Sign up for special offers:



ENDS SUNDAY
Save 40%
+ EXTRA 25%
Easter Savings SALE More info
Free Shipping FREE Shipping
Satisfaction Guarantee Satisfaction Guarantee
Top Notch Customer Service Top Notch Customer Service
Free Samples FREE Samples

How To Give Your Kitchen A Vintage Feel

Jul 16 2012

Vintage Kitchen DishesThe kitchen is the ideal place to create a vintage look, as there are so many accessories and color schemes for this room that immediately suggest a funky retro vibe. Most of the time, our guests end up in our kitchens, and as the heart of the home, it’s the perfect place to wow visitors with a quirky and unusual design theme.

Creative Color Schemes
The vintage kitchen is the place to experiment with bright and cheerful shades, especially bold accents such as reds for clocks, jars, tins and appliances. Red, black and white are of course the colors that will create a 50s diner feel.

Although they’ve been overdone a bit lately, pastel and aqua blues, pastel pinks, and pale greens with polka-dots and floral print patterns are immediately retro, and are particularly calming and easy to live with. Orange was very popular in the home in the mid 20th century and makes a gloriously cheerful accent color for a feature wall.

Accessories, Appliances and Displays
Cast-iron enamelware pans and dishes are instantly recognizable as retro, and come in some fantastic deep shades. What’s more, they’re great investments as they are a joy to cook with and will last a lifetime. They’re ideal to keep on display in your kitchen, which bring us on to open storage. Open storage cabinets such as welsh dressers, or glass fronted cupboards, allow you to make a design feature out of your storage. Mottled and frosted glass on these looks very retro indeed. A nice way to update your fitted storage is to replace fittings with colored glass crystal doorknobs and drawer pulls.

Of course, the great thing about the vintage and retro looks is that things don't have to match, and it’s often better if they are rather mismatched. It can be lots of fun visiting charity shops for retro accessories. If your kitchen is already very modern and quite “together” and you don’t want to replace too many things or make major changes, then a few accent pieces such as a clock, vintage blender and polka-dot tea towels will add a vintage feel to a modern kitchen.

Delightfully Distressed – Furniture and Cabinets

You can transform lackadaisical wooden furniture items into retro-cool kitchen features with just a couple coats of paint. Here’s how. You’ll need two contrasting colors of water-based furniture paint, (like blue and orange) along with some medium-grade sandpaper, and a can of spray-on lacquer.

First, apply one of the paint colors and leave it to dry. Next, paint a couple layers of your second color over the top. Next up, you’ll be distressing the paint to make it look like it’s had many years of use with different layers of paint applied over those years. This creates a nice patina that gives a nostalgic, retro feel.

To do this, use the sandpaper to rub away at random areas on the edges and surfaces – concentrate on those areas that would naturally get the most wear. Distress some areas more than others to make sure it looks “real”. When you’re satisfied with the effect, simply spray the clear lacquer varnish over the top to finish off.

The great thing about creating a retro kitchen look is that it can be achieved in just a few hours, and can be extremely budget friendly. What’s more, it’s of course a very sustainable way to decorate, as by making a feature of previously out-of-date items and refinishing old furniture and fittings, you’re reducing, re-using and recycling to keep things out of landfill.

There are lots of ways to create a vintage look in your kitchen, but we’ve focused on the simplest ways to give an instant vintage lift, and once you’ve got started with these easy suggestions, the sky’s the limit when it comes to putting together a creative retro look.

David Ingram is an interior design and renovation blogger with a passion for retro, vintage and country styles. By day he works for a Marylebone Estate Agents, but by night he can be found scouring the vintage shops of London looking for bargains.
Want to participate in the Blinds Chalet community? View details
Bookmark/Share this page:
DiggFacebookRedditStumbleUpondel.icio.usGoogle

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and won't appear until after they are approved(No html please)


Your Information
(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed)



Back to Top
x Blinds Chalet Guarantee Options
DetailsGoodBetterBest
PricingFREE$$$
Duration
3 year limited warranty
5 year limited warranty
5 year unlimited
Warranty
Defects
Parts
Restrings
Normal wear & tear
Anything
30 Day Measure
30 Day Returns
3 Year Standard Guarantee
Who is covered:
  • Warranties cover the original purchaser of the window blinds and shades.
What is covered:
  • Any defects in materials of workmanship
  • Operating mechanisms and other parts
  • Cell separation on honeycomb/cellular shades
  • Warping slats for faux wood and wood blinds
  • Broken vertical vanes
  • Restrings for internal cords
What is not covered:
  • Parts that fail due to accident, alteration and/or improper use
  • Normal wear and tear
  • Color fading due to excessive exposure to sunlight, moisture or improper cleaning
  • Accidental damage
Resolution:
  • BlindsChalet.com reserves, at its discretion, the right to repair, replace or refund any blinds found defective.
  • If there are multiple blinds/shades in the same room, only the defective product will be replaced/repaired.
  • In the event that a product, color or product feature has been discontinued and it is no longer available we will provide a substitute product as similar as possible to the original blind or shade.
  • Shipping for warranty issues is the responsibility of the customer to and from the repair facility. Packaging on return shipments is the responsibility of the customer.

