What Was New in Kitchen Design in 1957?

See What Your Next Kitchen Can be Like by Sally Pepper Haas appeared in the September 1957 Family Circle magazine, showing the latest in kitchen design.

The article states that one's kitchen should "be convenient, with counters and cabinets that are the right height for you. It should have enough storage space to take care of all the supplies, china, utensils, glassware, and gadgets you use. It should be arranged for easy movement with clearly defined work centers for mixing, cleaning up, cooking, and serving, and yet should have a feeling of spaciousness. It should be will lighted and ventilated and its color scheme and decoration should be harmonious."

Those rules still apply today. But few today would be satisfied with linoleum tile floors, Formica countertops found in these kitchens.

We lived in several houses with the above configuration, a 'breakfast' bar that was to have had high stools with an overhead hanging cabinet with doors that open to both sides. The dining area was situated in the right side of the room.

 The galley kitchen above has a washing center. We lived with that, too. Washing day brought piles of clothes on the floor, clean items in baskets, and there was no where to hang clean shirts. Note the slab doors with no hardware, golden yellow Formica countertops, and linoleum floor. Note the dearth of lighting.

The rest of the kitchen is pictured below. The wall oven is next to the cook top with no counter space in sight. Well, I lived with that configuration as well. Ugh. That home also had a brick fireplace with indoor grill!

Below is a photograph of the church parsonage we lived in with the fireplace, wall oven next to the range, and breakfast bar! Note the indoor grill on the left holds a birdhouse, lol.

The next kitchen shown in the magazine featured a peninsula countertop which holds the sink and dishwasher. The electric oven could be raised when used and lowered for more countertop space when not in use. Wise idea.

The white cabinets above look pale yellow in the magazine. They appear to be metal cabinets. The walls are white painted brick and the floor is a forest green linoleum tile.

The L-shaped kitchen above has electric cooking units that fold back when not in use to provide more counter space. The slab doors have knobs in this kitchen, but note once again the forest green linoleum tile floor. And yes, the fridge dishwasher, and stove are PINK, as is the backsplash and the wall paper on the soffits.

The magazine has a cute story called Love Me, Love My Pink Refrigerator. In 1980 we moved into a parsonage with a pink refrigerator!