What we acknowledge right now as Sputnik-style lighting are most likely the best-known instance of atomic-age design. Whereas the fashionable chandeliers have been round since no less than 1939, their resemblance to the Soviet satellite tv for pc launched in 1957 resulted of their enduring nickname. Different examples of iconic atomic decor embrace George Nelson’s Ball Wall Clock, launched in 1949, and the Eames Dangle-It-All, launched in 1953.
Steadily starburst shapes joined the interpretations of a mannequin of an atom – presumably as a illustration of an atomic response. It popped up in all places from wallpaper and textiles to different residence furnishings, however most notably within the Franciscan Ceramics Starburst sample, which was launched in 1954 and adorns dinnerware and ornamental tiles.
Along with the starburst and the depiction of the atom, the boomerang form was additionally an atomic-age favourite, displaying up in furnishings and decor, in addition to patterns and prints. “It was thought of futuristic on the time and was integrated into high-tech items like fridges and automobiles,” Alessandra provides. In accordance with Howard, the motif additionally discovered its manner out within the type of boomerang-shaped swimming pools.
Whereas it may be learn because the define of Saturn, halos encircling different figures — meant to indicate electrons orbiting an atom — are one other hallmark of Atomic Age design. Apparently sufficient, so had been shapes like diamonds and amoebas, which Howard mentioned had been “linked to a extra natural sphere,” embracing a special department of science. These atomic-age figures had been integrated all through the house, together with on kitchen and toilet {hardware}, doorbell covers, and in repeating patterns that embellished flooring, upholstery, and wall coverings.
Generally, the colour palette of the atomic age “leaned towards major colours, with shades of blue or teal, orange, pink, and yellow,” Alessandra explains. One notable exception was the mix of pink with totally different greens starting from mint to forest, which Howard mentioned was a very well-liked alternative for bogs. Together with these vibrant hues, white was typically integrated into interiors, representing “the concept of a clear, vivid future,” which individuals hoped lay forward, notes Alessandra.
From lighting fixtures and doorknobs to ornamental trim alongside the sting of a desk or counter prime, metallic finishes, particularly chrome and powder-coated metal, function prominently in atomic-age design. There was additionally a development in residence furnishings that Alessandra describes as “belongings you would not anticipate to be made from metallic,” together with, for instance, a chair with a powder-coated metal end the place you’ll usually discover upholstery.
Whereas pastel inexperienced and pink bogs had been all the fashion within the Fifties, the designers opted to pair a darker inexperienced with white for a extra contemporary look. The chrome trim on the Formica counter tops and geometric {hardware} reintroduce a shiny but refined Atomic Age aspect.Photograph: Ketchum Images
From the atomic age to the house age
Like the style of the time, facets of atomic-age residence design advanced between the top of World Warfare II and the early Sixties. “Early Fifties properties had clear strains and a pure aesthetic: wooden paneling, slats, cupboards the place you’d see the grain and knots within the wooden—it regarded a bit extra primitive,” says Howard. “By the early Sixties, there was a transition to extra manufactured supplies, bringing nearer space-age design.”
