Article ID: CBB727529048

The Cornell Kitchen: Housing and Design Research in Postwar America (January 2018)

unapi

The Cornell Kitchen (1950–55) was produced at Cornell University by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in home economics, engineering, architecture, and psychology. It promised to deliver rational design, functional principles, aesthetic appeal, and emotional satisfaction in one prefabricated, easy-to-install package. This article sets out the kitchen’s history from its design to its field-testing phase to its impact on postwar kitchens. It argues that the kitchen represents an important effort to approach housing in a more scientific way; scientific methods were deployed to understand both the physical and socio-psychological problems of dwelling. The project also sought to introduce a specific model for leveraging housing research into the real world, partnering with industry to mass produce scientific designs. Social scientific methods were hence used to create not only more livable but also more saleable products in an effort to appeal to manufacturers and consumers alike.

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Authors & Contributors
Thorndahl, Jytte
Oldenziel, Ruth
Lahey, Anita
Fenster, Julie M.
Forino, Imma
Thomas C. Hubka
Concepts
Household technology
Kitchens
Home economics
Women and technology
Households
Consumers and consumerism
Time Periods
20th century
20th century, late
20th century, early
19th century
21st century
Places
United States
Europe
Denmark
Southern states (U.S.)
Poland
Institutions
Smithsonian Institution
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