If you love television, chances are that you grew up right alongside some pretty famous families. The Bradys. The Waltons. The Seinfeld gang. And at the very center of all the laughs, the confusion, the sadness, and the touching moments you’ll likely never to forget, are the memorable kitchens in the homes of the families we loved.
Many people still consider the kitchen to be the very heart of the home — for a variety of unique reasons. So let’s take a walk back down memory lane — revisiting the famous TV sitcom kitchens of the past — and highlight what it was about these environments that made them so special. Plus, consider how their designs have influenced the kitchens of today.
The Brady Bunch: Alice ran a tight ship, feeding and raising a special group of kids
The Brady Bunch was the dominant family-focused sitcom of the 1970s. And in the Brady family kitchen, housekeeper and matriarch Alice Nelson was the master of her domain. The kitchen environment itself was a nod to everything that was great about the 70s. With an open floor plan in the middle class suburban home, the walls were adorned with perfectly fake wood paneling broken up by that memorable kitchen island.
Add to the atmosphere the stainless double oven, and Alice had everything she needed to keep the family eating heartily and running smoothly. The only thing missing? A retro microwave oven from Northstar. Imagine what Alice could have done with 1200 watts of power and capacity of 1.6 cubic feet. We’re talking sensor reheat, genius sensor cook setting, inverter turbo defrost, and a popcorn key.
The Waltons: An All-American tale of just how hard — and sweet — life could be
There’s little denying that the Waltons owned 1960s drama. This All-American family from Walton’s Mountain in Jefferson County, Virginia gave us a glimpse into growing up during one of the nation’s toughest times. And as you might expect, hearts soared and challenges were bested in one of the more memorable kitchen settings in American television history.
The Walton kitchen garnered specific acclaim for its period-appropriate detail — from the matching woodgrain furniture to the woodburning cookstove that anchored this special room. However, swap that out with the Fireview woodburning cookstove and you have a model that still perfectly matches the time period, but adds the convenience of high-efficiency and optional side burners.
Seinfeld: The show about nothing from the smallest kitchen in history
Kitchen space in a New York City apartment is at a premium. And no TV show demonstrated this phenomenon more clearly than the sitcom that dominated the 90s — Seinfeld. The motley crew of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer spent years getting in and out of trouble — shoulder to shoulder in the confines of Jerry’s cramped apartment kitchen. Literally two steps would take you from the fridge to the stove and back. And you could access the microwave halfway through that trip.
One addition to the Seinfeld kitchen that they would have loved might be the Northstar fridge. With six models and eight dynamic colors to choose from, this retro appliance would have done wonders for Jerry’s cool factor — particularly on the few occasions when he entertained a female visitor. And with the addition of a BrewMaster factory-installed draft kit, the boys could have enjoyed cold brews to fuel their insane conversations.
Elmira Stove Works carries several complete lines of antique kitchen appliances to help you capture the look of your favorite TV kitchen. Plus, our brands are equipped with the very latest in cooking technology — which means you’ll never sacrifice the performance you demand for the aesthetics you prefer.