Half a Hoosier

In the not-so-distant past, there was a time when residential kitchens were not comprised of wall and base cabinets with all the appliances built in. There weren't Formica countertops and really the only place you'd find them made of marble or granite would be in a laboratory. It wasn't until the 1940s and 1950s that what's called "fitted kitchens" became popular. Seen as the ultimate in modernity, soon every household had to have upper and lower cabinets with both drawers and doors. And, within those cabinets would be pre-planned slots for all the appliances to fit into. So luxurious and convenient! Up until a few days ago, I'd never heard the term "fitted kitchen". While I knew there were lots of homeowners and designers who were moving away from the whole matchy-matchy look of the cabineted kitchen, an article I read was reporting on a whole movement to go back to kitchens that were made up of stand-alone, unmatched pieces. The farmhouse/cottagecore trends lean heavily into this and successfully blend modern convenience with vintage and individual style. Sandwiched between those old school kitchens where every piece stood on its own and the modernity of the fitted kitchen ushered in mid-century was a genius transitional piece known as the Hoosier cabinet. I actually have half of one in my basement. What exactly was a Hoosier cabinet? Well, it was an all-in-one station for the modern housewives of the 1920s to make food preparation much more efficient. Hoosier cabinets were first introduced in 1898 by the Sellers furniture company in Elwood, Ind. Residents of Indiana have long been known as Hoosiers and there's a couple of theories about how that came about; one involving hollering "Who's there?" across a river and the other was when someone found a human ear after a bar fight and yelled "Whose ear?" The Hoosier Manufacturing Company of New Castle, Ind. was one of the earliest and largest manufacturers of the pieces and the Hoosier name became a generic term for these pieces of kitchen furniture. Hoosiers were typically made up of two pieces: a large base with cupboards and drawers and a pull-out work surface of enameled steel. The base often had casters for easy mobility. The top section of the piece was a narrower cabinet that sat on the base and typically had a built-in flour sifter, spice racks and more storage for things like flour and sugar. Some also came with built-in meat grinders as well. While various manufacturers began churning out versions of the Hoosier, Hoosier Manufacturing Company managed to crank out 700 per day at its peak. There are still lots of vintage Hoosiers to be found on the market and, in good condition, they'll retail for up to $1,000 depending on just how pristine they are. I have just the top section of one and it's in rough shape. One of my New Year's resolutions is to get rid of old inventory I've bought at auctions. This piece has been in the basement for at least five years so it's time to go. Curiously, at some point, the two right hand doors were installed upside down. I'm going to put them back to their original position, replace the back and add some legs to it to create a vintage bookcase/cabinet someone might want to put a collection in. I decided to leave its original flour sifter intact just for interest and I'm happy that its exterior has never been painted. The open shelf at the bottom, where the sifter is visible, used to have a set of tambour (rolling side to side) doors but they're long gone so I'll refresh the too-dirty interior with some paint. I'm hoping with a good waxing, the grain of the wood (probably oak) will be revived. After a couple of hours over two days, I think the piece turned out pretty good! I visualize it being used as both a bookcase and a place to display objects or collections. The sifter still has its lid so they could be a secret stash spot as well. Walking by the dusty old piece over the years, I'd often thought I should just smash it and use it for kindling but I'm so glad this half a Hoosier now can have a new purpose!