Bedroom of the Future

This SketchUp model add a little furniture to the master bedroom of the future in the House of the Future. Much of the interior furnishing came from top designers of the era. George Nelson, Ray and Charles Eames, and Herman Miller contributed all but a few custom pieces. In the bedroom the bed and dresser were custom designed.

For this SketchUp model everything is sized based upon my estimates. Still I've managed to fit a queen sized bed into the room.

House of the Future Aerial

The best part about designing in SketchUp is the ability to view your models from any angle. It's great to be able to have a helicopter shot of the House of the Future. From this view you can see the rolling terrain that surrounds the house. The gardens were just as important to this home as the plastic house itself. A little known fact is that a carport was actually located under the children's wing (closest to the bottom of this view). That means that the driveway was just off from Matterhorn Road. Perhaps the house address was: 1 Matterhorn Road, Disneyland, CA

The path to the left led up to the front stairway and entrance to the house. Guests would exit from the back stairway into the back yard. A fence, not shown in this model, separated the two areas.

Comfort in the Home of the 21st Century

I was really worried that my furniture might not be as comfortable as it was stylish. Was I ever wrong. The furniture is not only comfortable—it is very comfortable. The chairs and daybed all make one sit up straight and still feel comfortable doing it. It’s hard to slouch on this furniture and that is so much better for ones back and posture.

The throw pillows on the sofa and the coconut chair are from Anna’s Linens. The cushion on the fiberglass armchair is from (gasp) Kmart! I couldn’t manage to find just what I wanted anywhere else. They came in blue and an orange red. I bought six of each so that I can mix and match them into the dining room too. The fiberglass chairs are comfortable, but a cushion provides a nice accent with just a bit more comfort.

Rounding out the comfort of the room is the art on the walls. All of the pictures are from my collection and all depict my favorite things from the mid-century. Many of them depict my favorite futuristic things from the mid-century.

Over the daybed is a signed limited edition print of the Disneyland monorails for the 1959 Tomorrowland expansion. In the dining room is a signed limited edition cel of "The Jetsons" representing the title sequence of the 1962 television series. Over the Nelson cigar lamp (from Modernica) is a photograph of Herman and Lily from "The Munsters." The shot was taken during their TV Guide photo shoot in 1964 but wasn't used. Over the fiberglass armchair are John and Maureen Robinson from "Lost in Space" in an enlargement of their TV Guide cover for 1965. And finally, over the swag leg desk is a cel (hand painted by a Hanna Barbera artist) of Samantha from "Bewitched" in the title sequence originally created in 1964.

The colors just naturally go with the rest of the room since it’s all from the same era. This is the promise that “The Jetsons” gave me when I was young: I would live into the 21^st century in the comfort of a futuristic home. What do you know? I made it.

P.S. I've got links to all of these retailers both here and at the bottom of the page. Start shopping and make your dreams come true.

More News From the 21st Century

Here is another view of my new Home of the 21^st Century. This view shows off the swag leg desk and the back of the coconut chair. These items came from France and Son in New York. They are considered to be reproductions since Herman Miller sells licensed versions. But furniture is a utilitarian item and as such does not generally qualify for patent or copyright protection. The best part for me was that the coconut chair came in orange wool. Herman Miller only offers black leather. While most of my furniture was made in the USA alas, these two pieces came from China.

The low credenza next to the desk is also from Modernica. It is almost a one-of-a-kind (a near match is in the dining area). Modernica had just started offering these Case Study Units with a spray booth painted finish. A different style was on display in the store window. I took it to a new level by adding the fiberglass sliding doors and then mixing and matching one ocean (blue) and one mustard (gold) door. Not only is the look very mid-century, but the colors just happen to be the colors from vintage Disneyland stationary.

Above the credenza is a metal wall sculpture. That is the only new wall art in the room. It came from Bed Bath and Beyond and it was on the discount rack. It seems that here in the 21^st Century boomerang metal sculptures aren’t so popular. All the better for me. Now mine has become more rare.

