Update: I have added this clip to the blog even though it doesn’t fit. I cannot get it on any smaller…. Thanks to Bo Sullivan, who works with Rejuvenation Lighting, for the tip on this 1949 film created to help postwar homeowner owners create the efficient kitchen of their dreams. It’s interesting to understand the context for films like this. After World War II, housewives did need educating on how to design a modern kitchen. But I think the bigger purpose of this propaganda — and it IS propaganda — was to incite homeowners to part with their hard-earned war-time savings.
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After the grueling lessons of the Great Depression, folks were still very very conservative about tapping into their bank accounts — or just as likely, raiding the stash of cash under their mattresses or buried next to the barn. They DID have money. During the war, there were a lot of jobs — but little to spend your money on, because of rationing and all the materials going toward the construction of wartime armaments. After the war, there was tremendous new capacity available for consumer goods. But, Americans didn’t want to spend on discretionary consumer goods. They did buy houses But, they were Savers. And, the Government was Scared. They did not want the economic wheels grind to a halt and cause another depression. Hence films like this. It wasn’t until 1953 that Americans really started to cut loose their dollars. Another story for another day…
Video source: The excellent archives.org.
I always love this video. We talked about it on my blog a while back and it honestly helped some people who were trying to really think about design for their kitchen. So much more helpful than worrying about if you kitchen looks like it’s from a movie about a Tuscon castle, but to actually have a kitchen one can function and work in. I plan, myself, to have those pull out bins, as I go through so much flour and so many potatoes.
I also enjoyed your tutorial videos you did before, very informative.
I can’t seem to get the sound to work on it, though, but it maybe it’s my computer.
I love this kitchen!! All the convenience and smart ideas! Wonder if the plans (mentioned in the film) are still out there somewhere…
I can’t get the sound to work on this particular video either, but I believe it’s the same one I’ve seen on YouTube. I love watching old films like these.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing … had to go to the original to hear the sound, but worth the effort. And I agree with you when you said “But I think the bigger purpose of this propaganda — and it IS propaganda — was to incite homeowners to part with their hard-earned war-time savings.”
WOW! I love it! There are so many good, space saving ideas. I love all the built in bins, the pull out towel rack and the cookbook holder! Why have these things gone away? I know houses got bigger as the decades passed, but all those little houses are still around (I live in one of them). THis makes me want to go out and organize my kitchen, maybe redo some things. The propaganda worked on me…even 60 years later!
P.S. I don’t even eat potatoes and I want a potato bin. Yep, worked on me.
I’ve got no sound either.
Ugh I’m an idiot and replied to someone else’s post…sorry! lol
Anyway, I wasn’t able to hear anything either, but was able to view the video here with sound: http://www.archive.org/details/StepSavi1949
No sound here either…tried to find at YouTube with no luck…link please or search term?? THX!
People who are having issues with sound, there is a link to the video at the Prelinger Archives.
http://www.archive.org/details/StepSavi1949
Well….that was fabulous. While I think the garbage hole in the counter might be convenient, I could see that being a bit of a mess in my kitchen. I mean, I’d have to clean the garbage pail/hole every single day or it would be stinky.
You know, I think that garbage pail idea might be the answer to my “mystery” drawer. I will now have to grab a flashlight and check out the underside of my counter to see if the hole was patched or otherwise tiled over.
What a great video. It may answer answer a few of my kitchen design mysteries.
My mother said after wwII all the ads were about keeping your floors clean and your husbands shirt collars white…she a libber from way back so she says she always thought it’s their dirty neck why do we have to clean them. she’s a young 81 now.
I tweeted this vid a while ago, This link from archive.org works well http://www.archive.org/details/StepSavi1949 Archive is a great resource for old catalogs and videos and books. All online and free.
I got no sound from this clip. However the same video is here:
http://www.archive.org/details/StepSavi1949
And the sound worked for that one, FYI.
I couldn’t get the sound to play either ( with firefox), but I could get the copy of the video at archive.org to (just search for step saving kitchen 1949 and it comes right up)
That’s quite a kitchen- they have every little detail figured out. The bins in the back splash seem like a really nice idea and I also like how you can empty the trash from the outside door on the back of the cabinets. The double hinged doors that fold out of the way are also a neat and easy to do trick.
I see I wasn’t the first with the archive.org idea!
That was a really good film.
I went into it ready to have a good MST3K style laugh at an old filmstrip, but they had nothing but good ideas in that thing, I am surprised more of them never caught on.
No sound here either!
