Cocktail Shakers, Lava Lamps, and Tupperware: A Celebration of Lifestyle Design from the Last Half of the 20th Century

by Wayne Hemingway

Mass Market Classics is a supremely cool and consumer-driven showcase of everyday interior design of the 1950s, '60s, '70s and '80s. From toasted sandwich makers and Tupperware containers to mass-produced polypropylene or tubular steel chairs, from porch swings to cocktail shakers, Mass Market Classics delves into the various living areas of the suburban home (and the catalogues from where the artefacts were ordered) to find the best of popular design. The book combines hip graphic treatments with a level of ironic kitschness that reflects the products featured. Internationally acclaimed pop-cultural design aficionado Wayne Hemingway adds his uniquely witty commentary, as a collector and champion of mass-produced interior design.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jay Gabler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decidedly, a light read--heavy on illustrations and clever commentary, light on actual information about history or design. It's a British book repackaged for Stateside (should that be capitalized?) release, meaning only that the cover has been changed. The inside of the book still thinks it's titled 'Mass-Market Classics.' The book's British genesis provided, for me, most of the book's value: I learned about appliances like the 'teasmade' (a tea-making alarm clock) and enjoyed the stylish slang: 'To be up with this low table thing, you need to have all the attributes of a seasoned birdwatcher, the ability to spot subtle nuances. Q: Is it a telephone table? A: No, it doesn't have a seat. Q: Is it a coffee table? A: No, you can tell by its poise and its position away from the sofa. Conclusion: It must be an occasional table. Just like bird twitchers can tell their shanks from their tits, coffee table connoisseurs understand their occasional tables.' Strangely, references to sex are pervasive--not just in the bedroom section ('What are bedrooms for, apart from sleeping and having the odd bit of rumpy-pumpy?'), but in the entries on chairs ('Add a bit of Vaseline-on-lens-style soft focus, soft-porn photography, and you have an ephemeral style [wicker] that has somehow lasted') and flooring ('Transferring a dining table quickie onto a sisal floor is not an option unless you have a fetish for chafed backsides').