Oh, and yes, for those of you with a sharp eye, that is a Jim Beam Jeannie bottle on the desk. Just another little mid-century touch in the 21^st Century.

P.S. I've got links to all of these retailers both here and at the bottom of the page. Start shopping and make your dreams come true.

Home of the 21st Century

It’s not often that I get a chance to art direct for myself, but relocation back to the greater Los Angeles area made it happen. This is my new apartment filled with new furniture. I’d been living like a nomad for the past several years, staying in hotels mostly, so I’d rid myself of all of my old furnishing.

When it was time to start over my first thought was Danish modern. It is modern, but still somewhat traditional. I didn’t want to go too far out. Problem was I couldn’t find any entire suites of matching furniture. I’d find a sofa that was nice, but no coffee or side tables that matched.

Then I went back to the old Monsanto house of the future for inspiration. The 1957 interior furnishing were light and airy and still classically modern. A few pieces were easily identifiable such as the George Nelson coconut chair and swag leg desk as well as the Eames fiberglass chairs with the Eiffel tower base. But what to do about a sofa?

I really liked the look of the low custom designed sofa from the House of the Future, but I never expected to find such a thing. Then I came upon Modernica and found almost everything that I needed made in a Los Angeles factory. They had a daybed that closely resembled the House of the Future sofa, but it was more practical for my purposes because it could double as a bed for houseguests (no more heavy sofa beds for me). The best part was that they had a number of matching pieces for a lamp table and a coffee table. They even had a whole bedroom suite.

As if this weren’t enough, they also had the molded fiberglass chairs. It was a one-stop shop.

Well almost. I had to shop around for a few other pieces that they didn’t make. The dining room table in the picture came from Jules Seltzer and it’s called a Setu table made by Herman Miller.

The rugs come from At Home in the Valley and the style is called Hudson 2666f, not an easy one to find. The rugs are made in the USA and they are perfect for my Home of the 21^st Century.

P.S. I've got links to all of these retailers both here and at the bottom of the page. Start shopping and make your dreams come true.

More House of the Future

Here's an exterior view for the House of the Future. I posted a similar view before but this time I've added some topography. Planting comes next although I can't say when that might happen. Again, the model was created entirely in SketchUp. That's no easy task when rolling slopes are involved.

Monsanto House Interior

Some time ago I created a SketchUp model of the Monsanto House of the Future. Well now I've added some interior elements to the model home--including a model family. Oh, and Walt has dropped by to welcome the family to this fantastic home.

I still have much more work left to do to this model, but who doesn't like seeing a work in progress?

Kettle Bedroom

Modern innovations were everywhere in the Kettle home, from the Universal feature-film The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle.  Even the master bedroom had its share of improvements.  Most notable was the “Murphy bed.”  This type of bed folds up and away when not in use; but for the Kettles that happened at the flip of a switch, always with someone still in the bed.

Once the bed was folded away, sliding doors would automatically hide it, giving the room a clean, modern look.

Like the other Kettle, SketchUp, interiors, this one still needs a good number of props and furnishings to be complete.  I had originally drawn this home to get a 3-dimensional feel for the space, and I hadn’t intended to furnish it out.  There are still seven more furniture items left for this room.  Additionally, there are four pictures, a mirror, four lamps and a number of smaller table props.

If readers are interested in seeing the Kettle interiors finished out, please post a comment, or drop me a line.  After all, making dreams come true is what I do.

Kettle Kitchen

The Kettle kitchen, from the Universal feature-film The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle, had all of the most up-to-date appliances that any home of the future needed in 1948.  An island, in the kitchen, housed much of the modern equipment.  Dishwashers did not become standard appliances until the mid to late 60s; but the Kettles had one.  Unfortunately, lazy Pa Kettle (Percy Kilbride ) let all of the appliances fall into disrepair and Ma Kettle (Marjorie Main ) ended up using the dishwasher to wash clothes by hand on a washboard.  The Kettle kitchen also contained a deep freezer that had ice cream frozen so solid that Ma needed an axe to break it apart.  Foot pedals operated the hands free sink, but Pa still managed to get himself splashed.

