Into the closet: the spread of consumption and fitted furniture in the 1940s, with particular reference to the houses of Bernard Johns

Abstract

The houses of Bernard Johns are characterised by a delight in cupboards, from the very small and quirky to fully fitted kitchens and bedrooms. The increasing use of fitted cupboards and other furniture in the twentieth century produced an interior that was controlled by the architect. National economies after WWII were propped up by encouraging increased consumption of material goods, and this in turn produced a demand for more storage inside the home. This period saw the cupboard move from a separate piece of furniture or a simple storage space created to the side of the chimney breast to become part of the architecture of most houses. These themes will be explored with reference to the particular characteristics of cupboards in Johns" houses of the period contrasted with the use of fitted cupboards in the first (1949) house of the Group.