Of all the houses I’ve had, the purple house was my overall favorite.
We built that house and even though I loved it at the time, I probably wouldn’t build it again. The master bedroom was upstairs. The laundry room was a laundry closet. What was I thinking? I suppose those are the only things I would change . . besides I wouldn’t build an all wood house in southwest Louisiana again.
But, my favorite kitchen of all time was in a house we had in Jasper, TX.
This house was build in the late 50’s or early 60’s and had the quality many houses today don’t have. All the bottom cabinets had pull our drawers. There were over 50 cabinets, and the stove was fantastic! It was electric but it had 2 separate ovens and even with just four burners, it was so spacious. I loved this kitchen! Notice that pocket door. It went to a laundry room that was about 14′ x 12′ with cabinets and tile countertop all around. I loved that house!
I’ve been spending too much time looking at kitchens and I came across this one.
My first thoughts were . . this kitchen desperately needs updating. Harvest Gold stove and sink! But, the more I look at it, the more I like it. I really think I’ve come to want this kitchen! Pretend that stove top is gas. What do you think about this kitchen? If you were buying a house with this kitchen, would you change it? My first thought was that I would change it but then something about it all reminds me of the kitchen I had in Jasper, TX and now I’m thinking I wouldn’t change it. It doesn’t matter . . it’s not my kitchen and it’s probably not ever going to be my kitchen.
Sherry says
I know harvest gold is very outdated but who cares? I like the lightness of the kitchen and wouldn’t change a thing. I have an all cherry kitchen and while it is beautiful, I really don’t like it. It’s too dark. Of course I wouldn’t even consider painting it or even replacing it but I’d like to take a paint brush to it anyway.
Tiffaney says
That kitchen looks like it is in wonderful shape. I would leave it just as is. It reminds me of my childhood.
Nancy says
If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. It looks like they did a great job using what they had…
Ellie says
Had a kitchen with an oven arrangement like that and found the area to the left of the ovens was wasted because all the “action” was on the right side of the ovens and that work space was too small. Remodeled the kitchen and opened up that space and now it can be used in food prep instead of just dead or storage space. Do like the color and the white knobs but they may end up as pocket snaggers!
Marky says
I wouldn’t change anything that was functioning and I actually think the yellow is sunny and cheerful, so it would be space I wanted to be in. My husband and I always comment on the young couples buying their first homes on House Hunters (HGTV). They walk into a kitchen that doesn’t have stainless appliances and immediately think the kitchen needs remodeling or at the very least new appliances. They probably don’t even cook! The stove could be only a couple years old but be white and they say, “it’s outdated and will have to go.” These same people have not saved enough money for a substantial down payment on a house and they think stainless appliances are a necessity!
Pam in Kc says
The only thing which would bother me about this kitchen is the stove is right up against the oven. I would prefer to have at least a foot of space to the left so I could pull a pan off the stove without having to lift it up over whatever was on the right hand burners.
Maria Stahl says
Love, love, LOVE it. Midcentury, it’s the rage right now anyway, so hopefully whoever buys it won’t rip everything out. Love the double wall ovens. And that SINK!!??
SarahB says
I’m with Pam on this one. I had a kitchen with a stove top that close to a closet and it was a real pain. You need more elbow room if not space to place a hot pan. Anyway, if you have to make some changes to add a gas stove it probably wouldn’t be much of a change to move it over.
Vicky says
I agree with Pam. The first thing that I noticed as the position of the stove. Other than that, I love it.
Mary L says
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kitchen that I like as much as the one I designed for the house I built in Iowa in 1984 after the previous one burned. The contractor said he’d never put in as many cabinets and there were indeed lots of drawers (as I had in the previous one). Even when I see plans for half million dollar homes (or more) none of them have what I consider to be an adequate kitchen. Sure wouldn’t position a stove top like this one is.
lw says
I agree with Marky that there’s no need to update a kitchen when the appliances are still working and the surfaces in good condition as this one appears to be. It’s like being forced to dance to someone else’s tune: you all have to have stainless steel now. I hate stainless steel, it looks like a labratory, not a kitchen. Harvest gold is fine. I like white appliances best myself.
However, I don’t see a hood over the stove, and there’s no space to the left of the stove where the oven is, which is a problem as I’m left handed.
I love the Jasper, Tx kitchen, though I would probably bring in propane and new gas range and ovens.
Saska says
We built three years ago and all of my underneath cabinets are drawers. I love it.
In the picture…is there a hood for the cooktop? I have a downdraft Jenn-aire and I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I have a grill and four additional burners. When my crew comes for a meal which is very frequently, we need it all.
