English Rose kitchens

I'm not a massive fan of kitsch-looking stuff, but I recently saw an interiors feature in The Times Magazine, showing a fabulously retro, stripped aluminium kitchen. I had no idea who the maker was, nor anything about it, until I stumbled across English Rose kitchens this morning. They were made in the 1950s by the CSA company, which made the nose-cones for Spitfires during the Second World War, using the excess, post-war aluminium to fabricate the distinctive, curvy kitchen units. They were originally painted in kitsch colours, but I much prefer the more industrial look of the units after they have been stripped, paired with austere tiling and accessories - no pastels, thank you! Here are some images I pulled off the internet today.


Here's a nice cream one, with horrible tiling (IMHO), from Flickr.


This set is for sale via Lassco.


Another cheesy one, but the unit is nice on its own. Via Flickr.


Finally, a stripped and polished one from Source Antiques, the biggest suppliers of these kitchens in the UK. I bet it's a pain in the arse to keep them looking as shiny and un-watermarked as that!

If you fancy some of these for yourself, there is an unrestored set of units for sale on eBay right now, or search Salvoweb for more. John Lewis of Hungerford also make a reproduction version called Crème de la Crème.