Getting Organized, 1940’s Style

I was recently at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearfield, Michigan.  While the museum was filled with amazing artifacts, displays and information, one exhibit stood out to me.  The Dymaxion House was a prototype home made by Buckminster Fuller.

Buckminster was trying to fill a need in the housing market at the time.  Troops were coming home from the war and there weren’t enough homes for them.  Also, manufacturing facilities had been making war materials such as airplanes and their services were no longer needed.  Combining these two needs he came out with a home that was made of fully recyclable pieces that could be made from the same materials and in the same plants that had been making airplanes for the war.  The Dymaxion home was the first modular home.

It was sold as a kit and made to be assembled on site. So why am I telling you all of this?  First of all, the home design was ahead of it’s time.  I was able to walk through and take some photos.  The organization techniques and principles are ones that we are still working to implement today.

This is what the outside of the house looked like.  It’s space aged for sure.  But it’s also fully recyclable and if something wears out, the part could have been replaced.  Pretty smart way to do home repair!

Here’s something I loved and thought was so genius!  These closets rotated out so you could have items and SEE everything you had in there.  It was a great way to have a flat wall and need very little space needed to open it and access everything.  You can’t see it in this photo, but there is also a hat and shoe rack in there.

While the kitchen was small (I wish I had a photo) it used space SO well that you had everything you needed and more.  Instead of shelves and flat surfaces, which are space consuming, drawers were used. We are just now getting back to this style of kitchen design.  Corners were rounded for easier cleaning as well.

This family space served as the dining area and living room.  There is also a fireplace (not seen here).  The round room allowed for easier cleaning and access to ALL areas.  The room dividers were modular and could be moved as needed.  They are difficult to see, but there are even small sets of shelves for storage at intervals around the windows.

Above: This photo is from the outside looking in.

This might have been my favorite feature.  Because floor space was limited for dressers, these rotating “drawers” were built into the walls.  With the push of a button, items rotated for you to see, grab and put away.  What a genius way to store items!

Learn more about the Dymaxion house on this Wikipedia page.  What solutions do you love?  Which ones would you like in your home today?