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1950s KITSCH

Decorating Whimsically

Most American furniture in the 1950s was lean and spare, with virtually no curlicues or ornamentation of any kind. Indeed, American modern furniture designers prided themselves on simple, almost stark designs. How did interior designers and consumers spell relief in the 1950s? It was spelled "kitsch"—a German colloquialism for trash or rubbish. Kitsch has been called—only partly tongue-in-cheek—the only art form developed by the middle class.

1950s Pop

The zany, playful, extreme accessories and decorations of the 1950s are called kitsch or "1950s pop." To call them whimsical is an understatement. The 1950s accessories were simply marvelous to the extreme.

Wild Lamps

There are some first-class examples of 1950s kitsch in lamps of the decade. There were lamps whose bases were ladies' legs; "bubble" lamps that hung in clusters; a weird chandelier called "Sputnik" after the Soviet satellite; and lamps patterned after Gumby, a popular 1950s doll; lamps whose bases were ceramic hula dancers, ballerinas, Spanish dancers, or African princesses.

Ball Clock

Clocks from the 1950s are easily recognizable, from their pastel plastic cases to their odd shapes—often boomerangs, balls, or molecules. One of the most famous, and a big seller during the 1950s, was a Ball Clock designed in 1949 by George Nelson and Company of New York. Starkly simple in appearance, the clock featured twelve small balls stuck on the ends of twelve sticks, with each ball representing one of the hours. The clock's hands were fastened to another larger circle set in the middle of the twelve balls—all extremely 1950s.

"Golliwogs."

Odd planters called "golliwogs" were also the rage and can still be found today in shops that specialize in 1950s designs. The golliwogs were made of hand-painted aluminum set on a cast-iron base, and they had people's stylized faces and bodies. Some were almost life-size.

Odd Knickknacks

Candleholders were imaginative and strange, and ashtrays (pastel-colored, boomerang-shaped ones were popular, as were those that resembled amoebas) outdid themselves. Large, free-form ashtrays were a sort of sculpture for those who could not afford artwork. Wall masks—often painted wood and pseudo-African—also graced the walls of many 1950s tract houses and apartments.

Marshmallow Sofa

Sofas and chairs were also available in pop styles. One of the most famous was the "marshmallow" sofa, designed by George Nelson and Company. The couch consisted of eighteen round, soft pillows that looked like marshmallows, attached to the seat and the back of a curved iron frame.

Patterns and Wall Covers

Like accessories, playful fabrics and wall coverings were also used to soften the stark modern interior of the 1950s. The boomerang shape—everywhere in the 1950s—was on a Formica pattern for kitchen counters. Wallpaper patterns inspired by primitive art were also popular, as were labyrinthine designs. Wild geometric designs were considered highbrow. A few Avantgarde homes suspended neon shapes in boomerang motifs from the ceiling of rooms used for entertaining, but mostly this motif was used in kicky cafés.