Can a 1920’s stove fit our 2020’s family?
On my quest to find out how historically correct I can make our kitchen, I find that there are two appliances that have changed the most since 1920. The fridge and stove have grown much larger, and where they once would’ve been painted muted hues of enamel or plain black cast iron, they are now sleek & shiny stainless steel. They are a little…hard to miss. Especially in a kitchen that will be pretending it’s a hundred years old! Back in 1920, when our little cottage was built, our town didn’t yet have gas or electricity. The kitchen here at The Grand Ole Apiary still has the old fireplace, where a small wood stove would’ve sat. That little stove would’ve been the heart of the home. She would’ve warmed the family, while cooking the food for goodness knows how many little (and big!) bellies.
My childhood home had such a heart. I remember fondly, many evenings spent in the kitchen, being warmed by the stove while eating around the kitchen table. Am I crazy for wanting this for my little family? It seems like such an inconvenient thing to do these days. Yet I just can’t stop myself from thinking about it….
The trouble is, as well as being warm and functional, these lovely creatures are downright gorgeous! The more I look at them, the more I fall in love. What is it about gazing at a lovingly restored wood burning stove? Even the ones that still need a little love have character in spades. It’s impossible to look at one and not see the beauty that was, and that can still be.
From sleek stainless to rusty cast iron
I first got thinking about this, while trying to decide how to best disguise the giant stainless steel under bench oven I intended to install into the fireplace. The old “install your oven in the old chimney” trick was a no brainer, so of course I decided to do it, and didn’t give it any more thought. Until I got the quote to have the oven installed there. Apparently a lot of dismantling of the brickwork would be necessary to shoehorn my ugly oven into that lovely fireplace, and the honour of permanently ruining a stand out feature of my cottage was only going to cost me upwards of $5000. Ummm, no thanks??
The oven installation was the first task of my kitchen renovation. But I just couldn’t do it. I stalled for about 6 months, not knowing how to move forward. I know why now! Because that is not what this little cottage deserves. This little cottage wants her heart back. Her small wood stove is what should go into that fireplace. And if I can find out what exact stove that was, I can replace it without amending the fireplace at all. That’s my goal!
It’s ok, Matt will talk some sense into her
I honestly expected a jolt of the real world to come from Matt, when I confessed my wishes to him. But all I received was a bit of an eye roll and a smirk. Same from a couple of friends. I mean, as far as I’m concerned that’s the universe confirming that I’m onto a great idea and should steam straight ahead right??
So yeah, we are weirdos now
I can confirm, that we are on a mission now. We are going to find out what was removed from that fireplace and put it back. We will restore our little cottage’s heart! Also I guess we should try to find ways of making sure we can still live a modern existence with a very unmodern kitchen appliance! But you know, priorities right????
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