Early 1970s fitted kitchen at Bryndraenog, Beguildy.

Description

In this early 1970s fitted kitchen at Bryndraenog, Beguildy, we see the beginnings of a new type of kitchen with streamlined, wipe-clean surfaces and fashionable labour-saving devices like the wall-mounted tin opener, tea-dispenser, toaster and kettle. New materials such as Formica, stainless steel and ‘wipe-clean’ wallpaper are used to embellish the kitchen, providing practical yet pleasing decoration. Interestingly, the cooker is reduced to a miniature worktop version and the drop-leaved dining table is smaller than might be expected in an average household. The souvenir tray signals the new type of holiday being enabled by cheaper air travel, and typically the kitchen was the place where souvenirs of this kind, like the recipe tea towel, would have been displayed.