October 04, 1944

Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser

Detroit, Michigan, United States

An Edith B. Crumb interior design column.

Pleasing Color and Finish Freshen Kitchen Shelves​​
By Edith B. Crumb​
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The interiors of kitchen cupboards are receiving special attention these days. When the kitchen is repainted and given an entirely new look, the background for china and glassware also needs freshening.​
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A color harmonious with the general scheme is always pleasing - but there is just one drawback. That is in case the color is an odd one which was mixed on the job, with none left for future spot-retouching. When the paint of cupboard interiors becomes a bit thin along the edges or on the shelves, the matter of touching it up is difficult.​
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Therefore, it is a good idea - regardless of the urge to have an attractive color behind the dishes - to use white, because then the surfaces may be kept always like new. A glossy finish washes like a china plate, and a new can of white to touch up spots is a simple matter.​
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Some homemakers do not care to cover the enamel finish, but for those who do, the glossy shelf paper sheds dust easily and may be wiped off. And this is where color may be brought into the scheme. Against the white of the cupboard interior, paper to match the walls is striking.​
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Lacking the good fortune to match paper and walls, a contast can be introduced. In a kitchen where red or dark blue may be used, white papers with red or blue polka dots are effective. These papers have an even shinier surface than the plain colors - somewhat as if coated with cellophane.​
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Paper should be folded at the front edge to give firmness. The edge of the shelf may be trimmed with the good old-fashioned lace paper edging - which is tough in spite of its delicate appearance and is one of the trimmings plentiful in the stores today.​
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Some women select linoleum for a covering. This serves as an easily washable surface, and when an interesting color is difficult to beat for attractiveness and practicability.​
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The kitchen drawers should be lined with paper or linoleum to match the shelf coverings.​
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And while we're on the subject of shelves - why do most fruit cellars look so bare and unfinished? Most of them are given over to the housewife in this state - but why should she not add a coat of paint?​
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Any color may be used. Here's an opportunity to be gay, to use some color or scheme that she has not had the courage to include in the rest of her house. The fact that the shelves are painted at all will give a more uniform and ship-shape appearance and make a riot of color when rows of fruit are placed.​
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One fruit cellar we know of has walls, woodwork and ceiling finished with aluminum paint (done in the pre-war days), and the shelves covered with dark red linoleum held in position by metal edging. Some shelves are just far enough apart to allow for jelly glasses, while others take pint or quart jars. This arrangement haves wasted space generally found in shelf spacing.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.