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In my last post I introduced you to this fantastic booklet promoting the joys of electricity during the mid-20th century. We explored beautiful images of the perfect kitchen, now we move onto the living and dining rooms.

First up, where to put the TV? Of course, all of these televisions are analog sets with small screens. It would be hard to watch a program from any chair in these rooms, but the artwork is gorgeous. The first drawing shows the set on a typical four-legged stand.

In the second painting the television is actually built into the wall in between bookcases, similar to people mounting their flat screens over their fireplace today.

But the bottom two drawings are the most interesting. They suggest that you could install the set into the wall between your living room and study, then swivel it so you could see the screen in whichever room you were in. It doesn’t seem very practical, but the concept is extremely cool.

More practical is a drawing for a storage unit for dad’s hi-fi system. It’s complete with a pull out drawer for the turntable and also has a built in FM radio. The rooster on top of the cabinet is a special touch.

Next up is heaven for a gadget lover like me. This page showcases the cool appliances that were popular in the mid-1960s. Everything from a portable reel-to-reel tape recorder, to a home film projector, to a color slide projector. I want them all!

Now to the dining room. The table is set for an elegant dinner, but what about the cart perched at the end? The brochure promises that serving food without fuss is easy, as long as you keep the cart nearby.

It’s loaded with a coffee maker, a gravy boat and something called an electric chafing dish. I had to look that one up. According to Wikipedia a chafing dish is a serving pan on a stand, with an alcohol burner below it. It is used for cooking food at the table, or as a food warmer for keeping dishes at a buffet warm.  I’ve never had one, but they are still for sale if you are planning to host a buffet anytime soon. 

This is one of the best drawings in the booklet as far as I am concerned. I love brick fireplaces, but the spin they put on this one is absolutely fantastic. Here they have put an electric broiler unit INTO the fireplace to cook a chicken.

I guess they thought the brick would be a good insulator for the heat from the broiler, but they also assume you have a handy outlet within the reach of the cord. I don’t know if that was standard in most homes, but I would be surprised. Anyway, it’s an interesting idea.

They make a similar suggestion in the living room. Rather than light an actual fire in your fireplace, you can get extra warmth without the fuss by setting a portable space heater in the hearth. Again, where do you plug it in?

Switching from hot air to cold, they not only talk about window air conditioners or window fans, but they had a gizmo called a no-draft floor circulator. It was smartly designed as a hassock! I don’t know if I dare put my feet on it, but it’s a fascinating gadget.

As with the kitchen, the last part of this section is devoted to lighting. The fixture in the dining room is huge. I’d be afraid it would crash down on the table top any second.

As for the living room, you can’t really see the lighting clearly in this painting, but it is interesting that the television, with the small screen, is FAR away from the couch. I doubt if anyone sitting there could actually watch a program.

Here’s a wonderful fireplace. It’s white brick and has built a circle of built-in lights overhead. They were supposed to fill the room with a rainbow of different colors. Interesting.

But I have saved the best for last. Not only does this living room have a brick fireplace from floor to ceiling, but on the left, flood lamps are aimed toward the draperies to create a waterfall like effect. Amazing.

That’s it for the living and dining rooms. Next up, we learn how Living Better Electrically will help us in the bedroom.

More examples of Glorious Vintage Stuff! Stay tuned!