One of my secret passions is vintage kitchen crap. It’s rare when I can actually get my hands on great old pieces, but I have a few. I went on an image search through Flickr’s Creative Commons wonderland, and I found so many pretties. 
My personal style draws a lot of influence from mid century pieces, but the bits and pieces I’ve collected here range from around the 1920s to the mid 1970s. I collect both practical and quirky pieces, including classics like vintage Fiestaware and kitschy bits like seventies melamine dinnerware. The crown jewel of my collection is my late (and omnipotent) grandma’s 1949 Hamilton Beach stand mixer that still works like a dream. You can get an idea of her curves in the picture below:
I thought we’d have a little fun with the rest of these.
Very old Kitchen Aid Mixer – image credit
Kitchen Aid always comes through with just the right amount of practical elegance and daring color. She rocks the countertop like an appliance half her age.
Pink and green tiered enameled dessert trays – image credit
These sassy fraternal twins run just this side of twee, with a hint of fussy. The right accessories add a touch of whimsy, but a bold choice.
Vintage folksy kitchen “A reproduction of a vintage kitchen in the museum at the Brooklyn Fair in Brooklyn, Connecticut.” – image credit
There is such a thing as trying too hard. What’s the rule about taking one thing off?
Slice ‘n’ time set – image credit
Sleek and mod, with a sense of humor. I approve.
Kitchen Kinks cookbook – image credit
Funny, she doesn’t look that much of a freak…
“Kitchen Kinks” – 1954, unpaginated booklet published by Robert F Stone & Company.
One of my collection of colorful, kitschy old cookbooks and manufacturer’s leaflets. They’re all full of funky retro graphics, indigestible recipes, antiquated advice for “keeping hubby happy”, and inexplicable amounts of exclamation points!
There’s one on every counter.
Vintage cookie cutters – image credit
Age appropriate choices are so refreshing on the little ones, aren’t they?
Exhibit of a pre-war kitchen – image credit
Classic, clean lines balance out the dated colors. Like the Kitchen Aid, this legend knows how to age with grace.
30’s(?) canisters and kitchen scale – image credit
Cute without being saccharine, this pair look like they’re having the most fun, don’t they?
Vintage Pyrex bowls in gorgeous mid-century colors. – image credit
Showstoppers on every countertop, this quad knows how to be sleek and sexy without sacrificing comfort.
Waring 50’s(?) era blender, totally working that non-polarized plug like the style icon she is. –image credit
3 replies on “We Need A Little Vintage”
I freakin’ love vintage kitchenware. I have my grandmother’s Sunbeam stand-mixer from the 60’s and it still works perfectly and looks like a chrome bullet.
I dream of the day when I have enough disposable income to buy a whole set of jadeite dishes. *le sigh*
When my grandmother passed, I was the only one who wanted her kitchen wares. There wasn’t a lot left, but every time I pull the old pyrex bowls out of the cabinet to cook in, I feel very happy and connected to her. Her flour sifter broke last year and I was devastated over it, which is silly, but I really did cry over it coming apart.
I’ve been adding to my collection with vintage pieces I find on etsy and some vintage stores I frequent, and I find that you can’t really find the attractiveness and durability in affordable equipment these days. Many of my new bowls crack and break, but the ones that are 30 and 40 years old are still going strong.
If 70’s counts as vintage then I am in. My mother has appliances that still work, her blender and mixer. Of course it helps that we hardly used those items. But dang, machines were designed to last forever and they did. Old dishes are comforting, but I’m too timid–and too butterfingers–to use them. Depression glass is lovely, even the reproductions. They make vegetables and fruit look prettier.
I am not a cook, so my interest in kitchen-y things is limited to refrigerator magnets. I have magnets of appliances and kitchen “machines”. The mini cheese grater does grate and the mini ice cream scoop can scoop softened ice cream. The most unique one is my chinese rice cooker magnet.
I love the old “kitchen of tomorrow” one reel films. Such goofy ideas.