The 1950s Kitchen

By Kathryn Ferry

The 1950s was the first great age of the modern kitchen: labor-saving appliances, bright colors and the novelty of fitted units moved the kitchen from dankness into light, where it became the domain of the happy housewife and the heart of the home. Formica - a new space-age material - decorated with fashionable patterns topped sleek cupboards that contained new classic wares such as Pyrex and 'Homemaker' crockery, and the ingredients for 1950s British staples: semolina, coronation chicken and spotted dick.

Electricity entered the kitchens of millions, and nowhere in the home was modern technology and modern design more evident. Bold color, clean lines and stainless steel were keynotes of the decade, and it is no surprise that 1950s kitchen style is now the height of fashion once again, with names like Cath Kidston picking up on the best of '50s kitchen kitsch, and manufacturers like Dualit, Kitchen Aid and Aga doing healthy business with retro appliances.

This book - a celebration of cooking, eating and living in the 1950s kitchen - is a feast of nostalgia, and a mine of inspiration for anyone wanting to recreate that '50s look in their own home.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9780747811602

Reviews for The 1950s Kitchen

[diana_long_thomas · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this book at a library book sale and picked it up just to see more of the "Home of the Future" that was in vogue at the time. The pictures of the best and most modern kitchens were the best part. As someone who lived through the home decor of the 70's I didn't think it could be much worse. Some of the colors were garish, the materials could be frightening due to the chemical compounds used, and the safety of the "labor saving" appliances could be called limited at best. However, seeing how people were trying to make things cheery after living through World War II and all of it's make do and mend mentality was very intriguing. I think the 1950's kitchen shows the excess that people could go to once they don't have to live an extremely austere lifestyle. One may also see how the 1950's kitchen and it's excess directly lead to the back to the land movement of the 1970's and the newer minimalist movement. The photos of the advertisements, as well as the photos of the actual kitchens really enhance this book. My biggest issue was that it was so short.