How to house hunt vintage style
Jul 8, 2015 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
Image credit: Niknakc
Our family is about to embark on a new adventure: home ownership. While we’re very excited, we feel a little overwhelmed at the moment with neighborhood assessments, House Hunters episodes (naturally), and inspirational Pinterest boards. As I scan Trulia and Zillow I keep thinking, how was this done before the Google, during the hey day of home ownership, when our GI’s came home after WWII? Let’s turn back the clock, dive in, and discover how to house hunt vintage style.
What was on the wish list of the average family, excited for the fresh start victory provided? We can start with the tried and true: location, location, location. During this time it was all about escape and security. The suburban lifestyle was extremely appealing for our mid-century counterparts – for many of the same reasons we cite today. As one advertisement sums up: “every modern city convenience plus country comfort.” Escaping the dusty city routine to the promise of a beautiful, serene sanctuary was pretty appealing. After all, who wouldn’t want the best of both worlds? The success of developments like Levittown, NY proved this very point. Fun fact: 1950s country comfort was available for the low, low price of $8,490.
1950s kitchen, belonging to the Sandburg family
We know that the stereotypical 1950s family was looking for a nice yard, a garage for their shiny new automobile, and safe neighborhoods for their kids to roam around in. But beyond neighborhood environment, what else was top of the list? Keep in mind these are the days of lucrative marketing schemes targeting the suburban housewife, so consumerism was king. For homes, that often translated to the addition of big appliances like refrigerators (with ice makers, thank you very much) and if you were lucky – a dishwasher. So let’s begin with the kitchen.
The lady of the house wanted this room to comfortably store/display all the popular large appliances, as well as have ample counter space for the newfangled electronic accessories. Storage needs are nothing new, but tastes have definitely changed. You can throw our modern lust for granite out the door – Formica and stainless counters were all the rage. Also, around this time, workflow design became more and more important. After all, the lady of the house was now a gal on the go. Her time was precious and kitchen designers responded with efficient floor plans and multi-purpose zones. To top it off this mid-century family didn’t only dine in the formal dining room – an eat-in space, island, or bar top was a useful feature for these movers and shakers. Take a tour of some examples here.
Florence Austral showing us how it’s done in 1953
Moving beyond the kitchen, what else was important to vintage house hunters? Thanks to the pioneering efforts of the Case Study Homes, open floor plans took hold. An overabundance of corridors and doors were not high on the list for this crew. Especially coupled with the fact that at-home entertaining was not only trendy, but having the best cocktail parties on the block felt like a status symbol in most neighborhoods. Open floor plans encouraged this exact kind of social environment and let’s be honest, open floor plans have stuck around ever since.
When you think about it, our taste in homes hasn’t changed too dramatically in the last 50 or 60 years. Reflecting upon my recent House Hunters binge, the top asks are usually: great neighborhoods with a sense of peace and quiet, open floor plans, and user-friendly kitchens. I think that’s kind of extraordinary that even with all our modern gadgets and lifestyles, a home pretty much feels the same. Now the former architect in me has to ask the question: does that mean that they magically got it right in the 50s or does society need to evolve our dwellings to match pace with other technological advancements? What do you think? And do you agree that if House Hunters was airing during WWII, it’d pretty much look like it does today (price tag difference aside)?