Bringing a retro chrome kitchen table and chairs into your kitchen is a fun way to add a touch of 1950s style to the room.
Renewed Interest in Retro Designs
During the past several years there has been a renewed interest in the furniture styles of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Sometimes referred to as the retro revival, homeowners and apartment dwellers are decorating their homes with diner design and mid-century modern furniture for a look that is often described as unique. While some prefer the avant garde furniture styles of designers such as Charles Eames and Herman Miller, many others love the fun and funky look of the retro styles featuring shiny chrome and bright colors.
If you want to give your kitchen a retro facelift, one of the easiest ways is by replacing your kitchen table with a kitchen set from the 1950s or 1960s. Many companies both on and off line sell original kitchen sets that have been fully restored. Other companies offer tables and chairs in unrestored condition and others sell retro reproductions.
Retro Chrome Kitchen Sets
Chrome kitchen tables popular in the 1950s and 1960s were typically square, oval or round and came with four or six chairs. They were made in bright colors which beautifully complemented the shiny chrome legs and table skirt.
Tables
In addition to the chrome legs, tables of this era also featured:
- Formica tops
- Chrome or aluminum side aprons or skirts
- Leaves (some tables had this feature)
Chairs
The chairs that completed these vintage kitchen sets also had chrome legs. The seats and backs were usually covered in cracked ice or boomerang patterned vinyl fabric that matched the design in the Formica tabletop. Popular chair styles included:
- V-Back
- Channel back
- Curved back
- Diamond back
- Tufted back
- Waterfall seat
Depending on the chair back design, decorative contrasting piping was used.
Colors
Chrome kitchen sets were manufactured in beautiful striking colors. The following are examples of the popular colors of the times:
- Red
- Ocean blue
- Turquoise
- Green
- Yellow
- Black
- White
- Grey
Original or Reproduction
Although there are people that would never consider bringing a retro reproduction kitchen set into their homes, there are also many others that simply love the retro look and find reproduction pieces perfectly acceptable. The decision is purely a matter of personal taste. If you are a retro purist, reproduction kitchen sets are not for you.
Where to Find Retro Chrome Kitchen Table and Chairs
The Internet provides many companies that offer beautifully restored chrome kitchen sets and others that sell reproduction sets. Keep in mind that once a restored kitchen set is sold, the company may not have another one like it for a long time, if at all. Companies that sell reproduction kitchen sets have a constant stock of the same types of products. The following is a sampling of these companies:
- Classic Kitchens and More features a combination of fully restored chrome tables and chairs and new reproduction sets. The company also sells cracked ice vinyl fabric by the yard for people who want to recover their chairs themselves.
- Retro Planet offers nine styles of chrome kitchen tables and chairs. The customer can customize their kitchen set by choosing the type and color of the vinyl fabric for the chair coverings and the color of the laminate for the tabletop.
- The following online auctions and antique malls usually offer restored and unrestored retro kitchen sets. The websites include eBay, TIAS, Ruby Lane, Go Antiques, and Bonanzle.
Retro chrome kitchen table and chairs add a touch of fun and whimsy to your kitchen design. They also are great table sets for family game rooms, dining rooms or used as kitchen islands.
