Learn where the unfitted kitchen came from, how the unfitted kitchen was laid out in the early 1900s, and why I am using those ideas in my own kitchen.
Necessary disclaimer: I. AM. NOT. A HISTORIAN. I’m just a girl who spends way too much time diving in to internet rabbit holes for my own good.
As I’ve been working on our kitchen design plan and layout, you may have heard me harping about the unfitted kitchen design. And more specifically you probably heard me waxing absolute poetic to the MAX about unfitted kitchens.
Because they are THE BEST. Seriously. The actual certifiable best. First, let me tell you why.
Check out this week’s video on unfitted kitchens!
What is an unfitted kitchen?
An unfitted kitchen is almost self explanatory. It is simply a kitchen in which the pieces are not built in to the room. There are no custom cabinets, no stationary island, no built ins, no vast expanses of countertops.
In fact everything in the room that can be is free standing. So this means (in theory anyway) that the room can be rearranged to fit whatever needs to be done that day just by switching around a few tables.
Since I change my mind on the daily so the idea of moving my kitchen around on a whim is HIGHLY appealing.
But also these kitchens get bonus points because “remodeling” just involves swapping out the swapping out the furniture instead of replacing all the cabinets, tile, lights, and appliances. How do you like them apples, renovation industry?
What did an unfitted kitchen look like?
Now after defining our unfitted kitchen, we ask where did they come from? As best I can tell, no one DECIDED that unfitted kitchens were now a thing. That is just how kitchens naturally evolved from the early fire pits.
To start they likely had a few implements for hanging pots or cauldrons, if one was feeling particularly witchy. Next let’s add a few tables for the cauldrons to sit on for funsies. Third build another table to actually eat the cauldron food on and lastly, a shelf to store the cauldrons. BAM. You have a kitchen.
By the mid-1800s, kitchen stoves were a pretty common household appliance. Though built in cabinetry was beginning to be more common, the kitchens seem to be still relatively unfitted.
Similarly, in the 1887 book An Ideal Kitchen by Maria Parola, she shows the layout of an idealized kitchen, pantry, and china cupboard. Though the china cupboard presumably had cabinetry and the pantry likely had shelves, the kitchen itself is still largely free-standing.
Side note: if you have a pre-1800 house…this aesthetic is LIFE.
Obviously, kitchens didn’t stay looking this way forever. So what changed?
The Rise of Fitted Kitchens
Like with most design trends, nobody woke up one day and decided all the free standing furniture was out. The transition from unfitted kitchens to fitted kitchen was gradual.
In her 1914 book, The Efficient Kitchen, Georgie Boynton Child devotes an entire section to selecting fixed equipment. She also points out:
“In many cases the available space in a kitchen can be utilized to far better advantage by building a cabinet than by using a ready-made one.”
To me, that looks like a pretty good start of fitted kitchens. Actually, this is the why unfitted kitchens died out.
While researching this I came across an outstanding article from Starcraft Custom Builders about the history of kitchens. They point out that unfitted kitchens had a different work flow than modern kitchens. The cook prepares the food on the perimeter of the room before moving to the middle.
Which is actually quite similar to how kitchen islands function today. They are a central landing space for food and other kitchen activities. So what do 1720 and 2020 kitchens have in common? They’re…huge.
Seriously. Look at the kitchens of today. Now think about the size of rooms in pre-Victorian houses. They’re both massive. Most importantly, having a large kitchen with ample room to move around, plenty of wall space for pots, pans, and clear work tables is very functional.
However when the Industrial Revolution hit (the second Industrial Revolution, did you know there is more than one??) houses became more affordable. But because they were more affordable, they also became smaller. Therefore to best maximize the space, you need more built in cabinets.
Ok Paige, so you’re saying unfitted kitchens are inefficient and built ins are the best way to maximize storage space?
Well…no.
Is an unfitted kitchen right for you?
Contrary to what all these turn of the century books will tell you, there is no ideal kitchen. Furthermore, designing a kitchen for an old house (or one to look like it could be in an old house) will always be a combination of historic influence and personal preference.
If you have a small kitchen, built in cabinetry could give you more efficient storage. However, the same does not immediately hold true for large kitchens.
In fact, filling up a bigger space with cabinets may result in simply too much storage. (Oh yes. It’s a thing. The previous kitchen at this house as a NIGHTMARE.) If you have the luxury of a reasonably sized kitchen, you have more room to play with the free standing aesthetic.
