A founder of feminine post war design was Christian Dior. The creator of the new look fashions emphasised the hourglass figure of the female by focusing on a pronounced bust, a slender waistline and curvaceous hips.

By 1950 millions of Second World War veterans had married and settled down in suburbia. Women were expected to stay home and take care of the children, while the husband earned enough money to support the family. The 1950s mother belonged in the kitchen. Her duty was to serve her family only the highest quality foods. Kitchen and cleaning appliances like washing machines and fridges were advertised as being ‘every woman’s dream’. Women accepted their place in the kitchen and looked for ways to make their lives in the kitchen easier, since having ample leisure time was a symbol of high society. Th

After the Second World War Eames was determined to make the world a better place to live in. His designs were part of the post war American taste, where the organic designs became popular over geometric forms. It all took off when Eames together with Eero Saarinen won a competition in the Museum of Modern Art’s ‘Organic Design in Home Furnishings’. “The concept of organic design came from living organisms. It was influenced by concepts of harmony with nature and utilized natural materials.”

The designers of the 1950s welcomed the conventional picture of the feminine beauty, which was represented by softness, delicacy, elegance and grace. However the desire for originality combined with comfort was most important for women. Women were gaining strength in the market place and were influencing the character and appearance of the objects of their desire. The production of pink radios, coloured appliances and pattern and texture in the home came from the influence of the female consumer and to the growing feminine culture. The 1950s design affected all rooms of the home; the kitchen changed its character to become one of the focal points of the home instead of being hidden away. The launch of decorative design and bright colours started in the kitchen. The new colour found its first outlet in the painted and papered surfaces. Pastels represented the softness of the feminine beauty in that decade and were extremely popular. Pot plants and other small bits and pieces were being placed around the kitchen to given a sense of comfort. By the late 1950s all the rooms in the house had been touched by the feminine culture. The new plastics, which had developed during the war periods was a modern miracle to the consumers. The new small kitchen accessories and items of tableware created luxury at affordable prices to consumers. The products were easy to clean, unbreakable and childproof and for the first time children could be constantly present, there would be no more adult only rooms. Cooking, cleaning and bringing up the children were no longer considered hard work but a combination of pleasures. For the first time housewives could concentrate on becoming a beautifier and a consumer. This led the media to stereotype the ‘frilly’ femininity of women. “Providing housewives with a model of femininity linked to their stereotypical role as carriers and creators of beauty, the media also wanted to encourage women to spend their newfound wealth upon clothes and cosmetics that went with that image.” By the end of the 1950s the women’s role as a housewife hadn’t changed too much, however the tools they used for the job were out of their control and they began once again to imitate the men.

Jackson, L. New Look: Design in the Fifties, New York, Thames & Hudson, 1991

The new design in furniture was very critical, as it not only involve the style of t

Some topics in this essay:
Dream Europe, Christian Dior, World War, Charles Eames, Europe United, Sofa Compact, Home Furnishings’, War American, United American, , post war, christian dior, world war, charles eames, feminine post war, dior women, pochna m-f, war american, style eames, represented softness, 20th century, post war design,