Snaps to Sarah for spotting this 1960s catalog of vacation houses promoting the use of Douglas Fir Plywood. It includes some pretty snappy — and in their way, hilarious — designs. “Novelty” vacation home ideas — my favorite is the Japanese tea house… but the Homarina, set right over the water… Home + Marina, get it?… is pretty great, too. Did anyone really build these, I wonder?
Here’s another vacation home for boaters — designed for the Johnson Motors Family Boating Bureau.” It has only 275 s.f. of livable space. This makes me remember growing up in Southern California in the 1960s. My dad loved to fish, and took us fishing up at Big Bear Lake quite often. Our pickup truck had a camper shell. I think that was much more part of the lifestyle — cheap, cheerful, outdoor vacations were much more the norm. I haven’t been seriously camping in 20 years, alas. I really used to like it…
The two images above are both from the “tea house”. The interior is so modern, all George Nelson-like. Inside, almost all these designs have Malm style fireplaces.
The two photos above: The awesome “Ranch Rambler” — with its row of small sleeping nooks all in a row, separated from the main living area by a deck. What a great concept — when you are on vacation at the lake, you don’t need big bedrooms… yet, it’s nice for everyone to have their own space. Alas, where is the kitchen?
Notice the inside/outside fireplace. These cowboy/cowgirl images seem kind of silly… archaic today… But I guess back in the day, out west was still, well, *Western.*
Simple yet stylish.
You get your A-Frame cottages, of course. Did anyone ever have one of these? They seem pretty practical to me.
This A-frame cabin is pretty snappy, too.
And this is terrific — a design for a cabin that you can expand over time. It starts as a “luxury campsite” and as you can afford it, you can expand it to include livable indoor space that ultimately presents like this:
So clever, those designers in the 1950s and 1960s. There is so much media these days about stylish “modern” small houses — the designs have been here for us all along!
See all 18 designs in the 1960 brochure via the MBJ Collection in the Building Technology Heritage Library . Thanks, Sarah!
hannah says
This is FAB! You have no idea what chord this strikes with me on two levels.
1/ I love MCM and get all nostalgic when I see drawings such as these
2/ I play Sims2. MCM fans build homes like this for our games all the time!
Wonderful find! Thank you Pam!
Jane / MulchMaid says
I have quite a few similar brochures from my time as publications manager for Western Wood Products Association. These 50s and 60s brochures promoted wood in all kinds of uses and are wonderful to look at now. When we were paring down the archives, I scarfed up all I could find! Maybe I should scan and send you some images, Pam.
pam kueber says
yeah baby!
Kersten says
Oh! These are fabulous! I want to make a mini version and turn it into a playhouse/storage shed in our backyard!
Olga Plant says
I want one!
Steven Hollifield says
Great Pam! Thanks again for more great things to look through.
Carole says
I love the tea house. The interior is so cool!
There are still places here in the west that are ‘western’, but yes, those pictures do seem dated. lol And A frames, you can still come across those now and again. There’s actually one not too far from where I live. We almost bought it a few years ago.
Strangely (or maybe not so strangely), as some people move away from McMansion style homes and the excess of modern living, these types of styles are making a comeback in some areas.
Matt says
how wonderful, I just love the art style of all those brocures from then. Wonder what construction cost would be in modern dollars. Too bad I can’t afford lake land
Brian GadgetSponge says
This is awesome. So glad you posted this. What great architecture. I can’t decide which one is my favorite.
Megan says
Love this brochure! I have seen a very home very similar to the A-frames pictured here off to the east of I-29, in the hills in Iowa. I lived in KC and traveled back and forth to Homaha quite a bit and I always looked for that funky little A frame with the multi-colorerd panels in the front as a sort of mile marker. Wish I had a pic to share because these pictures really remind me of it.
Lisa says
“Alas, where is the kitchen?” — it is your vacation and you are supposed to barbecue over the outdoor firepit. Of course! Actually this could work, though rainy days might not be so fun. I think the idea is that it never rains — indeed, life is never unpleasant in any way — in the lands covered by Sunset magazine.
I’ve done yurt “camping” and the setup is similar. For anyone who tries this, let me just say an electric teakettle makes life much, much easier. Starting a fire to cook breakfast is more fun if you can have your coffee first.
pam kueber says
But… there’s a bathroom….?
Ann-Marie Meyers says
Oh…yeah….rain. Did these folks know how plywood smells in the rain? I bet not many of these cute little cottages survived very long, either. Plywood warps, too.
They sure are cute, though. I would love to have one built out of better materials, and maybe insulated or something to be warm in cool weather.
What a fun vacation cottage.