1950s Kitchen Quote of the Week: Russel Wright

Mary and Russel Wright (c. late 1940s) displaying their
unbreakable line of affordable dinnerware. They co-authored
Guide to Easier Living in 1950 which outlined modern design
and lifestyle concepts–a seismic and influential shift
away from entrenched post-Victorian holdovers.

"I believe our wives and daughters want the kitchen to be a place as pretty as the rest of the house...(designers need to develop) a living kitchen...(so the housewife can say) 'Let's sit in the kitchen.'"

Russel Wright

To the Steel Kitchen Cabinet  Manufacturers Association:

The New York Times,  March 12, 1955

I have to confess to being a bit obsessed recently with Russel Wright. When you have dwelled as long as I have in all things nineteenth century and then spend significant time studying the 1950s kitchen, when you learn of someone like Wright it presents a major shift in your perceptions of design, space and domestic history. I will certainly be posting more on Russel and Mary Wright and their contributions to the American kitchen in the months to come.

For more on Russel Wright visit

The Russel Wright Center webpage.