Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Guide to Easier Living, Mary and Russel Wright, 1954 edition

Russel Wright (1904-1976) was an influential American industrial designer, famous for his American Modern Dinnerware.  His designs introduced America to Modernism and his signature range of products makes him the precursor to lifestyle brands such as Martha Stewart.

Wright also did a lot of product development using melamine, and his interest in modern materials is apparent in this book, which he wrote with his wife Mary, who was a sculptor and businesswoman.

It appears that the Wrights are one of the reasons why vinyl furniture and furnishings took off during the 50s. The Wrights were all about efficient living, and part of that was efficient cleaning, and vinyl was cheap and easy to clean, comfort and aesthetics (except for a 50s modernist visual aesthetic) were secondary.

Though the title is Guide to Easier Living, it really should be Guide to Efficient Living, as this chapter heading shows:
 
The Wrights were also about order and organisation:

That is one crazy giant entrance closet. And this is a fantastic book.

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