The most innovative appliance was the Infra-ray oven, probably intended to be some sort of an early microwave oven, it was supposed to cook food in seconds; and it incinerated Ma’s suckling pig roast.

This SketchUp model is still in development.  The period electric stove and a number of props are still needed to complete the picture.  

Kettle Entertainment Center

What house of the future would be complete without a state-of-the-art entertainment center?  The 1948 Kettle house, from the Universal feature-film The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle, was filled with gadgets.  The entertainment center featured a built-in record player; hi-fi and big screen TV, all going to work at the push of a button (for those younger readers, a record player is an old-fashioned CD player, and a hi-fi is a radio).  The components were hidden behind sliding panels when not in use. 

These weren’t the only futuristic improvements in this model home.  There was a master control panel near the front door that controlled just about everything in the house.  According to the film:

“All of the lights, as well as many other features in the house, are worked by electronics.  The slightest pressure on this switch, and the lights go on… and off again.”

What will they think of next?  Pa had a silent-butler (ashtray that empties automatically) right in the arm of his armchair; only this one used a vacuum to clear away Pa’s mess.  There was even an electric-eye door leading into the kitchen.

This SketchUp model is still in progress.  I’ve added a few random props onto the entertainment center, just to add some life to it.  But I need to research, and add props that match the film, along with all of the other household furnishings.

Ma and Pa Kettle

In 1948, this house of the future was designed for the Universal feature-film The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle.  Pa Kettle won this prefabricated, international style home in a slogan contest.  The Kettles (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride) and their 15 children became the fish-out-of-water, country bumpkins living in a home of luxury, much like “The Beverly Hillbillies” would years later.  The Kettles would go on to make a series of seven films while living in this house.  Two more, less successful films, would be made without the house, or Percy Kilbride.

The house was originally built on Universal’s Stage 12, with a complete interior and exterior.  It underwent a number of changes for the first two films until settling on this basic design for the rest.  All but one of the films kept the house set on a stage.  In Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki the house was set up on the backlot of Universal Studios in front of another house. 

Although the dialog claims that the house was prefabricated, little in its design would lend to factory construction.  In fact, the extensive use of squeezed brick strongly supports a “stick-built” construction.

Kitchen of the Future

What House of the Future would be complete without a Kitchen of the Future?  The Atoms for Living kitchen of the Monsanto House of the Future was a showcase for a number of innovative kitchen designs.  Certainly, everything was made from plastic for easy cleaning.  And we’ve all heard that a microwave oven was installed here, years ahead of the consumer market.  But that's not all.

I think that the most interesting innovation was the ultra-sonic dishwasher.  Dishwashers of this type have been developed.  They not only do a thorough, yet delicate job of cleaning, they use less energy, save water, and use no cleaning solutions to pollute the environment.  It is because of this last point that we don’t have them today.  The same system could actually be used for clothes, but large detergent producers have been successful at keeping such devises off the market.  I wonder why?

Another innovation was the overhead refrigeration system.  The upper cabinets were actually the refrigerator and freezer.  The shelves would lower the contents to a convenient height at the push of a button.  Household overhead refrigeration units were actually produced during the mid-century (without moving shelves).  Perhaps the lack of standardization left them out of our kitchens of the future.  But they sure were conveniently located.

In addition to the microwave oven, the kitchen only had a two burner smooth top-range.  I guess TV dinners and store-bought cookies, were supposed to rule the menu.  And the final interesting addition was a four-slice toaster built into the counter-top.  It looked really cool to me, but I worry that all of the crumbs on the counter would end up in the slots, along with fingers.

House of the Future

The Monsanto House of the Future (also known as the Home of the Future) appeared at Disneyland from 1957, to 1967.  More than 6-million guests visited this plastic marvel during its ten-year run.

The rendering, produced in SketchUp, was a challenge due to the compound curving nature of the structure.  What is easily molded in plastic can be somewhat more difficult using computer aided drafting.  Much of the interior is completed on this work-in-progress.  The logo was added using Photoshop.  Still to come is the garden of the future that surrounds the house.