20 charming midcentury kitchens, ranked from virtually untouched to fully renovated

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By Jenny Xie Updated Nov 23, 2016, 12:30pm EST

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The interior of a midcentury modern kitchen. There is a kitchen island, table, chairs, light fixtures, and wooden cabinetry. The ceiling and walls are painted white.

When it comes to midcentury houses, how well the design has been maintained, restored, or updated is always a point of fervent discussion. In honor of Thanksgiving, during which copious amounts of food will be consumed, we're focusing the ogling and debate on midcentury kitchens. As the part of the home that's steeped in tradition yet demands up-to-date amenities, the kitchen often strikes an intriguing balance between authenticity and a contemporary sway. Here now, 20 rad kitchens that range from those deserving total time-capsule status to those thoroughly remodeled for modern living.

A midcentury modern kitchen with pink countertops, wood paneled walls and cabinetry, chairs, and windows. — A wondrous time capsule kitchen from 1956 with vintage GE appliances.

A midcentury modern kitchen with exposed brick walls, white tiled flooring, a stove, and light fixtures. — An original kitchen in an architect’s own 1960 home.

A midcentury modern kitchen with exposed tank brick, granite countertops, wooden cabinetry, and high ceilings. — The kitchen of rare Frank Lloyd Wright house.

A midcentury modern kitchen. There is wooden cabinetry, colorful decorative mosaics, a wooden ceiling, and a linoleum floor. — Original fixtures span this groovy ‘50s house in Oklahoma.

A midcentury modern kitchen with a yellow and black tiled floor, bright blue walls, glossy light blue cabinetry, and yellow wall tiles above the countertops. — The bright kitchen in a midcentury home for atom bomb scientists.

A midcentury modern kitchen with wood walls, cabinetry, and ceiling. There are white countertops. There is a shelf with plants in planters. — An Eichler time capsule kitchen, enough said.

A midcentury modern kitchen with wood walls, cabinetry, and ceiling. The floor is linoleum. There are works of art hanging on one wall. — A quaint kitchen in a midcentury mystery house in Illinois.

A midcentury kitchen with wood cabinetry and ceiling. The floor is linoleum and the appliances are metallic silver. — A fine galley kitchen in a 1955 midcentury jewel in Spokane, Washington.

A midcentury modern kitchen with wood paneled walls, white tiled countertops, chairs, and a table. There is a window over the sink looking out onto a beach. — An open kitchen in a spectacular 1973 Malibu beach house.

A midcentury modern kitchen with wood cabinetry, metallic countertops, a table and chairs, a skylight, and bookshelves. — Another galley kitchen in the restored 1960 Frame-Harper House in Houston, Texas.

A midcentury modern kitchen with wood paneled walls and ceiling. The floor is tiled with linoleum. There is a table, chairs, and floor to ceiling windows looking out into a garden. — An Eichler collaborator’s post-and-beam dream.

A midcentury modern kitchen with a white wooden ceiling that has green support beams. The cabinetry is white. There is white, green, and grey patterned wallpaper on the walls. — The breezy kitchen in an impeccably maintained 1954 home.

A midcentury modern kitchen with white cabinetry, walls, and flooring. There is an orange and black area rug. — The picture-perfect kitchen in a dreamy Palmer & Krisel pad in Palm Springs.

A midcentury modern kitchen with silver and white cabinetry and a wooden ceiling. There is a kitchen island with a granite countertop. There are windows overlooking a view with trees and mountains. — This glassy updated kitchen in a 1972 Neutra gem has a fab view.

A midcentury modern kitchen with white countertops and a white wooden ceiling. The cabinetry is wooden. — Another updated midcentury beauty in Palm Springs.

A midcentury modern kitchen with a grey floor and grey kitchen island. The ceiling is wooden and painted white. There are tall windows. There is a small white dog sitting in a corner. — The bright open kitchen in a restored midcentury gem by a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice.

A midcentury kitchen with red cabinetry and light grey tiled floors. The ceiling is painted white wood. There is a table, chairs, and floor to ceiling windows. — The vibrant open kitchen in an updated Eichler house in Northern California.

A midcentury modern kitchen with a white wood ceiling and silver cabinetry. There is a table, chairs, and tall windows. — Stainless steel reigns supreme in the kitchen of Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House #21.

A midcentury modern kitchen with wood cabinetry, white countertops, and a white ceiling. There are floor to ceiling windows on one side of the room. — Gorgeous kitchen in an updated ’50s glass house in Connecticut.

A midcentury modern kitchen with white walls and ceiling, grey cabinetry on the kitchen island, and a wooden table with chairs. There are black support beams. — t’s beams galore in the open kitchen of this revamped 1966 Pierre Koenig house.