Free Downloads
The 1950s Kitchen (Shire Library)

The 1950s was the first great age of the modern kitchen: labor-saving appliances, bright colors and the novelty of fitted units moved the kitchen from dankness into light, where it became the domain of the happy housewife and the heart of the home. Formica - a new space-age material - decorated with fashionable patterns topped sleek cupboards that contained new classic wares such as Pyrex and 'Homemaker' crockery, and the ingredients for 1950s British staples: semolina, coronation chicken and spotted dick. Electricity entered the kitchens of millions, and nowhere in the home was modern technology and modern design more evident. Bold color, clean lines and stainless steel were keynotes of the decade, and it is no surprise that 1950s kitchen style is now the height of fashion once again, with names like Cath Kidston picking up on the best of '50s kitchen kitsch, and manufacturers like Dualit, Kitchen Aid and Aga doing healthy business with retro appliances. This book - a celebration of cooking, eating and living in the 1950s kitchen - is a feast of nostalgia, and a mine of inspiration for anyone wanting to recreate that '50s look in their own home.

Series: Shire Library (Book 627)

Paperback: 64 pages

Publisher: Shire Publications (May 24, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0747808279

ISBN-13: 978-0747808275

Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1 x 8.3 inches

Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #93 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Houseware & Dining > Kitchenware #290 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Americana #1381 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking Education & Reference > History

This small book is full of pictures and information about British kitchens of the 1950's. Occasionally there are comparisons to American kitchens of that time, but the best part is the historical progression shown from the kitchens of the pre-WWII era to the "modern" kitchens of the mid-twentieth century.

This is a quick read but has lots in it that I didn't know about the subject. For example, kitchen counters have a toe space at the bottom to prevent back aches. When rations of sugar and butter ended mid-50s there was a boon to baking, especially cakes. Lots of neat tidbits. The book is British so many references are about England. There are comparisons to America at the time too.

Remembering kitchen items from my childhood, even though I was more a child of the sixties than fifties. Informative and nostalgic.

The 1950s Kitchen (Shire Library) Spectacles, Lorgnettes and Monocles (Shire Library) Marble Clocks (Shire Library) Old Gramophones: And Other Talking Machines (Shire Library) Model Steam Engines (Shire Library) The Arts and Crafts Garden (Shire Library 771) The Wartime Garden: Digging for Victory (Shire Library) Hat Pins (Shire Library) British Campaign Medals of the First World War (Shire Library) Transatlantic Liners (Shire Library) Edward Elgar (Shire Library) Thatch and Thatching (Shire Album Series : No. 16) Diecast Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s: The Collector's Guide (General: Diecast Toy Cars) So Crazy Japanese Toys! Live-Action TV Show Toys from the 1950s to Now Dolls and Teddy Bear Department : Memorable Catalog Pages from the Legendary Sears Christmas Wishbooks of the 1950s and 1960s, Volume I Dunbar: Fine Furniture of the 1950s (Schiffer Book for Collectors) ATOMIC WAR! SOVIET AGGRESSION - AMERICAN RESPONSE: 4 CLASSIC COLD WAR COMIC BOOKS FROM THE 1950s plus 3 NUCLEAR BOMB GOVERNMENT PAMPHLETS RARE HORROR 3: COMIC BOOKS WHERE ONLY 1 ISSUE WAS EVER PUBLISHED: 6 COMPLETE CLASSIC HORROR COMIC BOOKS FROM THE 1950s and 1960s (RARE COMICS) TOMB OF TERROR 3: TALES BEYOND BELIEF AND IMAGINATION: 5 COMPLETE ISSUES OF THE CLASSIC HORROR COMIC BOOKS FROM THE 1950s FIGHTIN' AIR FORCE 1: JET ACES IN ACTION: 5 Complete Classic Comic Books From The 1950s (FIGHTIN' MILITARY)