The Kitchen Door.

[Wild Root]

Hello loungers, a friend of mine and I had the opportunity to take a look at an old 1910’s Craftsman Bungalow this morning for sale right here in Monrovia. She’s about 90% original and in the good places! We walked in and saw the living room retained it’s dark wood boarders and built-ins! Also the granite fireplace was all there! This home even had something I was hopping to see… the original kitchen door! It made me so happy to see it sitting there! I’ll tell you why.

Back in the pre and during the golden age, kitchens were a separate room of the home. It was to keep people out of there wile the homemaker fixed supper and also made the rest of the home quieter and cooler in some respects. Today, the kitchen is a focal point of a home, then it was still a focal point but, the living room and dining room was where you entertained. The kitchen was where the work was done for the meals and a handy door was to keep the work area out of sight.

As I have been in many old homes I have seen these doors removed… they typically are on a double swivel type of hinge to allow the door to swing both ways so the meals can be brought out with out having to use one’s hands. We always see the kitchen doors in old movies and when I see it, I think it’s just such a neat thing.

Who of you old home owners have the old kitchen door?

=WR=

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I hate to ask, but how much is it going for?

I love those Craftsman styled houses. I oughta start buying lottery tickest.

 

[Wild Root]

Well, my friend is seriously looking into buying the home, the guy is asking $658,000. But, he's going to offer less because there are a few things that would need to be fixed.

=WR=

 

[scotrace]

MIne had the door long removed, alas, and it is long gone, as are the french doors that divided living room from dining room.
I recently saw a heavy drapery used in place of that kitchen door. I'm considering it.











.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The house I rent (used to own it, long story...) was built in 1911, and has the original kitchen doors sitting on their side down cellar. There's two of them -- one opening into the living room and the other into the hallway/foyer -- and unfortunately, the way the house is set up now there's no room to re-hang them...

What interests me most is the double-width doorway leading into the pantry -- there's evidence of hinges and a latch in the framework, but I can't figure out how the door or doors would've been set up -- there'd be no room for them to swing inward into the pantry, and swinging outward into the kitchen area would be rather clumsy. I thought it might've been some kind of odd folding door, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of any kind of a roller track.

So it's a mystery. Living in an old house is full of them...

 

[Wild Root]

I hope my friend gets this house... he's invited me to room with him... it's a two bedroom joint... perfect for two very vintage bachelors! We hope to make it a war-time "Victory" home complete with garden and other Home Front type of items.

Not sure it's all going to happen but, it's looking like it just might. I'll keep everyone posted.

But, that kitchen door is too cool for words! And my friend has even got a 1930's fridge to go into that kitchen!

=WR=

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

The house I grew up in which my parents still live in (I stayed there this summer in fact) has that kind of door between the butler's pantry and the dining room. The dining room actually has a large double door which leads to the central entryway so that the residents would never have to go through the kitchen or butler's pantry to access the dining room, the swinging door being just for servants. It has a metal plate at the bottom to be protected from the feet being used to open it when the person's hands were full of food.

Personally I hate how in modern houses it seems they have tried to connect as many rooms together in the spirit of "openness" or something. For instance, where the kitchen, dining room, and living room are really one large room separated at most by a large opening in the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

I would much rather have rooms separated by doors. I don't like having to look at a refridgerator while in the living room, or even while in the dining room for that matter.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Well, my friend is seriously looking into buying the home, the guy is asking $658,000. But, he's going to offer less because there are a few things that would need to be fixed.

=WR=

For our non-Southern California resident Loungers, don't have a stroke, that price is fairly typical for around here. In my neighborhood you'll see 3 bedroom post-WWII "Stucco-Boxes" going for that, and I'd much rather have the Craftsman.

 

[Wild Root]

Oh I know just wanted to mention it.

