MCM Kitchen Love

In a beautiful coincidence, I was reached out to recently by Wayfair about blogging for them about my ideal Mid Century Modern (MCM) Kitchen space. It makes it even more fun since I’m looking at buying my first home and a MCM kitchen is an absolute must! They’ve definitely been rarer to find in recent years, so the possibility of taking an existing kitchen and modifying it to my little heart’s desire is taking up prime real estate (no pun intended!) in my brain as of late.

I grew up in my Great Grandmother’s and Great Uncle’s kitchen. It was AMAZING. Teal metal cabinets, fun Eames barstools, and pops of color and chrome accents. I want to be able to capture this vibe in my own kitchen some day.

I decided to look at this with two different perspectives: Going full on MCM and incorporating MCM elements. There is the risk you run of going absolutely MCM nuts if you don’t plan on it being your forever home. The resell is daunting- would others GET this kitchen? Would it be a turn off to potential buyers? Will I spend too much money on a space that the rest of the population thinks is an eyesore? Am I the only person who thinks about this?

In a perfect world, I would have metal cabinetry from the 50s, a stainless countertop, a color blocked tile floor and HEAPS of color! But in the real world, I am looking for ways to achieve my MCM goals, and work within 1. my budget and 2. appeal to everyone (I know, I know, what’s the fun in that?? But this may not be my forever home..) So. In order to look at both perspectives, I’m going to write about both! It’s like I’m playing Devil’s Advocate to myself… Weird.

Let’s get started!

Let’s look at some inspiration, shall we?

On a scale of 1-10 of MCM.. These are 7+. Are we seeing a theme here? Lovely metal cabinetry, pops of teal, red and orange! That first one.. Swoon. I’m packing my bags right now and movin’ on in.

On the scale? 1-6! Sleek teak cabinets, metal accents, pops of color and open air shelving… Be still my heart.

The more I looked at different kitchens within the MCM realm.. the more I realized that it’s all very attainable. Even accents that I never even thought about- backsplashes, countertops, open shelving, door and drawer pulls, oh my! In both perspectives, I found similarities between the two. Let’s take a look-see…

Pops of color! Whether it’s an accent wall, or furniture, pops of teal, orange, red and yellow make their way into the environment breaking up the white and teak combination. I love the idea of using barstools to be that colorful accent. I browsed Wayfair to find a few of my favorites:

1. Orange Trent Austin Barchetta So versatile, it could work in almost any kitchen.
2. Sunny Yellow Wade Logan Swivel Bartsool I looooove the curved back.
3. Retro Red Wade Logan Barstool Giving me all kinds of diner feels.
4. Eames Inspired Luxe Barstool Is that not the Cadillac of barstools?

I love the open-air shelving for showing off beautiful dishes and cookware. Some more colorful options I gravitate to:

1. Mustard Silverstone Cookware Set You cannot have a bad day cooking with these.
2. Lime Utensil Set Love the wooden handles.
3. Peacock Purecook Cookware Set So pretty, they beg to be displayed.
4. Atomic Red Colander I own this in orange, and I use it for more than straining (Hello, decor!)

Even backsplashes are a fantastic option to look at adding dimension to your MCM Kitchen. Subway tile is always a safe bet (and classic!) but why not a fun colorful backsplash that has a quirkier pattern like these?

I get a Moroccan vibe from the backsplash here, and I like that while it isn’t matchy-matchy with the barstools, they compliment each other so much.

I wouldn’t have thought to place the tile in a diamond pattern, but I like how it stands out and screams LOOK AT ME I AM FABULOUS (because why not?)

One of the companies I’ve been eyeing for a long time is Nostalgia Electrics, who design their appliances to have a fun 1950s vibe. The four I know that will be finding their way into my new kitchen are the microwave, convection oven, toaster and coffee maker!

Seriously, how cute are they? I’ve read great reviews, too, so I’m excited add them to my dream kitchen. It’s so hard to find great retro inspired appliances so I was thrilled when I found the SMEG Refrigerator and Freezer. It reminds me so much of the fridge in my Great Uncle’s home.

This. This must happen. I like how it’s narrower than most fridges. I know many of the homes in the Baltimore City area have narrow galley kitchens, so this is really an ideal size. Is it weird to profess one’s love to a fridge? Get used to it, it’s happening.

I am so excited to start getting out there and house-hunting. Kitchen renos can be so overwhelming and expensive, but I’m glad there are options out there to give me that MCM vibe. My dream kitchen as I mentioned before, is my Great Uncle’s, so it is really wonderful to know there are modern touches out there to help make my future kitchen as close to his as possible.

What does your dream kitchen look like? Hopefully this inspired you!

xo Jaye

*A special shout-out to Sean and the team at Wayfair for inspiring me and allowing me to go crazy with my dream kitchen!

(all photos are from Google and Wayfair)