12 Accessories for Your Vintage ’50s Kitchen
Updated: Apr. 24, 2024
Embrace your 1950s kitchen! These vintage kitchen accessories combine retro style with modern functionality.
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Smeg Drip Coffee Maker
Sure, a percolator might be the 1950s way to make a pot of coffee, but you can really customize your brew with a modern drip coffee maker. This retro kitchen appliance looks like it came right out of the atomic age, but it has all the bells and whistles you’re looking for, including a timer, strength settings, and small pot brewing options (for when you want just one cup).
Chantal Vintage Tea Kettle
It tea is more your style, invest in a vintage-style tea kettle. It’s an affordable way to give a nod to the ’50s and it’s super functional. We love it in turquoise—one of the must-have kitchen colors of the day. Pair your cuppa with one of these recipes from the 1950s.
Stack of Vintage Cookbooks
If you’re going to create a kitchen that takes inspiration from the past, you’ll want to look at recipes from back in the day, too. If Grandma isn’t quite ready to put a few of her books on permanent loan, invest in some of our favorite vintage-inspired cookbooks. The Vintage Baker is the perfect place to start if you love sweets.
Jadeite Mixing Bowls
Jade-hued glassware (often called jadeite) was all the rage in the midcentury. The vintage stuff is hard to come by, but you can find new versions of jadeite kitchen gear today. We recommend starting with these pretty, multi-functional mixing bowls.
Smeg Blender
If you can’t get enough of that ’50s jade color, add a pale green blender to your countertop. Sure, use it to blend up smoothies or even soups. Where this appliance really shines, though, is making retro ice cream cocktails. Grasshopper, anyone?
Vintage-Style Bread Box
Invest in a vintage-style bread box for two reasons: It looks so cute and ’50s-esque on the counter and it really does keep bread fresh.
Fiesta Disk Pitcher
A retro kitchen is not complete without at least one piece of Fiesta dinner- or serveware. One of our favorites, though, has to be the brand’s iconic pitcher. Get it in plenty of colors to match your vintage (or modern) kitchen and use it to make a great iced tea.
Vintage-ish Oven Mitts
Have a little fun with your retro kitchen. These oven mitts from Always Fits look just right for the era but are a little cheekier than what you’d find in Grandma’s kitchen.
Cut Glass Drinkware
Whether you were pouring a dirty martini or just a glass of lemonade in the ’50s, you’d want to reach for stylish drinkware. Back then, cut glass and etched stemware was all the rage. You can replicate the feeling of retro glasses today with this line from Crate and Barrel.
Vintage Pyrex Anything
If you’ve got a vintage kitchen of any era, chances are you have a few pieces of vintage Pyrex hiding in the cupboards. Show off your love of this retro kitchenware with a cute print showing off all the Pyrex patterns to be found.
Cake Dome
Baking up a vintage cake? Display it with pride on your countertop the way Grandma would have back in the day. This cake dome is great for showing off your latest creations. Got a party coming up? Flip over the dome and it turns into a punch bowl. Fill it with this delicious punch.
Big Chill Retro Appliances
If you’re really committed to making your kitchen look as authentic as possible without sacrificing the functionality of modern kitchens, invest in retro-style appliances from Big Chill. This company makes stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves that look like they belong on the set of I Love Lucy but are equipped with all the modern bells and whistles (including ENERGY STAR ratings).
Originally Published: September 29, 2020
