kitchen has Formica countertops and cabinet fronts and it’s so attractive that, as the ad puts it, we can make “mother a member of the family again.”
Check out the facing sinks. Mom can do the washing up in the kitchen or in the dining room!
3. The Kitchen of the Future is Colorful Formica
I wish we still had World’s Fairs where we could see the ideas our best and brightest minds had for our future. Maybe we would all feel a little more hopeful if we could see the wonders that might be in store for us if we just hold on for a little longer.
I know I would have been inspired by this colorful kitchen that Formica displayed at the World’s Fair of 1964. I love the cheery green counters mixed with the textured cabinet fronts. And that oven looks positively scientific. Plus, a pull-out space for pots and pans? Genius!
4. A Homemaker’s Dream
This kitchen, from the October 1958 edition of Family Circle is my favorite. Unlike some of the other kitchens we’ve seen, this is a real woman’s kitchen, not a concept kitchen or a set built to show off products. And it’s such a beautiful rendition of all the best styles of the time.
I’m guessing my family would have thought the Tucker family, whose kitchen is shown here, were impossibly rich. They are certainly upper middle class. This kitchen may seem small by our modern-day standards but it was bigger than most kitchens of the time period and it’s filled with extras I would love to have in my own kitchen today.
First, of course, there are the beautiful turquoise cabinets with matching dishwasher and refrigerator blending in seamlessly. But don’t forget to notice the slide-out cutting board, the dreamy oven that looks positively modern, and the pull-down desk. If this were my kitchen, I wouldn’t change a thing.
5. This Modern Marvel
One thing that has surprised me as I’ve researched this post is how efficient and modern so many of these kitchens are. I may not spend as much time in the kitchen as my mother did, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy touches like a warming drawer or a kitchen sink that I can pull up a stool to.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the mix of colors and textures in this kitchen. The cool turquoise cabinets (with matching dishwasher and fridge, of course!) mix beautifully with the warm wood and the granite countertops. At least, I think these are granite countertops. They may be Formica, which was in wide use during this time period.
6. Country Kitchen
I found this image in an Armstrong Flooring Ad in the October 1967 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, but the color scheme shown here is already moving away from the 60s trend of bright colors and towards the 70s trend of earth tones like coral and avocado green.
The Decoupaged Cabinet fronts were another 70s trend that this kitchen anticipates nicely. It’s a wonderful way to add a country, natural feel to the kitchen that blends beautifully with the earth tones of the paint colors and the floor.
7. Black & White is Colorful if You Use Enough of It
I always thought refrigerator panels were an 80s invention (and full disclosure, the first time I saw one, I was absolutely dazzled by the glamour), but apparently, the cool kids were hiding their fridges to match their cabinets as early as the 60s. You could match your fridge to your cabinets with the Amana panels or have custom panels made to match your cabinets to your fridge.
The ad didn’t have any info about how to match your dress to your kitchen, though, unfortunately.
8. Pop of Color
You can still have a fun and colorful kitchen, even with basic white cabinets and appliances. This ad for custom linoleum flooring shows how colorful a kitchen can be with bright red walls and accessories. I really love the whole idea of customizing your kitchen floor, too. How fun are the apple inserts on this kitchen floor?
9. Let’s Just Put Linoleum Everywhere!
There is a lot going on in the kitchen shown in this ad. It seems to be a fake kitchen, constructed to show just how fantastic colorful linoleum can be when used everywhere! You can put it on the floor! You can cover your cabinets with it!
However, that doesn’t quite explain the wallpaper behind the kitchen sink and in the breakfast nook that I believe is meant to indicate a window since it has curtains next to it. And I’m not sure what’s happening with the painted awning and Venetian Scene wallpaper.
Still, the colors are indeed very beautiful and this kitchen would make me smile on the gloomiest of days.
10. Guac Your World with These Avocado Colored Appliances
Ah, yes. The Avocado-colored kitchen appliance. Beloved by our parents (or grandparents) in the 70s and accented with wood cabinets for that perfect rustic earth-toned 70s color palette.
If you bought one of these appliances in the 70s, chances are it’s still chugging away today; perhaps in the garage as a drink fridge? These beauties never quit working, even if we eventually fell out of love with them.
11. Two Words: Wall Fridge
I thought moving into the future meant progress, not regression, so where’s my wall fridge?
Designed by General Electric as part of their Wonder Kitchen (and the whole thing does indeed sound quite wonderful), these wall fridges were marketed pretty heavily to consumers but appears they didn’t catch on. I wonder if people were concerned about their wall being able to hold such a heavy appliance or if they felt they needed more space. Maybe it just looked like a gimmick.
I think it looks awesome. You could mix and match your wall fridge with other GE appliances and cabinetry or go with all one color.
12. Powder Blue Perfection
This kitchen is a marvel of masterful color blending. The powder blue kitchen cabinets work so beautifully with the yellow sink and backsplash and the yellow linoleum floor with blue trim really shines. The copper accents provide the perfect pop of color.
But the star of this kitchen is, once again, the innovative appliances. A dishwasher you don’t have to bend down to load? Yes, please! Why did that go away?
13. Sophisticated Elegance
This Hotpoint Ad from 1959 shows that women who wanted color in their kitchens didn’t have to choose between girlish pastels or dark earth tones. Sophisticated color schemes, like this warm coral and yellow kitchen were also available for the woman who wanted a more elegant option.
Notice how the dishwasher blends in with the cabinets and the full-size stand-alone freezer AND refrigerator. I’m swooning.
14. An Asian Influence
This blue and red kitchen exudes an Asian influence with its brass accents and paper screens. This was just one of the ways you could customize a mid-century kitchen to show off your tastes and interests.
15. Perfectly Mid-Century Modern
This beauty might just be the perfect example of a colorful midcentury kitchen. Burnished copper appliances? Check. Retro Pattern Floor? Check. Matching Cabinets with a bit of Texture? Check again.
I’d love to spend my afternoons making notes and taking phone calls at the built-in desk before starting the evening meal.