Hoosier Cabinet History
By Dee Funk / September 6, 2017
A true must have of a 1920’s kitchen was the hoosier cabinet. The idea built behind this popular cabinet was that a worker is only as efficient as her workplace. This cabinet was so much more than just a storage cabinet, it included storage, appliances and much more!
What Does “Hoosier” Mean?
The word Hoosier has been tied to the state of Indiana for over 150 years. There are several theories about its origin, one of them involves people yelling “who’s there?” across the river and the other is of a man who lost his ear in a bar fight and someone unfortunately picked it up and asked, “whos ear?” Both circumstances sound similar to the term “Hoosier”.
So, what does the term have to do with the Hoosier cabinet? The cabinet got its name because most of them were made in Indiana. The first Hoosier cabinets appeared in 1898, created by a furniture company called Sellers, in New Castle, Indiana. Popularity of the cabinet grew up until the late 1940’s when the records for the cabinets became scarce.
What Is in a Hoosier Cabinet?
You may be thinking that this was just an average cupboard, but back in the 1920’s, this was much more. This cabinet had storage for staples like flour, sugar and spices as well as workable parts like flour sifters, meat grinders, spice carousels, grocery list wheel, nutritional charts and cookbook holders. The Hoosier cabinet was made to speed up meal delivery by having everything you need in one place.
Photo credit, Rob Karosis
This modern Hoosier cabinet was designed by PKsurroundings. The modern storage cabinet includes shelves for organizing jars, spices and staple products. There is also a built-in prep sink that includes a garbage disposal. Outlets are incorporated on the walls for small appliances like a blender or electric mixer. The cabinet area provides a sense of separation from the rest of the kitchen, allowing multiple chefs to be cooking and prepping at the same time! Even though the storage space is beautiful to look at, it is all hidden behind custom sliding cabinet doors by Kountry Kraft.
Click here to view pictures of hoosier cabinets. Contact Kountry Kraft today and see how you can create your own modern Hoosier cabinet!