designboom · Creativity & design

LACMA Exhibition Explores Visions of Future Homes

LACMA's exhibition "Home of the Future, 1925–1985" showcases over 260 objects illustrating American dreams of domestic life and technological integration.

Early concepts from 1925 treated homes as machines, with appliances like self-washing sinks promising efficiency and domestic freedom through design.

Post-WWII, plastics and prefabrication defined future homes, seen in Monsanto's House of the Future. Eames's Case Study House #8 offered a contrasting vision using industrial parts.

Visions also reflected societal aspirations, like Barbie's Dream House focusing on female independence, highlighting gaps between ideals and reality.

The 1950s-60s saw stranger concepts, from underground shelters to orbital settlements, alongside the integration of TV and early video calls.

Later, environmental concerns influenced designs using salvaged materials. Floyd McKissick's Soul City aimed for economic opportunity.

Experimental automated homes like Xanadu emerged. The exhibition notes the enduring promise of technology to enhance home responsiveness.

Objects like transparent phones and plastic houses serve as records of past hopes for future living.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.