30 Day Measuring Insurance

This plan does not cover measuring errors. Following the easy measuring instructions will ensure a proper fit.

30 Day Returns

This plan does not cover returns.
5 Year Guaranteed to Fit
Who is covered:
  • Warranties cover the original purchaser of the window blinds and shades.
What is covered:
  • Any defects in materials of workmanship
  • Operating mechanisms and other parts
  • Cell separation on honeycomb/cellular shades
  • Warping slats for faux wood and wood blinds
  • Broken vertical vanes
  • Restrings for internal cords
What is not covered:
  • Parts that fail due to accident, alteration and/or improper use
  • Normal wear and tear
  • Color fading due to excessive exposure to sunlight, moisture or improper cleaning
  • Accidental damage
Resolution:
  • BlindsChalet.com reserves, at its discretion, the right to repair, replace or refund any blinds found defective.
  • If there are multiple blinds/shades in the same room, only the defective product will be replaced/repaired.
  • In the event that a product, color or product feature has been discontinued and it is no longer available we will provide a substitute product as similar as possible to the original blind or shade.
  • Shipping for warranty issues is the responsibility of the customer to and from the repair facility. Packaging on return shipments is the responsibility of the customer.

30 Day Measuring Insurance

Following the easy measuring instructions will ensure a proper fit, however, we all make errors from time to time and this protection plan covers any mis-measurement mistakes. If the window coverings do not fit, please let us know within 30 days of receiving the items. The blinds/shades will be remade at the correct dimensions at no cost to you unless there is a difference in price between the old and new sizes or if the new size requires an oversize shipping fee. Limit is 1 remake per blind/shade. All remakes will have to be remade in the same color, feature and specifications, no changes are allowed.

Shutters,custom graphic shades, commercial/dealer orders are not covered.

Any mis-measurements reported after 30 days will not be covered, however, new blinds and shades can be ordered with an additional 10% discount.

30 Day Returns

This plan does not cover returns.
5 Year Guaranteed to Love
Who is covered:
  • Warranties cover the original purchaser of the window blinds and shades.
What is covered:
  • Any defects in materials of workmanship
  • Operating mechanisms and other parts
  • Cell separation on honeycomb/cellular shades
  • Warping slats for faux wood and wood blinds
  • Broken vertical vanes
  • Restrings for internal cords
  • Parts that fail due to accident, alteration and/or improper use
  • Normal wear and tear
  • Color fading due to excessive exposure to sunlight, moisture or improper cleaning
  • Accidental damage
Resolution:
  • BlindsChalet.com reserves, at its discretion, the right to repair, replace or refund any blinds found defective.
  • If there are multiple blinds/shades in the same room, only the defective product will be replaced/repaired.
  • In the event that a product, color or product feature has been discontinued and it is no longer available we will provide a substitute product as similar as possible to the original blind or shade.
  • Shipping for warranty issues is the responsibility of the customer to and from the repair facility. Packaging on return shipments is the responsibility of the customer.


30 Day Measuring Insurance

Following the easy measuring instructions will ensure a proper fit, however, we all make errors from time to time and this protection plan covers any mis-measurement mistakes. If the window coverings do not fit, please let us know within 30 days of receiving the items. The blinds/shades will be remade at the correct dimensions at no cost to you unless there is a difference in price between the old and new sizes or if the new size requires an oversize shipping fee. Limit is 1 remake per blind/shade. All remakes will have to be remade in the same color, feature and specifications, no changes are allowed.

Shutters,custom graphic shades, commercial/dealer orders are not covered.

Any mis-measurements reported after 30 days will not be covered, however, new blinds and shades can be ordered with an additional 10% discount.

30 Day Returns

If for any reason you are not satisfied with the window coverings and wish to return them, please notify us within 30 days of receiving the order. Our customer care department will provide a Return Authorization Number (RGA) and shipping address for the return. Please note, return shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer and shipping labels are not provided. Refunds will be processed within 2-3 business days after we receive the items (Guaranteed to Love fee is not refundable).

Shutters,custom graphic shades, commercial/dealer orders are not covered.
ad
X
The term "Retail" price refers to the manufacturer's or supplier's suggested retail price for an item. The initially displayed Retail price is specific to a product with the selected dimensions and default options/features. Please note that the Retail price for the selected product will be provided upon specifying its width, height, features and options.

Please note that the Retail price may not reflect the prevailing market price or the regular retail price. It is common for products to be sold at lower prices than the Retail price due to various factors, including promotional events, discounts, market competition, or supplier agreements.

Products may be offered at the same or lower "After Coupon" prices during future promotional events starting on or after the final day of any advertised promotion.

Learn More