Peggy says
I could live with this kitchen. I agree with the others about the location of the stove top. I need cabinets and counter tops.
We are in the process of looking to move out of state. This won’t happen tomorrow, but the kitchen is an important area in our house. I cook, not like many who just warm up frozen meals or cook from a box. I am like you Judy, I cut my own vegetables, by loins of meat and cut to the size I want it. If I want a 1″ thick steak I cut it 1″, not what others think is 1″.
Due to seeing my parents age I want at least one bedroom, bath, kitchen, living room and laundry on the main level. Few or no stairs for access.
Kathleern says
The thing I like about this kitchen is it’s butter yellow color – light, but not bright. Overall the kitchen has a light, airy feeling. The layout isn’t what I’d want.
Judy C in NC says
DWH and I also get a big kick out of House Hunters – and what these young ones believe is important vs. they should just be glad they get to buy a house. My son and DIL has a Better Homes and Garden house – you know what I mean – and buys another refrigerator just so it will be stainless. Guess we are from the old school – when the refrigerator stops working, we go buy another one. Lol.
eve in ga says
Okay, I’ll have to admit that those who mentioned the lack of space between the stovetop and oven are right about that. But I’d still LOVE to have that kitchen!! Don’t care about the Harvest Gold, it works in there. But I LOVE the yellow and white and overall openness. Very bright, cheerful and I’d definitely spend time in there and love it. Eve in Ga
Diann Smith says
Don’t care for harvest gold. I’m a stainless girl and love my high curved faucet in the kitchen sink for tall pots. Remember on those lower cabinets to get the shelves that pull out. So nice not to have to stand on your head while trying to find something in the back.
So I’d be for a redo in that one. I think it would be a hard sale if you ever moved..buyers want granite and stainless steel and “AIRY”
Me I just want someone else to do the cooking and cleaning up!
Sandy in Canada says
Having had two houses with the stove in a corner, I would not want another one! Not only is it dangerous to reach over a boiling pot or simmering frypan to stir or lift the pot on the back burner in the corner, but there is nowhere to turn the pot handles up against the wall on the left.
Sharie - Moss Bluff says
I recognize that house…….:-) It was beautifully decorated at Christmas.
I would like to redo my counter tops (they are tile, I hate them, and would like Corian, Soapstone, Granite), a new sink, new splash, new counter top stove, new ovens and that should do it. And I will do it this year if I don’t have to put on a new roof. Your dad is my advisor. He came last year and told me I didn’t need a new roof. So later in the spring after I get through traveling, I am going to call my advisor and ask his opinion for this year.
Marion Morgan says
No one has mentioned the refergerator, where is it located? I like it fairly close to the sink. I agree the stove wall is actually dangerous–too close. Also, if you do dishes where do you put the clean/dried ones? And I would have to have a dishwasher near my sink–some are clear accross the room. I DO like the colors, but would chose a Corian top–I hear granite has run its course, but what do I know. Keep at it, Judy, you’ll find what you want and know it when you see it.
Gwen says
That kitchen would probably be a deal breaker for me. Only if every thing else in the house was perfect and the price was low enough to allow me to gut and start over! The color of the cabinets and appliances is not the problem, it’s the arrangement and how cramped and small it looks.
Dora, the quilter says
I love the violet house! There was a blue house near Charleston, TN that may have been built from very similar plans. Don’t like harvest gold; love lots of cabinets and drawers and lots of counter space. Have none of it personally–which inhibits cooking, especially when time is short!
Sarah says
My parents built their house back in the 70s. While the appliances have been replaced, the counter tops are still Avocado Green. The main bath also has the original sink, toilet and shower stall….all in Harvest Gold. The surprising thing is that those colors are now back in style again but with different names. I’ve told my parents they are now trend-setters…they just didn’t know it 30 years ago. 😉
Shirley Albertson Owens (sao) says
The 70’s gold appliances are almost considered antiques……I love antiques……therefore I must love the Harvest Gold appliances……hm……not working for me. BUT, I would keep it the way it is if everything were working!
sao in Midlothian, VA
carol c says
looks lighter than harvest gold, looks pale yellow to me, i like the color, but i would make it a bigger area, not enough counters for how you cook Judy, I would also put in an intop drain board with the gas stove you mentioned.
AnnieO says
Although I would love to own a kitchen big enough for a double oven, I don’t think I’d like it to be smack in the middle of the workspace. Seems that wall the stove is next to would be a real bother–all pan handles would have to be to the right, which is not convenient. The color is appealing tho!
