1920s wallpaper fragment in my kitchen |
Yes, that is some of my personal collection of Dansk back in the butler's pantry--no casualties reported. |
Am I the only one who gets excited about things like this? I find it fascinating to see old and original decorative schemes in situ. A quick bit of history:
1920s kitchen from an Armstrong linoleum ad--breakfast nook, butler's pantry, free standing stove. Would that my kitchen were this big! Find the image here. |
1950 kitchen by Curtis Woodwork--find it here. |
So when I see the wall behind the cabinets, I'm guessing that the adorable wallpaper is pre-1950s (when the cabinets went up) and possibly original to 1928, as I don't see evidence of paint or anything else behind it. The red on the right side is a bit of a mystery--it apparently pre-dates the 1950s cabinets (it goes up to the ceiling behind the bulkhead), but is only on the right. Maybe it was a wallpaper and red paint combo? The cabinets were built in place, and unlike today's cabinets, were right against the wall so they did not need a back piece. Those big white areas are the backs I saw when I opened the cabinets.
Since new cabinets are going in, I've specified that thin backs should be added instead of trying to scrape down the walls. I like the idea of leaving these remnants intact.
This project has given me a new appreciation for Retro Renovation, a great blog about mid-century homes. I followed it casually in the past but it has become my bible as I consider floors and hinges and pulls and curtains...