Wow, great video (sorry for the redundant link above) I really like this kitchen! I love the drawer for the potatoes and the garbage hatch. What a really perfect design!
I wish I had some of those rotating shelves and a pull out lap table!
This reminded me of the Disneyland attraction Monsanto’s House of the Future. It was a model home in Disneyland from 1957-1967:
http://davelandweb.com/hof/
It featured an interesting space saving kitchen.
There is a great video of it on Youtube (in 2 parts)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoCCO3GKqWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVMAeSNZZz0&feature=related
I went to the archive link from Bob there and had sound. That’s a great video, esp. being in color! The woman’s over-dictation (area pronounced ay-rea) made me want to pull my teeth out!
The fridge there is very similar to my 1948 Hotpoint.. That was a full size tho’, and mine is an apartment size. We use it to keep the kids’ juice and yogurt snacks in but it was kool seeing a fridge like mine in its original element! Wow.
That roast that the lady made has me licking my chops!!!
OMG. I just desperately l want this kitchen.
Pam! I was in New York City last week and thought about you. The Museum of Modern Art has an exhibit on KITCHENS from the 40s to the 60s! You would love it!
Yes, Shelley, I know about it and almost was able to go to the press preview. Several readers have sent me emails… I am hoping to go down and visit it first so I can do a post based on personal experience….
I, too, have seen this before and found much to like in it. I might see if we could put an additional smaller top level in our rotating corner cabinets.
I notice the scalding of the dishes…something we don’t do these days. I wonder why that fell by the wayside? Better detergents? More modern medicine?
The bins all over the place are neat, but they also look like they’d be pantry moth heaven!
Scalding was just pouring extremely hot water over the china. Because the water was so hot, it would dry quickly and leave a nice shine rather than the dullness you get after hand-drying.
Gosh — what a lot of work!
Silent Movies in 1949 ? : )
That kitchen is pretty neat…..but I would not want to repaint it
I wish ranges still had the option of a “deep well”. It seems very useful.
Sorry everyone. I fussed and fussed and fussed to get this clip into the blog so that it would actually fit and didn’t realize that in the process the sound got lost. I have added it as a direct embed from archives.org … which retains the sound but doesn’t fit the blog. Oh well. And yes, I should also have noted – and have added – that the clip came from archives.org. Enjoy.
The film opened with instructions to make it less than full size by using the esc key so it was just fine. That could have been my mother in the film but mom would have been wearing an apron-with ruffles. She made aprons for everyone she knew and expressed her creativity through them. I have a red organdy one that she made with the famous poodle cut out on it. I don’t think I’ve ever said on here but the time a spend here is a trip to my past. My parents bought a brand new ranch style home in 1953 that is the exact house I live in now. It was built by the same builder but on the other side of town. I bought this one when I had to retire because most homes here have a basement and due to illness I can’t handle steps. These houses came with Youngstown Kitchens in gleaming white but all that has been done aways with in my house. Darn! I sleep in the front bedroom as I did then. My computer is in the small room that was my brother’s. I’d love to have the kitchen you have put together but at my age, I won’t be doing any remodeling. I have hard wood flooing in the kitchen and dining room but carpet everywhere else and that is the exact opposite of what we had back then. We had hardwood everywhere except the kitchen and dining room where we had linoleum. Mom decorated the house in ivy green and red which was pretty snazzy. My room was done in pink and white and was very girly. I had a shelf around the ceiling to display my Nancy Ann doll collection which I have on shelves in this small bedroom. I have a collection of Depression and post war dishes and cook ware that I use for every day. Sometimes, when I walk past a mirror, I think I’m looking at my mother as we do look a lot alike. She loved her rancher. She was very proud of the color she had picked for theexterior of the house called Dusty Rose. The house we lived in is still there but not a good area now. That’s why I bought on this side of town. I suppose I like my house just as much as she liked hers. It fits my retirement needs perfectly. My # 4 and 5 sisters were born in that house so it was not as roomy for our family as this is for me. While I was in Jrl High we moved to the country but my city girl mom never liked that place at all and moved back to the old neighborhood when my dad retired. They lived there until they passed away which is my plan for this house.
Gayla.
Thanks for such a nice story.
I think that life moving in a circle is a comfort.
You are one smart cookie to have planned for retirement and the future.
That garbage pail would be perfect for collecting scraps for composting. I was amazed that the flour bin was fed by another bin that held 40 pounds of flour. I have to agree with poster who said it would be heaven for pantry moths. I do love the bins for potatoes and onions, though. We had that exact kitchen table and chairs when I was little in our knotty pine kitchen (now my knotty pine kitchen.)