Diane S. says
I couldn’t work with a stove right next to a wall like that (on the left). I need elbow room and a place to put things down on both sides. I remodeled my kitchen 4 years ago. We went with 12″ granite tile to save a few bucks and that was a big mistake. Granite slab is the only way to go. And I’m one of those few people in the world to HATES stainless! I have black glass-front everything and love it! Goes nicely with my cherry cabinets with their black wash.
Sandi says
Our house is 10 or 11 years old, and was custom built for the original owners (who got divorced and moved 4 years later…uh-oh!) While the house has many nice features, the kitchen work space is not one of them. There is a 4″ wide countertop on the right side of the stove that abutts a wall, and about a 14″ countertop on the left – which then butts up to the refrigerator. There is literally no place to work next to the stove. If they hadn’t put in an island across from the stove, I don’t know what we’d do. Not a good thing, at all. Otherwise, the yellow kitchen appears to work nicely.
Good luck!
barbara says
i had that oven and wouldn’t have it again. i found the top too high and the broiler too low and when one (the bottom oven) died, the whole thing had to come out for repairs. and i like gas and the oven was electric. i agree that it’s in a bad place. i like long counters that aren’t broken up like that. do you really like the way the sink…. hhmm, sinks? i see ‘dirt catcher’ all around the joint.
i like a free-standing oven, double if possible (you can still find them) because they be can be cleaned all around. no little crevices for stuff to creep into between stove and cabinet. and no splattered woodwork. an good exhaust is a must.
also, tile counters are hard to keep clean unless you love to bleach. btw, where’s the fridge? and the eating space? i’ve gotten really nit-picky about kitchens, having had so many bad ones over the years.
you fell in love with all that nice, clean, open, yummy space. so bright and sunshiny. is there a window over the sink?
CJ says
It looks great except for the stove top. Completely non functional! No space to the left, and no overhead vent.
Nan says
I like the way you said that it that it will probably never be your kitchen. Does that mean it is possible? I do love the double oven.
jane says
I like it too. I’d prefer some counter space to the left of the cook top and would hope there is some good natural light coming from somewhere.
P.S. I adore pocket doors!
Elaine says
Unless we are not seeing the full picture, I would miss a long run of countertop. Doesn’t look like much room for rolling out dough, or other baking/food prep.
Pat says
The ovens look just like mine!! Only we had them painted white when we remodeled about ten years ago. The only change that I would make is to move the cooktop out of the corner.
Linda Lasco says
A stove with absolutely no space to its left will drive you crazy!
Linda in Paducah
Diane in CA says
I like the sunny color but I need some countertop on the right side of the sink too.
Kim says
I can’t believe you ever moved from the first house! I absolutely love that house! I want to move there!!! 🙂
kwiltnkats says
The very first thing I’d change is the counter top. I love the way the grout looks when it’s WHITE!!! but it can’t won’t and never will stay WHITE!!! I’d also like more between the countertops and the island. I like a roomy kitchen and it looks like it’s way too close to the sink. Just my 2 cents! Sandi
Karin says
I love that gold/yellow/white kitchen! I would not change it for anything! It’s awesome!
Bev in NC says
OMG!! I had that harvest gold double oven in my last house!! Did you know that many companies that paint cars will come to your house and paint your appliances? We had it painted white when we put the house on th market.
Bev in NC
VickiT says
If it were my kitchen, I’d want something more ~ nothing major, just a little touch of color. My first thought would be to remove the hardware and paint a little swirl around the area for each hardware like black swirl or even a bright green. Just a little touch of color that would brighten the kitchen a little more and draw away from all the gold. Otherwise that kitchen is MILES better than the one I own and I’d be dancing around on a cloud to be moving there. LOL
Michelle says
Assuming that things work, I’d keep that kitchen exactly as is — except for the flat top stove. Can’t put the big pressure cooker or full water bath canner on one of those, or so I hear.
I love that yellow sink! Can I have it in your old kitchen with the 50 cabinets?
I wish I’d had my camera in my purse yesterday. We stopped at an estate sale and the house was an absolute time capsule. I’ve never seen a kitchen like that in real life — straight out of the Jetsons! There were two ovens side by side with flat glass doors, and below them was a handle that pulled the stovetop out like a drawer…
I would absolutely keep an old kitchen, as long as it wasn’t the old kitchen that’s in my house. I’m guessing the cupboards were made by the same genius who used flattened beer cans as roof flashing. And then the last owner painted the insides of the cabinet with a red crackle finish that bleeds through everything we paint over it.
But the awful cupbards are going away eventually and taking the red paint with them.