One of the biggest trends in fashion and decor right now is all things vintage, which happens to include the styles and motifs of mid-century modern design. However, around that time, from the 1940’s - 1960’s, design took an interesting turn in the form of what’s called the Atomic Age. During this period, designers and fabricators looked to the future for inspiration in crafting everything from furniture to homes to clothing. Their ideas were born out concern for nuclear war, during the turmoil of World War II and the Cold War. The trend is also one of the most popular forms of retrofuturism, or depiction of the future created in an earlier time period (think steampunk or The Jetsons).
When looking back at eras to draw inspiration from, the Atomic Age was a time we just had to utilize. With features like free-form organic shapes and space-inspired materials, it's one of the boldest and most recognizable trends in history. Also, it was a lot of fun to create ideas for products around these themes.
The Orbit Wall Clock is one of a few products to feature our heavy-duty distortion lens, which creates a nice visual effect. Only when looking straight on can you fully see the dial as it actually is; pan enough in either direction and the colors and numbers are distorted. This specific piece was based on 1950’s space-age style automobiles like a 1950’s GM LeSabre. You’ll see the same design cues on our Orbit table clock, as well as the Airstream clock.
On a different end of the spectrum, the Mad Scientist Wall Clock looks right at home in a fallout shelter and could withstand a blast with its brass-finished aluminum body. (Note: the blast tolerance hasn't been tested, but it looks really rugged).
With the rocket table clock, we decided to have some fun and go full-on space age with this design, complete with a polished aluminum finish as well as a retro space antenna and hatch windows.
We really enjoyed designing and crafting these unique mid-century inspired pieces, and hope you enjoy owning them in your home. Let us know what you think of them, or if you have any other ideas of things from the Atomic or Space Age era that would make great home decor pieces.
