THE $10,000 CALIFORNIA HOUSE, ca. 1951 | I’D GO BACK IN TIME– IN A HEARTBEAT

Just look at what 10,000 clams bought back in 1951. Go ahead, eat your heart out– I am.

LIFE Archive: California House

Date taken: August 1951

Photographer: Carl Mydans

13 thoughts on “THE $10,000 CALIFORNIA HOUSE, ca. 1951 | I’D GO BACK IN TIME– IN A HEARTBEAT”

You may be the most skilled Life Archives detective I know.

JP says:

November 19, 2009 at 12:15 am

That honor goes to ACL.

I love how tiny the kitchen is. Immensely impractical, no counter space and the stove is miniscule, but impressively designed. The whole house looks beautiful.

lkrier says:

November 19, 2009 at 1:07 pm

Actually, that kitchen looks almost exactly like one in a studio I rented about eight years ago. It was a pain in the arse, for sure, but if you’re a determined cook you can make it work.

Send me back!

The even more amazing thing is that adjusting for inflation this house still only cost around $82,000. Goes to show how much has changed.

Would the two twin beds be considered the master bedroom in 1951?

Also get a load of that ash tray next to the daybed. Now that’s l-i-v-i-n.

What kind of cam…. nevermind.

JP says:

November 19, 2009 at 8:06 am

My grandparents had separate beds. I think it was a snoring issue.

This is definitely a weekend/vacation pad with that kitchen, the bed setup, and no closets.

JP

That room divider to hide the kitchen is interesting.

Once again proving bigger isn’t necessarily better, and good design is timeless. If you like this house and architectural style, you will enjoy DWELL magazine. As an architecture aficionado and former student, the home pictured is a classic mid-century modern style in the vein of the case study homes built in CA during this time period and designed by architectural titans as Pierre Koenig, Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra, and Rudolf Schindler. I own a mid-century modern home and can attest to the dramatic influence of design on function.