Inspired by the space race, designers and architects embraced the mood of the time. Events in outer space triggered a craze on the ground for all things futuristic, and ultra-modern furniture, home accessories and even houses were created for the space age consumer. Designs mirrored the styling of metallic satellites, the orbiting patterns of spacecraft and the distinctive shape of astronaut’s helmets.
New materials
Aluminium became a material of choice for some of the earliest space-inspired product designs. However, it was plastic that brought a whole new dimension to modern living. It was a boom time for the industry and NASA set the standard when it came to investing in research and development. Lighter, tougher and safer synthetic materials were required in the mission to reach the moon.
Materials such as plastic, which could be manufactured in a single process, made quality design available to the mass market. Eero Aarnio’s space age designs combined smooth, organic forms with industrial manufacturing processes. His Bubble chair (1968) was made from clear plastic and hung from the ceiling, appearing to capture the phenomenon of zero gravity.
Household objects became less precious and for the first time it became cheaper to replace furniture than repair it. New concepts were introduced, such as cardboard chairs that could be thrown away and inflatable furniture was designed to save room in the home.
Space age accessories
Other opportunities to buy into the space age lifestyle were presented through must have accessories. Vico Magistretti’s Eclisse lamp (1965) enabled consumers to create their own lunar eclipse, by rotating a half sphere to block the flow of light like the moon blocking light from the sun.
At this time, computers were drastically reduced in size and crossed into the realm of home entertainment with one of the first video arcade games, Computer Space (1971). This was the first stand alone computer console with the single purpose of game playing. The game takes place in outer space, where the player has to battle in a rocket ship against two flying saucers. Few knew what to make of it when it was released but Bushnell, the game’s creator, went on to enormous success as the founder of gaming giant, Atari.
Televisions underwent a transformation as their plastic casings were shaped to imitate an astronaut’s headgear, as demonstrated by JVC’s Videosphere (1970). Record players also adopted space age styling but, more importantly became much more portable and provided music on the go in an time of increased mobility.
The space age look was slick and seductive, yet this bold design trend fizzled out by the early 1970s. A rapid backlash followed, with a return to hand-crafted design and traditional materials.
However, the space age look has found a new home in the 21st century as people are pulled between the past and the future for comfort and inspiration. Decades on, people are still fascinated with the space age and the multitude of designs it generated.
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