Rare Photos Of Vintage Hollywood Stars In Their Kitchens
By | September 6, 2022
Celebrities, they're just like us! Okay not really, but many (if not all) icons of the 50s, 60s, and 70s had kitchens where they could disappear from the prying eyes of the public to make a quick meal or have a cup of coffee. The photos here were mostly taken in private, but a few of them are definitely staged. That being said, we love these photos of vintage celebrities hanging out in their kitchens regardless of how and when they were taken. Let's all take some inspo from these home interiors and put a little celebrity status in our lives
Marilyn Monroe takes a call in her kitchen
It's cliche to say that Marilyn Monroe is an icon, but we'll take the hit - she's servicing icon status in this photo while chatting on the phone. Did she actually cook any meals in her kitchen? We have no way of knowing. It's impossible to discover that information, but we do know that she looks fab while taking a break from her tumultuous life in this little slice of heaven.
Frank Sinatra fixing a sandwich in his kitchen, 1964
Coming from an Italian family it's no surprise that Ol' Blue Eyes liked to eat. This shot of Sinatra fixing a sando in his kitchen is giving us an idea of what it was like to be with the crooner when he was away from the Rat Pack. His kitchen is meticulous, well laid out, and it has a ton of counter space. The kitchen was clearly one of the most important rooms in the house for Franky.
Dean Martin and John Wayne cooking pasta
What the holy moly is John Wayne doing here? Has this man ever cooked pasta in his life? Sure, he can ride a horse and command an army, but he's definitely not the guy you want boiling up a pot of spaghetti. Luckily he's got Deano here to help him out. While we don't have a great view of Martin's kitchen, we know he was quite the home chef because the man typed up his own recipes - although they were a little kitschy if we're being honest.
Paul Newman and Joanna Woodward in the kitchen of their Beverly Hills Home
Look at that outfit! A silk jacket, short shorts, socks, and loafers - Paul Newman had to do it to 'em. Has anyone ever looked this cool while cooking up a pan of eggs (we assume)? While living in Beverly Hills one might expect that a star like Newman would have a private chef, but it's clear from his sparse kitchen that the guy just liked to live a simple life and take care of himself. We love it.
Steve McQueen having a cup of coffee
Steve McQueen has always been the king of cool, but this shot of the star lounging in his kitchen is driving us wild. Forget for a second about how great the star looks in his white pants and polkadot shirt and check out the pegboard doors behind him. Maybe we're seeing an unfinished kitchen here, but honestly it's a really great look. The functionality of something like that is interesting, you'll never need to search for a place to hang a pot again.
Audrey Hepburn in her kitchen
It's no surprise that Hepburn's kitchen is immaculately laid out, complete with some fine wall art. Aside from the fact that the photographer has caught her by surprise, Hepburn is clearly at home prepping tea and toast for guests.
Alfred Hitchcock
We have no way of knowing if this is really Alfred Hitchcock's kitchen (if only there were a machine where we could look things up in the blink of an eye), but we love seeing the master of horror ham it up while carving up a tasty slab of meat. The guy looks fitted as ever as he wields what we're guessing is the sharpest knife in the room, but was he a good cook? That we can't be sure of. Either way it's pretty obvious that his guests are in for a rich meal.
John Lennon baking bread
Hey Hey it's John Lennon like you've never seen him. We're used to seeing photos of Lennon where he's looking cool, collected, and iconic, but it's rare to see him caught unaware of the camera and out of his rock star persona. Aside from the bread of it all it's fascinating to see just how normal his kitchen looks. There's no massive open concept, no fixtures that his fans can't afford, just the bare bones of whatever you need to do what you need to do.
Natalie Wood stunning in her sunny kitchen
How happy does Natalie Wood look in her kitchen? This may be one of the best candid photos of a celebrity mixing something up in their home that we've ever seen, not just because the star of Rebel Without a Cause looks happy at home, bu her kitchen is amazing. Take a look at those wood cabinets and that bright yellow bowl. And the tile! Ugh. This is such a cute little house. Even though it looks like there's a lack of counter space we'd be happy to have this spot to ourselves for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Sophia Loren making pizza pies
So this shot of Sophia Loren making pizza may look completely staged (and we're sure it is), but that doesn't mean she wasn't an eager hand in the kitchen. Aside from being the on screen pride of Italy she was also a pretty good cook. In 1972 she released In the Kitchen with Love, and followed that up with Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories in 1998. If we had to guess, we'd say this pizza is pretty good. The kitchen itself looks pretty industrial, there's no way Loren had this in her house - unless she was way more serious about her pies than we thought.
Jayne Mansfield cracks an egg in her kitchen, 1956
Can you imagine making sure your hair was absolutely peroxide perfect before whipping up some eggs on the stove? Staged or not, that's just how Mansfield lived. Taken in 1956, Mansfield was well known at the time so it's kind of a shock to see her using what looks like a travel range to make breakfast, but hey you've got to do what you've got to do first thing in the morning.
Clint Eastwood showing off his knife skills
Taken long before he changed westerns forever with the Dollars trilogy, this shot of Clint Eastwood carving up some fruit in his kitchen is one of the coolest things we've seen in a while. His kitchen is nothing special (what's up with that ladle placement?) but it looks like the kind of place where a bachelor can cook himself up a nice meal and not feel like a schlub.
Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsburg chat over a cup of coffee
source: douglas r. gilbert
We absolutely love this. It's so since to see Bob Dylan smiling and having a normal conversation that we almost missed the GIANT kitchen that he's sitting in the middle of. The cabinets may be oddly small, but it's pretty obvious that the kitchen stretches on beyond what we can see. Not only is there some excellent pot placement above the stove, but it looks like there's enough space to do all the twisting and turning that one has to do while making a meal without bumping into any unexpected guests.
David Bowie mixing up some gin in his kitchen
OF COURSE David Bowie had wallpaper in his kitchen at one point that matches his outfits. OF COURSE he did. Aside from all the space that he has available in this immaculate kitchen it's worth noting that at this point in his life Bowie wasn't really making a lot of meals that didn't consist of alcohol, red peppers, and milk. But hey, he wasn't called the Thin White Duke for nothing.
John and Julian Lennon having a cup of tea
We never see photos of John and Julian together, so it's really cool to see them having a cup of tea together in Lennon's messy little kitchen. Some of these celebrity kitchens make us feel like we're living in a rat hole, but Lennon's home actually looks like someone lives in it. Goals.
