IN 1949, home interiors generally seemed to have a traditional look, and featured a soft and pretty palette, some jewel tones carried over from glamorous Hollywood, and of course, red-white-and-blue in the kitchens. Several of these images also suggest farmhouses and updating of older homes was a marketing focus — the Armstrong “Monowalls,” for example, are meant to cover failing plaster walls, I believe. Also, you don’t see much emphasis on technology — there a very few gizmos in the kitchen. In the bathroom — well, I think that many families were still getting their first bathroom. And in the image above, the happy couple are multitasking that Simmons hide-a-bed, suggesting that this is a one-room apartment — something I think was pretty common due to a severe post-war housing shortage. In 1949 it didn’t take much to make us happy. We were still ramping up to our 1950s frenzy and the true launch of Consumer America. Click through for a slide show of kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and more – 18 images in all.
Continuing our mini-series on vintage stoves, ranges and ovens, here’s a 1946 Monarch-Paramount Roaster Range from the Malleable Iron Range Company, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The first post-war year….you can see the simple, deco lines still in this stove. Love that roaster. You see the same style of feature – a recessed cooking well – but for soups and casseroele rather than roasts in many other stoves through at least the early ’50s. Vintage Chambers stoves are famous for them, but I’ve seen them on other models as well.
Quickly after World War II ended, Americans plowed right into making a wonderful new life for themselves – starting with building their dream kitchens, dream bathrooms – dream houses. Looking at periodicals from 1946, I can see a few distinct trends – this was a transitional period…you still see many Deco influences…you see a lot of primary colors…and definitely, interiors were “sweet”, although in ‘46 homeowners certainly would have declared them “modern.” Read on for ideas from each of six great interiors, including a bathroom, two living rooms and a bedroom. 1946 was a very good year! Heck yeah there is more…
No question, it’s a little unsettling to read this ad from 1947-48, which underscores today’s perception that the 40s and 50s exerted too much pressure to conform to society norms — in this case, around personal hygiene. In reading about the period, the issue of ‘cleanliness’ seems to go a bit deeper than mere righteousness or intolerance.
Dishmaster kitchen faucets are not only stylish — they are functional, too. In the postwar era, there was a Gadget Revolution, with an explosion of labor saving devicies for the kitchen, in particular. The Dishmaster fit right into that mold, promising to make a tedious task easier on your hands and enjoyable, even.
Ronda handles customer service at Silver Stream, which manufactures the Dishmaster today. And she underscores, that when the girls clean up at her house after Thanksgiving — everyone fights over who gets to use the Dishmaster. Now, doesn’t that sound fun?
With Christmas around the corner – consider Dishmasters for gifts for friends, family, “the house” — anyone moving into a new/old house or with a retro renovation kitchen project under way.
Back in the day before the Surgeon General, technology still held the key to solving for cigarette dangers… Drowsy smokers? We’ve got you covered. This ad was a tiny PR placement in the 1947-48 winter/spring edition of Small Home Guide…turned up as I researched 1948 to mark launch of The Dishmaster.
This week I will be spotlighting 1948 — the year that the world gave us The Dishmaster. What a great time this was for America. The war had ended…with peace and prosperity setting in for the first time in decades. It was also a time characterized by great faith in technology and invention. Heck yeah there is more…
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