WHAT THE 1950S ‘KITCHEN OF THE FUTURE’ GOT RIGHT(AND WHAT WAS JUST PLAIN CRAZY)By Jenny McGrath — March 29, 2015

Alice Doner was tall, prone to accidents, and “all thumbs in the kitchen.” So when her

husband, industrial designer H. Creston Doner had a chance to build the “Kitchen of

Tomorrow” for the Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company, he did so with her in mind. The

resultant kitchen was profiled in a 1943 issue of Life magazine. With sliding cabinet

doors, plentiful glass and working-height counters, it suggested relative tame, attainable

improvements, but the same can’t be said for the speculation that would follow in a

decade.

Take RCA and Whirlpool’s “Miracle Kitchen,” which started traveling around the world in

1956 and made an appearance at the American National Exhibition in Moscow in 1959. It

was meant to showcase a future where everything was controlled with the push of a

button, so “the things women don’t like to do are done automatically,” according to a

promotional video for the concept kitchen.

In a singing, dancing General Motors film Design for Dreaming, a woman is swept away

by a Phantom of the Opera-like figure to Frigidaire’s “Kitchen of the Future,” which also

promises to free up time, so ladies can play tennis and go sunbathing. Impressive as

these demonstrations looked, it was all smoke and two-way mirrors.

“They had a two-way mirror with a person sitting behind it that could see the room,” Joe

Maxwell, who worked on the Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen, told Paleofuture. “And they

radio-controlled the vacuum cleaner and the dishwasher.” Today, we’re much closer to

this imagined future.

Some of the appliances that may have seemed hopelessly futuristic at the time had

glimmers of the gadgets they’d become. Other visions of tomorrow have yet to be

realized. The smart home may seem like a distinctly 21st century idea, but its roots clear

stretch back to our grandparents’ day.

Food that’s ready in a flashFood that’s ready in a flash

Then: Then: Bake a cake in three minutes, take two minutes to grill a steak, or drop an entire

meal from the fridge into a “magic meal maker” and have dinner ready in seconds. No

matter what device you used, cooking, timing, and temperature would be auto-

controlled. “Whether you bake or broil or stew,” sings the woman in the GM video,

“Frigidaire kitchen does it all for you.” Not only does her glass-domed oven bake the

cake, it frosts it and tops it with candles.

Now: Now: There are no auto-frosters — and we’d question any recipe that promises a

succulent leg of lamb in seven minutes — but Whirlpool’s kitchen was pretty spot-on with

its “electronic oven.” Though ubiquitous in modern kitchens, the first consumer

microwave debuted in 1955 and cost $1,300, around $11,400 today based on inflation.

And we’re getting closer to even more automated cooking. This indoor grill, debuting

later this year, lets you select how “done” you want your steak, then it determines the

time and temp to get your food perfectly cooked.

A kitchen with a brainA kitchen with a brain

Then: Then: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, at the push of a button, you could call up a recipe and

just the right appliance would magically appear on your countertop? The “Miracle

Kitchen” had a Control Panel that served as the “heart and brain” of the room; every task

had a prescribed button, and a built-in TV screen, telephone, and transmitter kept the

homemaker connected to the rest of the house and the outside world. Meanwhile,

Frigidaire’s protagonist was getting phone calls when her cake was done (and she could

return the favor and call home to start up the oven), and both ladies were calling up

recipes (mostly for cake) that would appear on screen.

Now: Now: Lots of smart homes have hubs, which help connected thermostats, locks, and

lights talk to each other. But mostly everything automated in our homes still goes

through our smartphones and tablets, which are much more portable than the Control

Panel.

Eyes everywhereEyes everywhere

Then: Then: That TV in the Control Panel did a lot more than just pick up broadcast channels

and display recipes. Mothers could also check on the kids and see who was at the front

door. In Monsanto’s 1957 “House of the Future” at Disneyland, a man shaving in his

bathroom can even use an intercom-like device with a TV screen to communicate with

the stranger on the doorstep. “You see him, but he doesn’t see you,” the voice-over

assures viewers in a promotional video.

