LaDonna creates a retro-style kitchen that would make her grandmothers proud

LaDonna loved the look of vintage steel kitchen cabinets, but wanted the features of wood. So, taking a cue from the vintage Elgins at her parents’ house — and inspired by her grandmothers’ kitchens — she mimicked the look with 3/4 overlay slab doors. She also incorporated New Old Stock liner tile from a Retro Renovation ebay find, and has tips for matching its size to subway tiles.

Elgin plaque and Mom’s gas company cookbook

LaDonna writes:

Hi Pam,

I have very fond memories of both of my grandmothers’ houses and decided to merge elements from both of their kitchens to create a “comfort” kitchen into my no-character brick ranch. My parents still had their Elgin steel cabinets left over from their 70’s kitchen reno, but I remember hitting my head on them and how sharp they were. So, I decided to recreate them in wood.

Pam notes: Photo edited; logo includes complete last name — what a great idea!

Later, my mom and dad sold their house and Dad gave me the metal Elgin plaque as a momento. I even had a plaque made to put where the metal Elgin sign would normally be using our last name in place of “Elgin”.

New Old Stock liner tile with Grandma’s Salt and Pepper shakers

I purchased some of the tiles on ebay from Angela for my backsplash and paired them with white subway tile. I found that they are the same thickness as porcelain 3 x 6 subway tile and not the thinner ceramic 3 x 6 subway tile.

A close up of the liner tiles and S&Ps

My tile installer had no problems, and I love the way it looks!

Enclosed work station with Mom’s Pyrex

Grandma’s McCalls cookbooks and Jewel tea set 

My countertop is quartz, but I picked a style that reminded me of laminated countertops. I also live in an all electric house, therefore a vintage gas stove was out of the question, so I opted for a GE Artistry range.

I liked the GE Artistry refrigerator but it was also smaller than I wanted. The one I have now is a Samsung.

Kitchen sink with Grandma’s Bittersweet dishes

My most favorite thing in my kitchen is the NBI double drainboard sink since I think that gives it the most charm.

Thank you for your wonderful blog and giving your readers the resources to help them in the remodeling of their dream homes.

Sincerely,
LaDonna 

Nicely done, LaDonna — a blend of old and new that shows off your beloved collections and gives you tremendous decorating flexibility.  Thank you for sharing!

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