Vintage kitchens keep it real

Hands up who’s a bit bored of sleek integrated all-white kitchens? They may be great for minimalist architectural interiors or for people who have the time and inclination to keep benches uncluttered and the props of every day cooking and eating out of sight. But for many, a bit of Resene colour, even if it’s just on the walls, and some homely detailing suits our homes and lifestyles better.

Kitchens with vintage touches or with elegant traditional good looks are timeless, and fit well into many styles of home. They make us sigh with nostalgia rather than challenge us with their sharp modernity. You can almost smell the bread baking.

These types of kitchens are often basted in soft creams and pale greys, blues and aquas, and garnished in materials like marble, pewter and timber. They have a slightly feminine edge, unlike their close yet quirkier cousins, the industrial kitchen and the mid-century retro kitchen.

Detailing is key. Goose-neck taps in nickel or brass, paneled doors, free-standing over-sized cookers, white subway tiles, knobs or cup handles, a butler’s sink and open shelving. The current fashion for marble benches fits perfectly with the look, or go for a mellow timber or an engineered stone.

Did you know… that Resene has a range of hardwearing urethanes that are perfect for protecting timber and accentuating its natural good looks, on cabinets, benchtops and on the floor? Resene Aquaclear is a waterborne urethane varnish that’s easy to apply and to clean up for your cabinets. Resene Qristal ClearFloor is a waterborne urethane durable flooring finish.

Colour cues

As you’ll see from our examples, pale icy blue-greens are often a feature of traditional and vintage kitchens. They give these spaces a casual charm reminiscent of the beachy Cape Cod style or a rustic French provincial look. It suits our casual lifestyle.

There are a few examples of these colours in the current Resene The Range fashion colours 16 like Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Half Duck Egg Blue, Resene Carefree, Resene Cut Glass and Resene Unwind. If you’re after a more Nordic look, check out pale greys like Resene Triple Black White and Resene White Thunder, and add touches of black with Resene All Black or Resene Blackout.

Cabinetry is usually coloured in classic off-whites – there are many of these to choose from at Resene from buttery creams, to antique lace shades, chalky ivories and snowy meringue whites. Make sure you specify these in the hard-wearing Resene ArmourCat to get the right colour. If your cabinetmaker colour-matches a Resene colour into another company’s paint, you won’t get the right result. This is particularly important if you have walls of the same colour painted in Resene – the cabinets won’t match the walls.

Read more After a moodier industrial-style kitchen? Take a look at this one designed by Yohm Interiors. Or check out this reborn black and white kitchen we featured recently. 

Published: 25 Jun 2015

Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].

kitchen, colourful kitchen, pink blackboard, painted stripes, blue and pink, family kitchen

Interior designer Jackie Jones of JJID gave her kitchen a temporary makeover to cope with her large blended family, with the help of various paints: Resene Alabaster, Resene Ashanti (blue), Resene Pink Panther, Resene Pale Prim (yellow) and Resene Walk-on tinted to Resene Napa on the floor.

Jackie decorated the area around the stove with wide stripes for extra interest, and created a chalkboard with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted to Resene Pink Panther. This kitchen features in issue 22 of habitat magazine. Jackie continued the kitchen colour scheme into the adjoining bright and airy living room.

kitchen, white kitchen, neutrals, cream kitchen, French inspired kitchen, country kitchen, vintage

When interior designer Rachel Steinmetz of Appletree Designs built her own home, she decided on a look that mixed French industrial and contemporary country home. To fit with her serene neutral palette, Resene Black White was used on the cabinetry and trims, with Resene Thorndon Cream on the walls. Note the mix of benchtop materials and the hearth-style surround to the cooking area.

kitchen, neutrals, white kitchen, white cabinets, wood feature, vintage kitchen

Designed for a homeowner who loves the great outdoors, kitchen architect Toni Roberts was inspired by a tramping hut aesthetic. The main cabinetry colour is Resene Half Pavlova, with green Resene Koru used as an accent on the open shelving. The benchtops are a combination of quartz and black totara timber with a timber-look tile splashback with thick black grouting.

kitchen, retro kitchen, blue kitchen, aqua kitchen, mint paint, aqua paint

Inspired by the colour of a new Kitchen Aid, Heike and Norbert Warda painted the walls of their kitchen in Resene Mint Tulip for a light, fresh and slightly retro feel.

kitchen, traditional kitchen, white kitchen, vintage kitchen, industrial lights

Open shelving, glass-fronted cabinets, shell handles, industrial-style pendant lights and a soft colour scheme of Resene Quarter Truffle cabinets and Resene Half Merino walls give this expansive kitchen an elegant traditional vibe. It was designed by Leonie von Sturmer of Von Sturmer’s.  

kitchen, traditional kitchen, vintage kitchen, white kitchen, blue kitchen, blue and white

Rogan Nash Architects wanted the kitchen of this character home to feel warm and inviting, but still maintain a traditional feeling. Resene Jungle Mist relates to the manor houses of England, but also references more modern vernaculars and beautifully frames the leadlight windows.

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Resene Duck Egg Blue

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Resene Half Duck Egg Blue

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Resene Black White

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Resene Half Pavlova

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Resene Half Merino

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Resene Quarter Truffle

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Resene Jungle Mist

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Resene White Thunder

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Resene Thorndon Cream

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Resene Pink Panther

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