Merillat's patented cabinet door hinge introduced in 1962
Today’s kitchens look more like pieces of art than food preparation spaces. It’s amazing how much things have changed over the past 100 years.
Once upon a time, before the age of electricity, running water and modern appliances, the kitchen as we know it didn’t exist. For the average family, there might have been a table or cutting board for preparation, hearth and fireplace for cooking, and sometimes a dining area, but that was about it.
Around the beginning of the 20th century, the kitchen evolved into a separate room for food preparation. These kitchens were inefficient and poorly laid out compared to modern-day spaces. A typical pre-WWII kitchen had all freestanding elements: a stove or oven of some type, a sink (usually on porcelain legs), an icebox, a table that doubled as a work surface, and a freestanding cupboard to store dishes in. Built-in kitchen cabinets were not a common feature.
Cabinetry
The evolution of cabinetry is interesting. From free-standing “Hoosier” style cabinets, to metal cabinetry so popular post WWII, to the modern conveniences in our kitchens today, our ever-changing needs have necessitated certain advancements.
The pre-WWII kitchen was much different than the kitchen of today. Paint was typically an antiseptic white, with storage limited to stand-alone steel cabinets, or “Hoosier” cabinets with a built-in bread box, flour sifter and countertops. There were few appliances, since it was still the age of ice boxes and clothes lines.
 1910's Kitchen; Photo Credit - G.G. Bain |
 1930's Kitchen; Photo Credit - Henry Ford Museum |
 1950's Kitchen; Photo Credit - James Abbe Jr. for House Beautiful |
 1970's Kitchen; Photo Credit - Better Homes & Gardens |
 Modern Kitchen: Merillat Classic Tolani Maple in Kona and Chiffon Finishes |
After the war, the U.S. economy skyrocketed, and all across the country an unprecedented building boom created new suburbs from empty farm land. Along with new homes, Americans were acquiring all sorts of other things. Prosperity meant there was money for an extra set of dishes and glassware, serve ware for entertaining, a variety of pots and pans, and more. All of these possessions and the supplies to clean them had to be stored somewhere. The result was a revolution of form and function in the American kitchen.
The sum total of these trends made 1946 a very good year to be in building. It was the year Orville and Ruth Merillat started making custom crafted birch cabinets, and their business grew rapidly. In 1953, to meet ever-increasing demands, Merillat built a manufacturing facility that ingeniously adapted the production methods of automotive manufacturing to stock cabinetry production, turning out standardized cabinets in three-inch increments. By the end of the 1960s, Merillat was manufacturing an astounding 1,500 cabinets a day.
Over time, the evolution of cabinetry extended to convenience features on cabinets. In 1962, Merillat’s continued innovation in the cabinet industry led to their introduction of a patented hinge that allowed cabinet doors to be easily opened and closed quietly with a gentle push, replacing the standard magnetic latch of the time.
Today there are a lot of great features and accessories to choose from, including deep drawers for cookware, pull-out shelves, sponge trays on the front of sink cabinets, pullout garbage/recycling containers, pull-out spice cabinets, lazy susans in corner cabinets, vertical storage for cookie sheets, and full-extension drawer slides. Our great-grandmothers would have swooned!
Appliances
Most kitchen appliances didn’t come into being until after the Civil War. The advent of electricity significantly advanced the technology of labor-saving kitchen appliances. In just the past 40 years, there have been tremendous technological leaps such as the side-by-side refrigerator, dishwasher, trash compactor and microwave, expanding even further the square footage requirements of the average kitchen.
Flooring and Countertops
As cabinetry and appliances advanced, so did the options for flooring and countertops. Tile, wood, stone, laminate and vinyl are commonly found on the floors of most kitchens today. Beyond Formica, which was popular in the 60’s and 70’s, modern countertop materials include stone, marble, granite, concrete, stainless steel and more. The options are endless.
It’s funny how over the course of time, items that were once “luxuries” have become necessities. Aren’t we lucky to live in the age of refrigerators, garbage disposals and microwaves? For readers old enough to remember life before these modern conveniences, we’d love to hear your stories!
Tags: cabinetry, kitchen appliances, kitchen innovation, merillat, merillat cabinets, modern kitchen, stock cabinetry