=WR=

 

[scotrace]

For our non-Southern California resident Loungers, don't have a stroke, that price is fairly typical for around here. In my neighborhood you'll see 3 bedroom post-WWII "Stucco-Boxes" going for that, and I'd much rather have the Craftsman.

Have to admit my first thought was Holy Hoppin Cats!!

A craftsman bungalow in my neck of the woods can easily be had for $120K or less.

 

[Clara Rose]

My parents' house (an old Victorian in Virginia) has a swinging kitchen door. In fact, that whole portion of the house is completely separate from the rest of it. In the kitchen there is a back staircase to head down into the cellar and one to lead upstairs to a small room and then the attic. The small room upstairs can be locked from the outside, completely separating the "working" part of the house from the living/entertaining space.
Ooh, there are also lovely glass-pane pocket doors to separate the parlor, living room, den, foyer, etc. The door to the den was stuck open when they bought the house, but after pulling out piles of old newspaper that had been stuck in there, that one was put into use as well.

 

[skillbilly]

I'm very happy that our door is still intact. It has spared the house the smoke of my all too frequent burnings in the kitchen. Our place has been a rental for nearly 60 years and all the wood is in remarkable shape.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

I still have the original swinging door stashed in the garage for the moment, (Circa 1931) my Late Mom had it taken down and saved it.
At some point I will put it back up, as I work on restoring the kitchen.

The kitchen originally had two doors, one that opened to the dining room, and another that opened to the back bedroom, the door to the bedroom was closed off, many years ago, and I don't think I'll put that one back.

 

[DancingSweetie]

I lived in a duplex from late 40's or early 50's (kitchen had metal cabinets) until last year, and it had a swinging kitchen door.
The Craftsmans here go for half a mil.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

the house I live in was moved in this lot in the 70's but the house itself was said to have been built in the 50's. The kitchen and so on aren't designed separately, but there's a swinging door leading from the kitchen to the dining room (which is technically in the living room as well). One of my friends also has this sort of set up, though the house was also built in the 50's, and on a foundation, unlike mine, has those type of doors, leading to his bedroom, it looks as if it might have been a mini cellar, it's 4 steps down.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Have to admit my first thought was Holy Hoppin Cats!!

A craftsman bungalow in my neck of the woods can easily be had for $120K or less.

I love Southern California. but when I hear stuff like that... well, it's tempting. I'm making enough money right now to afford something like that, but I'm not sure about finding work elsewhere that pays as well. My job skills are pretty eclectic, they don't fit into many employers' cookie cutter. The lack of a sheepskin hurts, too.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Another one of those instances when a time machine is needed.

This thread inspired me to look up more information.
For just over $2000 you could get a lot of house back then from Sears.
Here is a link for everything you wanted to know about Sears mail order houses.
Can you find the one your friend is interested in Wildroot?

http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm


Oopps,...seems I confused Craftsman and Sears, Oh well, they're all cool houses anyway.
Some Craftsman designs here;http://www.ragtime.org/arch/rs/RS_Homes.html

 

[Irena]

Here is a link for everything you wanted to know about Sears mail order houses.
Can you find the one your friend is interested in Wildroot?

http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You can't know what you've just done for me! I have this slight, shall we say, obsession with old mail-order homes. You have given me many hours of entertainment and happiness. Thank you.

And Wild Root, here is another link with mail-order house plans. There are Aladdins from the teens at this site, it may be helpful.

http://www.antiquehome.org/House-Plans/

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You can't know what you've just done for me! I have this slight, shall we say, obsession with old mail-order homes. You have given me many hours of entertainment and happiness. Thank you.

Awww, shucks. It was nuthin'.
I love these old houses too, especially the Tudor and Norman styled models. All that detail that was put into them is amazing.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Our 1911 Bungalow still has the swinging door to the kitchen and the French doors that divide the living and dining rooms. Unfortunately though, all the woodwork was painted tan in the 50's and then white in the 80's. I'm stripping and refinishing all the doors, but all that trim would be a pretty big job.