Now:Now: There are dozens of Internet-connected home-security cameras on the market

today that you double as baby monitors, light bulbs, and pet toys. But Monsanto was

pretty much on the nose when it came to that intercom; those have been around for

years, but companies such as SkyBell are making smart, video-connected doorbells that

you see who’s ringing your bell, even if you’re not home.

What a nice gestureWhat a nice gesture

Then:Then: With a wave of a hand, one day we’ll all be able to command beverages that

lower from in-cabinet refrigerators or conjure up small appliances from the recesses of a

cupboard.

Now: Now: It’s definitely coming, and for things other than video games such as Kinect.

Myo is an armband that you’ll soon be able to wear that will let you interact via gesture-

control with computers for everything from video games to PowerPoint presentations.

Goodbye, mouse! And at home, singlecue wants to let your hand motions lower the

volume on your TV, dim your lights, and turn down the thermostat. The Ring is a similar

idea, though it requires a clunky piece of jewelry to do so.

One-size doesn’t fit allOne-size doesn’t fit all

Then: Then: Both the Monsanto and the Whirlpool houses were filled with height-adjustable

furniture, from drawers that raised up so you don’t have to bend over to sinks that sunk

down to child-level. Everything was adjustable, whether you’re “tiny, typical, or tall.”

Now: Now: Yeah, we’re still basically using step stools and stooping. Pretty much the furthest

we’ve come on this front are height-adjustable desks that let users sit or stand.

Bottomless coffeeBottomless coffee

Then: Then: The woman in the Whirlpool video seems fairly enthusiastic about the prospect of

having access to unlimited coffee. Of course there were percolators in the ‘50s, but the

automatic drip machine wouldn’t catch on until the 1970s in the U.S.

Now: Now: While there isn’t a magical fountain of coffee in every cupboard, coffee makers

have become fairly inexpensive, and you can even buy espresso machines for home

use. Probably the closest thing to Whirlpool’s miracle is the soon-to-be-released GE Café

fridge, which has a built-in Keurig coffee maker. Of course, you still have to put the K-

Cup in there. It can’t do everything for you.

Hide and seekHide and seek

Then: Then: It seems the minimalist look was in: Hidden sinks, fridges concealed as cabinets,

appliances that stayed tucked away until they were needed. Even the Libbey-Owens-

Ford home had a top that covered everything up, so the surface could be used as “a

study bench for the children or a bar for dad.”

Now: Now: The idea of hideaway appliances is still around, but it’s a balancing act of space

and convenience. For those so inclined, you can buy kitchen mixer lifts, for example, but

it’s unlikely you’ll often see mechanically moving shelves built into a kitchen. There are

so many moving parts, something would be bound to go wrong — like if your coffee

maker refused to rise out of the cabinet at 6:30 a.m. on Monday.

It slices, it dices, etc.It slices, it dices, etc.

Then: Then: There’s one machine to rule them all in the Whirlpool kitchen: “a unit to help in

the preparation of meats, fruits, and vegetables.” It peels, slices, dices, cores, and more.

To whip, blend, and churn, you just need to make a few minor adjustments to a single

gadget. Instead of a separate washer and dryer, both operations happen in a single unit.

Now: Now: For many Europeans and Australians, the dream of ‘50s was realized in the

Thermomix, a machine that’s a scale, blender, steamer, stirrer, chopper — it does 12

functions in all. The $1,600 machine never caught on in the U.S., where we still use one-

trick ponies such as waffle irons and toasters. As for laundry, combination washer-dryers

were based on already available technology; today they’re more common in Europe

than the U.S.

