Retro in the kitchen: back to the future

There’s a renewed interest in the 50s and 60s, why retro is “on a roll” again? Nowadays, everybody is keen on design, observing new trends with curiosity and gladly applying them in their lives. But where did the wave of a new fondness for something so old, yet not quite forgotten, come from?? They say there’s no such thing as taste or color, but all times give us patterns of mass interest in a certain style, color and shape.

Minimalism and high-tech – have become boring, with their strict monotony and straightforwardness. In this formal environment, I wanted to bring something fresh, bright, not trivial. That’s when our life again found a place for retro with its fantasy, the special love of plastic, ergonomic forms, cheerful decor, rich colors.

Unforgotten old

Each time bears the imprint of events, people, discoveries and attitudes. The sixties are far behind us. But it’s nice to dive back into the excitement…

Already far behind the terrible war, the new life is becoming more comfortable and beautiful, changing man himself and his relationship to himself. There are more and more students in the world, and it is no coincidence that the ’60s saw a boom in education due to a recent boom in technological progress. We need new highly educated specialists in different fields. In their environment matures a now customary phenomenon – the youth subculture, the embodiment of which becomes the English model Twiggy – an unsightly skinny girl with big eyes.

There have been many changes in the industry too. For the first time a mass-produced product should combine attractiveness with an affordable price and the ease of ramping up the output. And the polymers that came along with them are a great help here: these new synthetic materials are incredibly pliable and malleable, so you can make anything you want out of them! Synthetics becomes fashionable, they even make clothes from it, it is unusual, but very practical, it is easy to take care of, and – oh my goodness – it is not crumple!

The most important sign of the times is that cars are now an inseparable part of life for most ordinary people. They cease to be a luxury. Because of technical innovations, cars become more comfortable, safer, lighter, … longer and lower. Though the idea of a mini-car for one or two passengers is not alien to the manufacturer. For example, the smallest car in the world, the Peel 50, can hold only one person and their luggage.

A new look at antiquity

The major design changes of the ’50s and ’60s were related to a change in mindset. The youth subculture has generated a protest mood, a person began to wait for a new look at the usual things, the design is tired of tradition, it becomes more courageous and actively refuses from stereotypes.

The new generation of designers have managed to find their own pictorial, very extravagant language. The inhabitants of Northern Europe and the Italians are particularly vivid. The samples of creativity of these innovators still look so spectacular that they are still in production many years later. For example, Sacco chair in the form of a bag filled with foam balls, seen for the first time, even now strikes the imagination.

Designers look for new forms and pay attention to the plastic properties of materials, it becomes interesting to seek and find more free lines, which beyond recognition transform usual things. They lose their angularity, their planes become volumetric, complex, flowing, smooth, intricately shaped. The most grateful material for the realization of these ideas is plastic. Italian designer Werner Panton created an armchair that consisted of one unique but very effective element! No pillows, legs or armrests, just a streamlined, curved line running from the back through the seat to a wide, stable footing. This armchair is still in production today.

Some designers did not hide their attitude toward their own creations and admitted that they regarded them as toys. It is not surprising that in the 60’s so much inflatable furniture is produced, which reminds of children’s fun on the water. An armchair or bed that, when not assembled, takes up less space than a small suitcase becomes the most commonplace.

Just color and pattern

The fancifulness of the new design gave things an integrity, so that there was no need for special embellishment. Only color and pattern.

Simple and open colors are in fashion at this time. But very unusual combinations were used that were not acceptable just recently, such as blue, brown and yellow, or pink and orange.

Naive patterns, such as floral, but geometric shapes, such as circles, stripes, and triangles, were the most important.

Aerostyle

The main event of the time takes place in the USSR – Yuri Gagarin makes his flight beyond the Earth. Ever since, mankind has been sick with the dream of space exploration, discoveries, interplanetary travel, new extraterrestrial civilizations. There is an unprecedented interest in everything related to aviation and space, ideas derived from aircraft are actively used in the design. Let’s recollect at least the Soviet vacuum cleaners “Rocket” in the form of a cigar or round like a ball “Saturn”. It was the time when design becomes ironic, he was not afraid to use the techniques developed for one group of goods – in another. So, car “things” get accustomed to furniture and appliances.

The dynamism of the elements associatively evokes a certain theme, for example, the shape of an armchair may remind a racing car racing down the track…

The real jewels of the products are now the shiny chrome parts, elements painted in silver. It’s clear that stainless steel, aluminum and glass can also be beautiful.

Vintage addicts: naughtiness and glamour

Retro is an amazingly beautiful and colorful style. And now, when everything in design seems to have been found, discovered, invented, this style is becoming a new source of inspiration for creative professionals of companies around the world. Naughtiness and chic, unusual treatment of forms, specific colors – this is a tidbit in the hands of any good designer. But if the products born in the heads of geniuses did not find their followers among customers, there would be no point in making them.

But consumers of all kinds of goods are especially addicted to antiques, not so distant, understandable, and in many ways native. That’s why the style of 50-60’s is so popular with the public. Someone reminiscent of his happy childhood, someone – the youth of his parents, someone is nostalgic, along with his grandmothers. We see the features of famous and typical things of that time in the collections of furniture, clothes, and cars. Women’s hairstyles, makeup, jewelry – the most mobile part of fashion – are transforming along with them. And fashion is the point at which supply and demand converge, a wave of approval and acceptance is born.

And yet – why does it sell, why do people wear retro things, equip their homes with them? Nowadays there are fewer and fewer chances to truly express ourselves, retro allows you to emphasize the individuality of your person or your own home. It is reminiscent, as it is thought now, of such peaceful and beautiful times, when the air was cleaner, the women more beautiful, and the streets more deserted. Now that world in spite of its reality seems more stable and secure. It is not unimportant, and the fact that retro gives a surprisingly beautiful objects with its own charm and even romanticism.

Retromobile

The use of retromotives in creating furniture has become a fairly common phenomenon. This style “suits” the kitchen very well, although the fullness and effectiveness of sets in this style can be realized only in large spaces. This is due to the special decorative effect. Furniture is good only in a certain layout and placement, say, drawers with round sides just does not make sense to put it against the wall. Besides, this beautiful furniture is better contemplated from a distance.

But you can also add a touch of the sixties to your kitchen with the help of technology. It must be said that the appliances in retro style are the most spectacular and brightest among the whole family. Sometimes it takes just one or two things to change the mood of the whole interior. But manufacturers often offer entire collections consisting of several items in the same manner and color.

When Grandma was young

Many of us are the heirs, in the “bins” of which the abandoned things that were made in the distant 60s are gathering dust. They are not always needed in the household, but can be used just for decor. Real family rarities will bring a nostalgic touch to the interior, reminiscent of years of family tradition, will help young people remember more often that their grandmothers and mothers were also young.

In the 1950s, there were a lot of new things that were going on in the 1950s. For the first time the concept of ergonomics appears in design, before it was only an element of increasing labor efficiency in production. Now adapting the size and shape of products to the human body, the aim was to make the use of things the most convenient and pleasant.

The home appliances “under the retro” are distinguished by volumetric forms, presence of old-fashioned switches and timers, fancy elements. The main color is matte metallic, or glossy: red, yellow, pink, blue. Floral or geometric decorations are possible.