You know, I bet moths were not so much an issue back in the days: If women used the flour constantly to make their own bread. Remember, how quilts were all made from feed sacks and flour sacks?
Sound worked fine for me. Great thought went into that kitchen. I understand that in that era after the war the country was obsessed with “efficiency” and how many steps and motions were in different kinds of work. Probably from the factories. Wish they made laze susan’s that sturdy these days. Interesting how we like to work right to left and how the cabinet with the serving dishes opens up on the other side to the dining room. Had that growing up for the dishes and it was really handy.
Great video. I’ll have to take a little different tack on this and say that it’s not necessarily propaganda, but rather more of an infomercial whose primary function is education.
As it states in the beginning, most of the questions concerning kitchens came from farm housewives. As of 1945, at least in my state, only 27% of farmhouses had electricity and only 11% had running water. More farms had appliances such as radios, but these were usually battery powered.
With the large gains in farm income due to the war, many farmers built new houses after the war was over. My grandfather was one of them. Leaving the 1850s dogtrot house in which both my grandmother and mother were born, he obtained plans from the Agricultural County Extension Agent for a new bungalow-type house and completed it in 1948. Electricity came the following year, along with running water powered by an electric well which was located a few feet from the back of the house.
Based on this knowledge of my family history, it seems to me that many people would not know how to set up a modern kitchen that was based upon electricity and running water. And to a certain extent, that is what I think is one of the primary purposes of this video.
When I was designing my retro kitchen, I wanted it to have this “farm kitchen” feel. This was the days before islands. Although I don”t bake bread or really do a lot of cooking myself, I wanted a kitchen that looked like I did. This makes me nostalgic for my childhood and that feeling that if I can see things from the way it used to be, that I can tap into that happy feeling now. As as my Aunt Joyce, championship doll collector that she is, says, “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood”
Im going to go put on some Big Band music and put a roast in the crock pot.
I couldn’t agree more. My kitchen is a reminder of my childhood as well, though updated with new Asian style cabinetry, the layout is similar to the one in the video, very efficient and makes use of every available inch.
The star attractions though, are a double bowl white porcelain farmer’s sink, a 1950 Kenmore gas range in white with turquoise detailing, double broiler and griddle with those porcelain covers that pull up and cover the burners, but retract into the body of the stove.
Also have a turquoise/pink 1955 GE wall mounted refrigerator and matching wall oven.
The video kitchen is remarkable in both how organized and efficient it is, but primitive in so many ways as well. I took both feelings away from it, though see the future in it’s many space saving applications.
I am ga-ga over this kitchen. As a home-econ major my pet peeve is the lack of functionality in our homes today. There is a pdf from USDA for this kitchen on the U of Michigan’s extension site. http://agnic.msu.edu/hgpubs/modus/00000014.htm
Thank you for such a lovely and informative website.
Thanks for the link to the kitchen plans. I love floor plans. I don’t love the asbestos lining used around the stove!
Thank you so much for the plans!
My DH told me to tell him what I wanted and he’d build it. His ego was hurting because a guy we know finished an awesome kitchen for his wife by himself. He’s a firefighter by trade. My hubby is a carpenter so he figures he should be able to do something awesome too…. we’ll see!
I think it’s funny now that houses now have to have those BIG gourmet kitchens – what a lot of wasted space & effort. I loved this video. My grandmother had huge flour & potato bins under the counter. I wish I could’ve asked her about the flour moths…hmm, maybe I’ll ask my Mom. Thanks for sharing this video -
I love it! This may not go strictly in this area, but it is related & I just had to chime in. I still have my mom’s 1947 high school economics class cookbook somewhere (sans the cover over my many, many moves sadly). It’s called the Woman’s Home Companion Cookbook. My OH has apparently moved it out of the kitchen again (so he could have the drawer for his junk) & I have no clue where he put it, so I can’t check right now how extensive it is, but there are sections in there about how to arrange your kitchen and all of the “up to date” info on running your home in the post war era. I remember that as late as 1971 they were still offering Home Ec classes where I went to school, and one of the major requirements making an apron.
What a wonderful video. I wish it was possible to find craftsman who could recreate such kitchens for those who would love to return the kitchens to their former glory!
I made a blog post in January of 2008 regarding this very same kitchen that I was fascinated with. I guess it wasn’t meant to be mine, and has since been remodeled and demolished.
