Kitchen Furniture in the 1920s, 1930s & 1940s

Vast changed occurred between the 1920s and 1940s. In the 1920s, America's culture revolved around youth and newness in contrast to a prohibitive era. The 1930s saw the glamorous wealth of Hollywood and the rich in relief against the dire economic realities most Americans faced. Home, furniture and kitchen designs changed along with it, going from furniture and appliances that were stand-alone, each having just one function, to furnishings with maximum efficiency in mind, which stayed on well after the 1940s and even into the 21st century. Does this Spark an idea?

Frankfurt Kitchen

Margarete Schtte-Lihotzky revolutionized kitchen design when she created her Frankfurt kitchen in the late '20s, using rail dining cars as inspiration. The kitchen was small due to the tiny mass-built apartments at the time. Instead of using the kitchen as a multi-purpose space, as before, it was meant only for cooking and food preparation. Dish racks and shelves sat near the sink, and numerous drawers provided convenient storage space.

Appliance Furniture

While wealthy Americans might have followed new design trends between the '20s and '40s, the Great Depression forced the majority to stick with older Victorian-style kitchens. In addition, women may have been more comfortable working in the kind of kitchen they learned in growing up. A blackened wood stove usually had a hot water reservoir and warming shelf. A freestanding sink with the pipes covered with kitchen linen. The icebox usually had an overflow tray underneath. Older kitchens were sometimes still lit with gas or kerosene. A wealthy family's kitchen in the '40s was probably decked out with a smokeless electric kitchen range and an electric refrigerator with its motor on top.

Storage Pieces

The early 20th century saw the advent of built-in cabinets instead of freestanding pantries and hutches. A Welsh dresser served as a hutch for dishes, and a Hoosier cabinet held pantry and baking items. During the 1940s, though, metal cabinets came into fashion, following the industrial trend in mid-century design that stressed form following function in a streamlined economical design.

Practical Odds and Ends

Small additions and adjustments to the early to mid-20th century kitchen made it more efficient. Sliding bread drawers, pot racks and extra work surface cleared space, for instance. The Frankfurt kitchen included a wheeled preparation cart that allowed the cook to move it around as needed to save space and perform several cooking steps in one location.