I Did It - EBAY

Well the time had come to put together a kitchen plan. The problem is how do you plan a room when you have nothing to plan with?? And you can't just go to HD or Lowes and say... OK, I'll use that, that, aaaand that. With the idea of doing a real 1930's kitchen, the challenge became to gather all the essential pieces of a kitchen on a limited budget and in a limited amount of time. So after coming up with a "general" idea of a layout and a wish list - the EBAY hunt was on!

And all I can say friends is I did good - REAL GOOD!

The purchase that started it all - a 1935/36 Magic Chef gas stove. Great deco styling, complete with timer, 4 burners, oven and broiler. Plus two storage drawers. Condition wise - gorgeous. The pilot will be sent out for a rebuild and I'll be taking care of the valves, gas lines, etc. Follow along this coming summer when I restore all these kitchen pieces....

The next piece was a must have as soon as I laid eyes on it. It's an original pine built-in step out hutch that was salvaged out of a house in NJ. At 9 feet it goes from floor to ceiling and fit like a glove between the basement door and back stairs. It was a bit pricey, but well worth it, since it is the focal point of this side of the kitchen - and check out all the storage! Once finished it will look like it was built with the house.

The next find was an original 1929 American Standard cast sink. A true kitchen classic here with excellent porcelain and at 52 inches, plenty of room for pots, pans and a nice sized drainboard. This was a key find so I could get started on re structuring the addition walls. The plan was to mount this on the back wall with two double hung windows above looking into the back yard. Now I had measurements to work with. Just needs the cool faucet with the soap dish mounted on top!

Like the built in hutch, the next two pieces were a "yea.... that's IT!" as soon as I saw them. I had been toying with getting an older oak Hoosier and building an island with wainscoting sides and butcher block top. They would have looked good ( I already have an icebox), but have any of you seen a metal style Hoosier plus a 1930's island of any kind??? And they are a matching set! Heavy duty metal construction with enamel tops, these bad boys will out live me. With the deco stove, these 3 pieces really make for that 1930's feel. The nameplate says:

The White House Line

Janes & Kirtland, N.Y.

Of course you need a place to eat, so here is a 1930's enamel top kitchen set, complete with pull out extension and silverware drawer... and a huge bonus - 6 original matching chairs! I sometimes will see 4 but never ever have come across a set with 6.

And here's the only non-EBAY find, but a local yard sale score. A neat early roaster that needs a little TLC, but cleaned up will sit nice in a corner. Plus bottom has storage and overall will really add to the "look" I'm going for.

and finally a 1931 Monitor Top fridge......but

then I stepped up to the optional 1930 two door model - and yep, after a little tweek'n she purrs like a kitten and can chill with the best of 'em. And what about the first one?? Who cares - only cost me a penny! Does need some work though.