Some reasons for this trend are that people are rejecting the throwaway mentality. They like for things to have a longer shelf life with more endurance and permanence. They want to go back to a time when appliances were built to be serviced and repaired, not immediately replaced. They want appliances to be built to last.

Many kitchen design professionals consider the original mid-century designs to be very good designs, and now a whole new age group is just becoming familiar with them.

Chrome and vinyl dinette sets can fit in perfectly with this 50s nostalgic look, and manufacturers today make these 50s retro kitchen tables in a bistro, booth or regular dinette style.

You can buy 50s retro kitchen tables that are brand new and include such features as chrome frames and vinyl seats and backs with laminate tops. You can select from a wide array of colors for the cushions.

Check out some NEW RETRO dinette and bar sets (with stools). If you are going RETRO, you've got to have CHROME!

But if you really want a more authentic vintage look, you can buy an actual vintage piece from this time. It is possible to find this furniture in good condition for around $500.00. If you like to restore furniture you can get some 50's furnishing cheaper and fix them up. restoration. You will also find that the colors and styles of the vintage pieces cannot be duplicated.

There are stoves and refrigerators that are new, but look as if they were made in the 50s - in colors such as candy red, flamingo pink and buttercup yellow. These are retro reproductions of 1950s appliances. They look 1950s on the outside but are totally 21st century on the inside. Retro reproductions can make a dramatic design statement without having to sacrifice performance and convenience to get the look of this period.

Or you could consider going with refurbished appliances that are the actual vintage appliance that have been cleaned and rebuilt with some new components. Of course one major problem with going with refurbished appliances is that you have to sacrifice a few luxuries like the advantages and the ease of a self-cleaning oven, as well as having such features as electronic ignition and sealed burners. However, these features affect the simplicity of cleaning the stove; they have nothing to do with how well the stove cooks. There is one significant perk, however: Most appliance refurbishers are able to offer color matching, thereby giving you a unlimited selection of colors to coordinate with your new kitchen.

James Mahoney is the author of many kitchen design articles, visit at Kitchen Designers Ideas.com. He also publishes a newsletter on kitchen design.