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Back to the Future
Check out what retro ideas are making a comeback in today's kitchen designs
By Ellen Sturm Niz
December 03, 2008
 Jackie O. sunglasses, groovy bell bottoms, pastel polo shirts with the collar turned up...clothing fashion styles tend to repeat themselves, and the same is true in interior design. Whether it's a new generation exploring a style they haven't yet personally experienced or an older generation seeking the comfort of nostalgia, retro interior design is becoming increasingly popular—especially in kitchens.
"I believe that today's trend toward retro kitchens started with the conversion of lofts in cities 10 to 15 years ago," said Pam Kueber, publisher of RetroRenovation.com, a daily blog focusing exclusively on resources for retro-style kitchens, bathrooms and homes. "These lofts were very amenable to high-style, mid-century modern fixtures and furniture. Over time, the look made its way to more middle-class homes. Today, the look is becoming broadly popular because it is cheerful, nostalgic, unpretentious—and can be pulled off relatively inexpensively."
Readership of Kueber's blog continues to grow 10 to 20 percent monthly, illustrating the increasing popularity of retro design. "There is now one more factor strengthening the appeal of retro kitchens: the economy," added Kueber. "People are eating out less and also economizing on their food budgets. We'll be using our crock pots and bread makers and thinking more about what it means to be a family and a community. I think this will be another really strong pull to nostalgic, retro-style decorating—especially in the kitchen."
Renee Hytry Derrington, group VP of design in Asia, Europe and North America at Formica Corporation, agrees that the nesting instinct is one of the reasons for the interest in the retro look. "A craving for comfort, mid-century modern ranches are gaining respect as a preferred home style and younger buyers who are not locked into their parents' traditional style all contribute to the retro kitchen, not so much becoming a trend, but an established category in residential design," she said. In 2005, Formica introduced the Classics Collection with two retro patterns, Boomerang and VirrVarr, in various colors. "Since introduction, these designs have continued to grow in sales," noted Derrington.
Boomerang was first introduced in the early '50s and was later colored to be brighter and more stylized and renamed Skylark. After an absence of almost 30 years, Skylark was brought back in '80s punk colors and renamed Boomerang for Formica's 75th anniversary in 1988. It was removed from the range in 1997, but was reintroduced after countless requests to bring it back came from designers of diners, restaurants and homeowners remodeling classic ranch houses. The 2005 Boomerang collection was styled using original Skylark colors from the 1950s while incorporating modern printing techniques. Tri-colored boomerangs dance across four historic colors (sky blue, coral, charcoal and aqua) that illustrate kitsch retro appeal while still remaining modern.
VirrVarr is a classic European design originally created for Perstorp laminates by Prince Sigvard Bernadotte of Sweden in 1958. Clean yet chaotic, the Prince's sketches were like clutter, hence the name VirrVarr—Swedish for crisscross, tangle, mess or confusion. Used mainly on kitchen tabletops and windowsills, VirrVarr reached top-selling status in 1965. Available in two colors, white and light blue, it was introduced for the first time in North America in 2005.
Consumer interest also prompted SMEG USA, Inc. to introduce a retro product to the American market. According to Sonja Dettori, operations manager for the U.S. market, the company introduced the FAB28U retro-style refrigerator last year. "SMEG received inquiries about this product for years and we thought it would have been the right choice for the market," she said. "It is in fact. Sales are growing so much that we are thinking to eventually approve the refrigerator in larger sizes." Top sellers include red, orange and black models, with cream versions starting to pick up. "Many people are getting tired of stainless steel and are looking for something different," said Dettori. "People want to see colors more and more."
Tony Dowling, business development manager at Elmira Stove Works, agrees that consumers want a change. "I think the reason for the popularity of our Northstar appliances is simply that they are not the 'same-old, same-old,'" he said. "People love our bright colors and they love the soft lines of our appliances—a direct contrast to the cold silver of stainless and the boxy lines of most of today's appliances." Elmira launched the first Northstar fridge in 2001; the first range followed in 2004. The company now offers several sizes and models of Northstar refrigerators and ranges, as well as other appliances. All products are offered in nine standard hues or a customized color. Dowling says the most popular item is the Model 1950 bottom-mount fridge, with the most popular color being candy red, followed by buttercup yellow and robin's egg blue. "We do especially well in second homes, where people go not only to physically escape their 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday drill, they also go to mentally escape," he explained. "They want a different look at their cottage or second home than they have in their principal residence."
Kueber says kitchens are the number one search area for readers of her RetroRenovation.com blog, so she catalogs many ideas on how to design the perfect retro kitchen. Here are some suggestions:
• Popular retro kitchen colors are aquamarine, pink and yellow, which were all very popular in the '50s and seem to appeal to retro-oriented consumers for their cheerfulness. White is also popular, especially for cabinets. Sherwin-Williams' Suburban Modern paint palette is the retro "bible."
• Many people are refreshing their birch plywood cabinets, and there is comeback potential for knotty pine thanks to character Betty Draper's knotty pine kitchen in the AMC television series Mad Men. This show and other movies coming out chronicling the era may have a big impact on the popularity of the style. (Check out Kueber's post on exactly how to recreate the Mad Men kitchen.
• Viking has brought back the famous St. Charles line of steel kitchen cabinets, although the company is not marketing these high-end cabinets with a retro focus. Vintage steel kitchen cabinets can also be nabbed off of eBay or Craigslist and restored.
• Rejuvenation has just launched a new line of reproduction kitchen hardware, including boomerang cabinet pulls for $4. The company also has a complete new line of mid-century lighting with a new brand name, Satellite Modern.
• Reproduction document wallpaper is very popular, with artistic director Steve Bauer and Bradbury & Bradbury on the leading edge with their 1940s, '50s and '60s line.
• For flooring, check out vinyl composition tile (VCT) or linoleum. Kueber's favorite is Azrock Cortina Autumn Haze, which she has in her own retro-style kitchen (pictured above).
• Kohler makes two cast iron sinks with retro-style Hootie rings, a metal rim around the sink originally made by Hootie Manufacturing.
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