Look Ma, no dirty handsLook Ma, no dirty hands

Then: Then: Out-of-sight meant not only out-of-mind but also auto-clean. Waste generated by

the all-in-one appliances disposed of itself. The plate storage cabinet was both a

dishwasher and mobile cart that would bring out clean dishes then wait patiently as it

was loaded with dirty ones. Floors stay clean with a self-propelled, self-charging;

vacuum that of course empties its own dust bin.

Now: Now: While 93 percent of houses built in the 2000s have dishwashers, there are still

lots of homes and apartments that don’t even have a dishwasher, let alone one tucked

behind every cupboard door. Garbage disposals are common enough in the U.S., but

they’re tied to sinks instead of being incorporated within large appliances. The closest

thing we have to this vision is the robot vacuum, which can clean on a schedule and

return home to its charging station. Human overseers still have to clean the waste bins

(and put their cats on top of them).

Off the back burnerOff the back burner

Then: Then: Instead of a dedicated cooktop, the kitchen of the future would take advantage

of a special material that would heat only the cooking utensil and keep the rest cool. The

unused part of the surface could double as a table, so you could see your food cooking

in front of you, Benihana-style.

Now:Now: Yet another kitchen feature that the mid-century dreamers took from nascent

technology, induction cooktops leave the cooking surface cooler, because its

electromagnetic currents actually heats the metal pot instead. Gaggenau makes a full-

surface cooktop that lets you cook anywhere on it, instead of being limited by burners.

Beyond Christmas lightsBeyond Christmas lights

Then: Then: Not quite mood lighting, the vision here was to change the tint of the bulbs with

the temperature, a soft blue when it was warm and a comforting yellow when it turned

cool.

Now: Now: The Whirlpool video still has to walk over to the Control Panel and turn on the

light. With the advent of the smart light bulb, you can turn the lamp on or off from your

phone, and products like the Philips Hue let you access a rainbow of colors for them. If

you still like the idea of transitioning the shades based on the weather, you can set up

an If This Then That recipe.

Put your foot downPut your foot down

Then: Then: Worried for his clumsy wife, Creston Doner decided to eliminate sink handles so

his wife wouldn’t bash china cups into them. Instead, she could use foot pedals to pump

out water.

NowNow: Much like the foot-activated liftgate on the Ford Escape, Dornbracht has an ultra-

fancy sink that turns on via a foot sensor. Just hope that Mr. Whiskers doesn’t turn it into

a paw sensor.

Update 3/30/2016: This post was updated to reflect OneCue is now called singlecue.

Life

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THESE HOMES ARE LUXE, $75,000, AND TINYBy Jenny McGrath — March 28, 2015

Your home my be the size of a dorm room, but that doesn’t mean it has to feel as dreary

and impersonal as one. That’s the idea behind Tiny Heirloom, a Portland, Oregon-based

company that makes luxury tiny homes you can transport on wheels. Starting at

$75,000, the structure comes with granite countertops, an option for bamboo flooring,

in-house speakers, LED lighting, stainless steel appliances, a combo washer and dryer, a

basic wind or solar package, and shipping. From there, you can upgrade to a bigger

bathroom or more spacious kitchen.

If you don’t live in Oregon, airfare from anywhere in the continental U.S. is included in

the price. That way, you get to see your new home as it’s being built.

Related: Related: A fold-away kitty litter box: Portlandia examines tiny house living

To make life as easy as possible once you’ve moved in, you don’t need to be hooked up

to a sewer system. Instead, you can use a compostable toilet or a black water tank.

Empty the tank once every two months or the compostable toilet every three months. To

go further off the grid, you can get your electricity from a battery, wind, or solar power.

There’s also an option if you want to mooch off your friends’ electricity. It’s technically a

travel trailer, so you can haul it from place to place if your friends decide they need their

driveway back.

Right now, you can park your tiny home on your property or even an RV park. In the

future, Tiny Heirloom hopes to build whole communities of their homes. They also plan

to make the home smart, with automated locks and lights that run off your smartphone.

That’s good, because even the space a router takes up is valuable real estate in a tiny

home.

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