For me personally, I am a sucker for multi-functional space. I try to think of every possible use that might happen and plan for it. But I can’t think of everything. I like having the options and flexibility to adjust my kitchen as I need it.
In summary, I don’t ever want to remodel or buy new cabinets. Let’s do it once and do it right. I can change it in the future if I need to.
And an unfitted kitchen is just the ticket for this house. So. What do you think? Would you ever consider an unfitted kitchen?
This makes me think of my grandmother’s kitchen on my grandparent’s farm. It had a huge wood burning stove, a sink, a hoosier (or something like it), 2 tables (one in the center one against the wall in front of the window),a small cabinet where eggs and flour lived, and kind of a bed/couch. Yep. It was a bit smaller then a twin bed, upholstered, but without the back rest or arm rests. It was used for sitting and my great grandfather used to nap on it. He was very old, and he liked to be where the family life was centered. There was also a cellar where grandma kept home made canned goods and preserves, root vegetables, apples and the like. Before a small fridge was bought, meat and dairy were stored in the cellar too. There was no storage for things like pasta, as pretty much everything was made from scratch. Fresh fruit and vegetables were brought fresh from the garden, so there was no need to store them longer then few hours. In the summer when my fathers siblings all came to help with the harvest when, this kitchen fed about 20 people each day.
This is absolutely magical!! I love having a place to sit in the kitchen that isn’t the table. Kitchen naps are HIGHLY underrated. I can imagine how busy your grandmother was to feed 20 people a day! My great grandmother made food for their dairy farm hands. The family story is that each farm hand would eat almost a whole pie by himself. Every day!
I think a light bulb went off above my head when I watched this video. I am trying to think of how an unfitted kitchen would look in my house. We are currently in search of a new home several miles away in a more rural part of Vermont and closer to where I grew up. This concept would totally fit in with a remodel that we are hoping to do. THANK YOU! I question now whether or not we need a cabinet for our range top. Or would we find some great piece of furniture, like a dresser, or buffet, or something else to mount the range top in. I know it needs to be somewhat permanent, but does it? It would cost a lot less to install another outlet somewhere than to remodel more if I want a change. The only thing that seems it would be permanent for sure is the sink. Anyway, I love your videos and your ideas and your style. Thank you so much for the inspiration and keep up the great work. I look forward to every Saturday morning.
I love the idea of a movable range! We actually did the same thing in our kitchen. We have a second outlet in a different spot in the kitchen. All we have to do is wire up a plug and I can move my stove. If your range is electric it makes everything much easier! Great minds think alike. 😀 Thank you for watching!!
Okay, Paige. Now that you have put this idea in my brain and caused me long silent gazes out into the ether, imagining what my ideal kitchen would look like, I grow frustrated. I wonder what places you go to feed your imagination. I have googled “unfitted kitchen” and been on Pinterest trying to find examples of homes with unfitted kitchens and, frankly, the idea boards don’t seem to exist. Or at least my idea of an unfitted kitchen doesn’t exist. Am i missing something? A term I could use that would unlock a floodgate of pictures of people with unfitted kitchens? The different items they use in their spaces? Or is this just truly a free form kind of idea? Am I making sense? Did you find inspiration difficult? I am guessing “no”, since you seem to have a great idea maker in that head of yours. Still loving the videos. We look forward to waking up on Saturday mornings and watching. Thanks!
Hi Jeffrey! You are 100% correct. This type of kitchen seems to be VERY scarce indeed. Below I have some links for places I store my inspiration. But hold tight with me as I am also working to compile all my resources into a master kitchen information page. So that is coming. Information on this kind of kitchen is pretty darn hard to find, but I’m working to change that!
Here is my historic kitchen picture Pinterest Board: https://pin.it/6e8LZW9
Here is my kitchen reference board: https://pin.it/3WO6Umk
This blogger has multiple posts on old kitchens that might be helpful: https://restoringross.com/creating-a-new-kitchen-in-an-old-house-part-one/
My first favorite old kitchen book: https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/books/TheEfficientKitchen_10011336
My second favorite old kitchen book: https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/books/AnIdealKitchen_10870418
My second instagram account where I dump old kitchen pictures: https://www.instagram.com/centurykitchens/
I hope that can get you started! More coming I promise!
Thank you!
Fabulous! So glad to know that I’m not the only one That loves moving things around. How much more efficient things are when you can move them around for different occasions. Also think about how much easier and affordable it would be to change out 1 thing instead of everything because its not built in.
Thanks for the “non history” lesson. And the links above. 😁
You are absolutely right!! So much easier to get a few new pieces than to renovate a whole kitchen!