I often feel as if I was born in the wrong era.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the convenience of modern appliances. But I’ve always been drawn to the things produced during that forty-year period beginning with the 1920’s.

I’m not fond of modern, mass produced products. In my opinion they lack character and charm, and for the most part, they're lacking in quality. That’s why our home is furnished with an eclectic blend of items from the 20’s through the 60’s.

We live in a circa 1890’s farmhouse. When it came time to remodel I felt that a period kitchen wouldn’t be practical, so I decided to attempt to design a kitchen that would look like it was last remodeled sometime in the 1920’s.

Since I was already comfortable with the kitchen’s layout, I chose to reface the cupboards instead of installing new ones. Although that decision increased our workload, it saved us a bundle of money that we used to splurge on a tin ceiling, tin back splash, and a deep, single basin white-porcelain utility sink.

We dressed the ends of the kitchen cupboards in bead board, which instantly added years to their appearance. We then trimmed the otherwise flat cupboard doors with screen molding, painted them a “cottage” white and switched out the hardware.

And as much as I enjoyed using a nail gun for the very first time, the really fun part was shopping for all of the vintage kitchenware and linens to use once the remodel was completed.

Because of my aversion to modern products, I tend to shop where vintage items are available in abundance; namely estate sales, flea markets and online. You’d be surprised at the things you’ll find that have survived through the years in like-new condition.

It saddens me that women of past generations never got to enjoy all the “good stuff” they stashed away for special occasions. Apparently they never had an occasion quite special enough, and countless sets of salt and pepper shakers, side-striped cotton dish towels and brightly colored souvenir tablecloths remained wrapped in tissue paper, stored away in cedar chests for the last half century. I don’t know whether those women would approve or not, but I use their “good stuff” everyday.

Now that I’ve created a kitchen that makes me smile, the best piece of advice I can pass on to you is this; when planning your retro kitchen design, you needn’t be afraid to mix pieces from different decades... because when you buy what you love, you simply cannot get it wrong.