Kitch Kitchen

“Kitsch Kitchen” by Janet Hill – Janet Hill Studio

Shop more paintings at Janet Hill’s Studio Shop.

Kitsch is the German and Yiddish word denoting art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an existing style of art. The term kitsch was a response to the 19th century art whose aesthetics convey exaggerated sentimentality and melodrama, hence, kitsch art is closely associated with sentimental art.

Kitschy Frog

Kitschy Frog courtesy of Aspen Country

I’m a little put off that someone would define the things I love as ‘inferior’ and ‘tasteless’ However, sentimental is a term I can accept. Sentimental art – bright Melmac dishes, art deco Pyrex, cloth calendars, painted tins, decals on glasses, green ceramic frogs…all the things that make up a fun, kitschy kitchen.

In the early 1970′s, I decorated my kitchen in yellow and white with touches of avocado and tangerine orange in the wallpaper. In the corner underneath the frilly lemon yellow curtains sat my white and yellow ice-cream table set for two, with yellow rod iron and white leather seats and Formica top. Perched prettily in the middle of this setting was my Avon salt and pepper shakers in…yes, yellow and white.

Everywhere I turn these days, I see the term “kitsch” or “kitschy” to describe sentimental items and decorating style inherited from a previous era.

e.how even describes how to create a kitschy kitchen, explaining, “Some people dream of a shiny, newly remodeled kitchen. Others have a nostalgia for the kitchens of their parents and grandparents. Fortunately, retro style is back en vogue and kitsch is a big part of that style. The good news is you don’t have to forgo modern conveniences to create a kitschy kitchen of your own.” This article offers some great tips on putting together your own kitschy kitchen.

Need some reference to specific kitchen items that may not be in current use? Grandma’s Treasures Online offers this great book of 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles, an Identification and Value Guide by Linda Campbell Franklin.

I also created a category this week, just for fun kitchen collectibles. I’ll be adding to it as I go, so check back often.

Kitschy Kitchen Collection

So, what’s in your “kitschy” collection? What trail does your sentimental art follow?