Cabinet design and details are critical in making a new kitchen fit an old house. We look at traditional construction, and outline the must-haves for restoration-worthy cabinets.
![Kitchen Cabinets ](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/6178/209862/58adc56c8a365/Kitchen-Cabinets.jpg)
WHAT GIVES an old-house kitchen the feeling of authenticity? It’s the cabinets that connect a new installation to an earlier time, whether or not you choose marble countertops and vintage appliances.
Getting cabinetry right is tricky, given social and technology changes—and because the kitchen has evolved from being a closeted area for servants to the center of family life. Kitchens are larger and filled with such appurtenances as pot fillers and espresso makers, and contemporary homeowners demand storage capacity beyond even the pantries of old. Finding the right balance between, say, a late-19th-century appearance and a 21st-century lifestyle is a juggling act.
Few kitchens before about 1910 had what could be considered built-in cabinets. Islands were rare, worktables plentiful. Even in so grand a structure as the Gamble House, built in 1908, cabinetry was limited to one large and one smaller pass-through cupboard. The area under the drainboard sink was completely open. Fixed cabinets were reserved for the pantry, the transitional space between kitchen and dining room where plates, serving pieces, and cutlery were stored.
Cabinets began to proliferate during the building boom in builder’s cottages and houses in the 1910s [text cont. on p. 44]
SETTING THE STANDARD
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Denne historien er fra March/April 2017-utgaven av Old House Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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![a farmhouse renewed](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/zgt8tB1sf1724757674350/A-FARMHOUSE-RENEWED.jpg)
a farmhouse renewed
Sensitive renovations and restoration work preserved a house that dates to 1799.
![AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/-fpelgTgh1724757559664/AN-OVERVIEW-OF-METAL-ROOFING.jpg)
AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING
METAL ROOFS ARE RESURGENT, FOR GOOD REASONS.
![ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/CRufPFRhB1724756889127/ENDURING-BEAUTY-IN-WALLS-OF-STONE.jpg)
ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE
Now back in the family who had been here since 1830, the old farmhouse is again ready for generations to come. Additions dating to 1840 and the 1950s were preserved.
![ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/v8F4cxphw1724756563730/ARCHITECTURAL-DETAILS-COME-TO-LIFE.jpg)
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE
Owners and their designer celebrate the unique features of a 1912 Arts & Crafts Tudor.
![For a Wet Basement Wall](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/aBl--dLFh1724754857566/FOR-A-WET-BASEMENT-WALL.jpg)
For a Wet Basement Wall
If there's problem common to old houses, it's a wet basement. I'm not talking about occasional flooding, but rather a basement that apparently seeps or leaks after even a rain shower or during snowmelt. Several approaches are available; sustainable solutions will get to the root of the problem.
![Patching a Plaster Wall](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/5LpeCPP_21724754495498/PATCHING-A-PLASTER-WALL.jpg)
Patching a Plaster Wall
Fix a hole in the wall with a few common tools and some drywall supplies. Practice your technique!
![Navigating the Lumberyard](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/PVWqH4hex1724754161333/NAVIGATING-THE-LUMBERYARD.jpg)
Navigating the Lumberyard
Here's some lumber lingo you should know before you venture into a lumberyard.
![Roofing & Siding](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/vxx8uE8GP1724753957320/ROOFING-SIDING.jpg)
Roofing & Siding
Make note of these historical and unusual materials for the building envelope.
![The Riddle of the water](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/I20crK0da1724753589716/THE-RIDDLE-OF-THE-WATER.jpg)
The Riddle of the water
When water incursion happens, the roof isn't necessarily the culprit. Maybe snaking a drain line, or clearing debris from a clogged gutter, temporarily will stem a leak. But a recurring problem usually means other forces are at work. It takes persistence-and a team with the right skills and patience—to identify the source and apply a solution.
![Light-filled Craftsman Redo](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/nvf7uAO121724753136097/LIGHTFILLED-CRAFTSMAN-REDO.jpg)
Light-filled Craftsman Redo
For a dark kitchen in a 1914 Illinois house, the trick was anchoring white expanses with woodsy warmth.