Furniture designer and creator Nathan Chandler found and purchased a home that had been locked up and sealed since 1956. It managed to keep its mid-century American interior in perfect condition.
While you could watch old I Love Lucy or Leave it to Beaver episodes to get a look at mid-century kitchens, it’s not really the same in black and white. Even old color films don’t look quite the same as reality. Here we are treated to a modern day vision of exactly what some industrious ’50s housewives were dealing with – top loading dishwasher, cupboard mounted refrigerator and all.
The color pink actually had a deeper meaning for people living in the 1950s.
Inspired by the favorite color of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, pink was an exceptionally popular color for kitchens and bathrooms in the 1950s. Mamie loved the color so much, even her cotton balls were pink!
Dubbed "Mamie pink," the color soon became a national symbol for the joy felt at the close of WWII and the remaking of the American household.
Mamie, so refined in her lovely shades of pink, became the ideal model for an American housewife. “Ike runs the country. I turn the pork chops," she once famously said.
Mamie was ladylike and down-to-earth. She loved Lawrence Welk. She wore noisy charm bracelets. She played Scrabble and watched soap operas and served TV dinners!
Because of her, pink was suddenly a symbol of class, refinery, and patriotism.
Contrary to our modern perspective, pink was not seen as a "girly" or "feminine" color. Housewives dreamed of homes slathered in pink.
It's estimated that over five million households featured a pink kitchen or bathroom — or both!
It's rumored that Mamie always carried around paint swatches of pink, green, and cream. Throughout all of her military moves, even into the White House, Mamie used these swatches to make her house a home. She got to painting and decorating right away.
The presidential headquarters was so pink, the White House was actually dubbed the "Pink Palace."
With pink appliances in such high demand, this kitchen must have been quite the dream!
It's like a time capsule of the 1950s. The appliances still have the original manuals.
And though the appliances might seem a little dated, I wonder if they still might work!
With a top-loading dishwasher like this and the original detergent, a person might feel like he or she has stepped back into another time.
That's why this kitchen is so special! It's a little piece of American history that we can enjoy for a long time.
If you enjoyed this retro kitchen, just wait until you see the inside of THIS house, also left untouched since the 1950s!
Nobody is sure on why the original owners closed and sealed it for so long, but we’re glad they did, because the interior kitchen décor elements are something else. From the pastel pink counters to the original owner manuals still attached to the unused GE appliances, every detail is like walking into a time capsule.
From the metallic wallpaper to the colorful carpeting, to the modern baroque prints, this home's classic decor has remained unchanged for about 72 years!
The home is owned by a delightful 96-year-old Toronto woman. She decorated the home herself during the 1950s and '60s, so her charming home is a little slice of history.
The rooms are dressed in the homeowner's favorite colors: pink, purple, seafoam green, and aqua.
Her kitchen went through a major overhaul in 1965. But the oven, still in perfect working condition to this day, is a Moffatt 1950s original!
Her "Mamie pink" breakfast nook looks like a sweet little spot for a cup of coffee. Her wrought iron table and benches are classics of the time.
With its bold gemstone purple carpeting, lilac walls, and a fuchsia settee, the master bedroom is like something out of Versailles!
The homeowner's daughter remembers how her mother's style wasn't complete without the color pink. I told you, the 1950s loved this color!
The bubblegum pink and matte gold accents complement each other perfectly.
A fully equipped laundry room was quite the luxury in its day! A microwave and fridge were later added, for those night owls in the basement.
In the 1950s and '60s, the basement was the family staple of any home. Since they were typically used for adult entertainment, this is where you'll find the wet bar, card table, and folding chairs.
No home would be complete without its tidy yard. Note the retro swan planters and perfectly green Astroturf.
Looking at the outside, would you ever believe that such a delightful time capsule existed within? I was shocked.
From the kitchen’s baby pink counters to all of the old school appliances, everything about this home is dripping in retro style.
Not to mention, the interior of this time capsule house was so well-preserved, the unused appliances still had all of their original manuals attached.
Now that’s impressive!
Photos: Nathan Chandler,
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