Having just recently returned from a trip to New York (literally, just a few hours ago) I thought I would show off some photos from some great exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art. They just so happened to be showing an exhibit called “Counter Space; design + the modern kitchen”.

The kitchen exhibit was great as it showcased all types of household items from old solar cookers, tea kettles and Tupperware and plastics (which became popular in the the 50’s) to more modern items like a Dyson vacuum. What was most interesting to me was the kitchen layout design. In 1926, The Frankfurt Kitchen emerged as the first kitchen to be designed and built with efficiency, budget and a true understanding of the types of work done by housewives and labourers. Designed by an Austrian architect Margaret Schutte-Lihotzky, interviews were held and time-motion studies completed all in an effort to use less space, be more efficient and less expensive to build.

After WW II, Europe continued to build small, more efficient kitchens while North America started to expand and builder larger kitchens and with more interesting ‘time-saving’ tools. Marketers began selling the “Dream Kitchen” to save housewives time and work. Although a few of the old commercials are lengthy (9-12 minutes) they are worth viewing both for a laugh and to see how far we’ve come (or not come as it may be…I’m still waiting for my dream kitchen also).

Take a few minutes to look through the exhibit website, there are more great pictures of all types of household items, mobile kitchens, videos, commercials, posters and more.

Suzana Goncalves