If you would like to see pictures of the real thing, in what was a very modern house for its day in the late 1940′s, you can visit my blog post.
http://farmstyle.blogspot.com/2008/01/vintage-kitchen-laundrysewing-and.html
For the most part it was exact. There were some bins missing, and the garbage shoot hole was covered and a dishwasher inserted underneath, but there is no mistaking that someone did actually live with this kitchen.
I’m sure it was highly functional.
I love the pictures! It brings it to life. I also love the laundry room…. Hmmm. Too bad you couldn’t save it.
How were those pull-out boards constructed so they would not zip all the way out? I’d like to see a cutaway drawing. That mid-level board is a great idea.
Oh my gosh! I’ve died and gone to HEAVEN! That kitchen is TO DIE FOR! I’d lose the seat-height pull-out sewing table though
The odd thing is, apparently very efficient bin cabinets were common, even in the 1920′s. The book “Craftsman Kitchens” is awesome – there are lots of larger undercounter base bins that roll out like the smaller ones in this video. I tried for a few years to find them anywhere, all to no avail
The closest I could find was tilt-out hampers / trash bins. The funny thing is, reading that book was like reading the diary of my house – even my original cabinets are all the same – upon further examination I actually found that there was originally a pull-out cutting board that someone filled in with a piece of wood in the face-frame.
Honestly, while the bins are awesome and seem to be a great space-saver, I think they would be a cleaning nightmare. Also, while it appears that lots of potatoes fit in those small bins, I don’t think it’s possible that a whole 20 pound bag would fit, which means you’d still need a separate pantry to store the rest. The film does mention a separate “storage room.” Most modern houses don’t have an extra food “storage room”, so a big pantry is probably a better (and cleaner) use of space. We keep all our flours / sugars in large old glass wire bail jars, and while they currently do waste countertop space, the film mentions that the bins are meant to replace said jars / canisters to keep the counters clear, but, if you notice, the counter / sink area in that kitchen is actually 30-36″ off the wall to accomodate those bins, similar to a modern “back channel”, so you actually lose floor space. You can accomplish the same thing today with glass jars (no moths – NEVER use plastic!) by either building out an extra 6-9″ or just adding wall shelves to get the jars off the counter. The only downside to the jars is that you have to pull them out and then stick your hand in to reach the scoop. For a modern look you could replace the jars with stainless roasting pans with lids and a rubber gasket, I guess
The countertop compost drop – I actually am planning on doing that in my kitchen, into a pan in a drawer. I had actually thought about putting a door to the outside, but I think that is asking for trouble, no matter how well insulated and well sealed. Old houses used to have two-way cabinets for wood next to fireplaces; I don’t think anyone actually uses those anymore (too many bugs). As for the smell, it does have to be emptied often, but it can’t be any worse than the one that sits on my counter now – that’s just taking up space. Add baking soda!
oh! i don’t know how i missed this the first time around, but i want that kitchen! it is just *perfect*. oh, how i love utilitarian things – i think that is why the 40s speaks to me so.
oh, such inspiration! i shall have to determine what ideas i can reasonably incorporate into our kitchen, seeing as it is already built.
thanks to ChristineEliane for the plans, as well.
The reason I LOVE this video is because it coordinates exactly the “new” thought processes at my full time job: 5S housekeeping (organizaion) and Ergonomics. Wow. I took a 5 day class to learn this “new” thought process and LOOK! It’s been here since 1949!!!
Reader Question: All the layouts of the kitchens I’ve seen thus far on this website are very square in design – just like the video. We have an accepted offer on a 1951 Frank Lloyd Write “inspired” home that has a “honeycomb kitchen” design. The kitchen is ORIGINAL with avacado green fridge and wall-mounted stove (gorgeous, but in desperate need of love). The kitchen is 12 x 12 but multi-sided (like I said, honeycombed). Does anyone have any experience in this type of layout?!
Love the “hidden” area to hang wet towels -when I look at this kitchen – and all the great ideas, I think we went “backwards” in design instead of forward. The hole in the counter for collecting garbage is fabulous – however, I think I would have added a sliding cover to close it up (smells)…but, people probably took out their garbage daily (bins were not as large) back then. Facinating!
Considering the movie states that the kitchen was designed for farmhouses, I’d assume the scraps went to the chickens or the hogs twice a day at feeding time. Especially in that era, good scraps would not be wasted. Now we tend to waste a lot of food to the garbage. We use our own scraps to feed our poultry and the feeder insects for our pet lizard. What few items they don’t eat (or shouldn’t eat) we compost.