My Obsession with Atomic '50s Housewares
My introduction to the 1950s started with an obsession – Lucite purses. From this jumping off point I explored fashion, style, and beauty. The thought of decorating my home in that manner seemed far-fetched and strange. But after each passing year, one item led to the next – from Hedi Schoop vases to Lucite napkin holders. Now I was on to something!
It’s difficult to trace the origins, but I do remember my first Atomic ‘50s pieces – two Federal Boomerang cocktail glasses, one Franciscan starburst saucer, and a Pyrex starburst casserole. These pieces were my treasures. I swore to my then boyfriend (now also ‘50s obsessed husband), Fernando, that in case of a fire these were the pieces to save! This, my dear friends, was only the beginning of the wormhole.
With the advent of the internet, I began to search for Atomic ‘50s pieces. To this day, some of the same images still pop up – fabrics, motifs, patterns, etc. Hmm, I thought to myself. Is this what I like? YES! Pink couches, starburst clocks, weird sci-fi lamps that looked more like cosmic mishaps. Who on earth thought of these magical pieces? My mission became to fill our home with the most wonderful Atomic Vintage designs. Little did I know that this mission would take us into strangers’ basements and attics across America. Often with a quizzical look; “you want that ugly thing?”
I love that after WWII, items were specifically designed things to make us happy, that all my kitchen accessories have faces, and bright colors where the only choice. This is why my husband and I have become time travelers; we come home, close the door, put on a record and make a cocktail, and then we are back in 1958. I think about all of the cutting–edge science of the era that influenced our starburst clocks, gravity defying lamps, and boomerang barkcloth curtains. The space race, the desire to move forward in our understanding of design, these are the elements that so clearly influenced my favorite items of the time.
CREDITS
Photographer, Fernando Rodriguez