Practical Ways To Remodel A Kitchen With A Nod To The Past

Posted on: 29 November 2022

If you were remodeling a newer home, you could tear out the existing kitchen and replace it with just about anything you want. However, when remodeling a kitchen in an older home, you must be more selective about the new kitchen's style and design. You want the transformed kitchen to look fresh and unique while appearing original to the house. 

Some practical ways to accomplish a kitchen renovation with a subtle nod to the past include:

Keeping One Existing Vintage Element

Even the oldest and ugliest kitchens have at least one redeeming element. Keeping that one thing in your new space gives you a slight nod to the past. 

For example, if the existing space has a vintage tile backsplash that is still in excellent condition, consider leaving it and remodeling around it. 

Or, maybe the space has a unique crown molding from back in the days when they were milled by hand that can be restrained or painted to match the new area.

The vintage element you choose to keep doesn't so much matter as including part of the kitchen's past in the new kitchen renovation.

Keep with the Home's Architecture

Your home was initially built with a specific architectural style. The new kitchen must stay within that style, whether colonial, modern, or any other style.

It can be challenging to update the kitchen in a suburban tract home because many were made in the last part of the previous century without much style. Instead, there were a lot of ugly linoleum floors, an overabundance of white tile with thick grout lines, and drop ceilings.

Even if you don't want a retro look, you can do many things to upgrade the space but also make the kitchen fit in with the rest of the home. 

For example, if you are remodeling the kitchen in a 1950's home, you might want to include a nod back to the era by installing a vintage-look refrigerator or kitchen table. 

Unless you want your home to have a 1950's diner look, there's no reason to go all the way to black and white checkered floors, red vinyl banquette seats, and all the rest. But by using one or two vintage-looking items in your design, you can style your kitchen without tearing up the house as it was initially built.

This will help your kitchen look like part of the home without making it look like something you spend a lot of money to remodel.

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