Homes in the 1960s were really special because everyone spent a lot of time together. Families would watch television. Eat meals in the same room. They would also just hang out in the space. A lot of things that people had in their homes were not things they used but they were also a big part of their daily life. The homes in the 1960s had things that people remember from when they were kids and they are still talked about today in family stories. Here are some popular home items that every household had in the 1960s.
Console Television Sets
Televisions in the 1960s were really big. They were put inside wooden cabinets. Every evening families would sit around the television to watch their shows together. The television was like the thing, in the living room and it brought the whole family into one room to share things together. The television was a part of family life and people liked to gather around the television to watch things.
Rotary Dial Telephones
Rotary phones were stuck in one spot. They had really long cords. It took a while to make a call. You had to be patient. Usually families only had one phone so when it rang, answering the rotary phone felt like a big deal. People had conversations on the phone that were slower and they thought about what they were saying.
Record Players
People used record players to play music at home. Families had vinyl records. They would all listen together. What made playing music so special was that it needed to be taken care of. Many people remember sitting and enjoying songs as a group with their families and friends listening to music, on record players.
Formica Kitchen Tables
Formica tables were really strong. They came in a lot of different colors. They were also very easy to clean. Families would use Formica tables for all sorts of things like eating meals, doing homework and just talking for hours.
Ashtrays
In homes where nobody smoked you would still find ashtrays. People would put them on tables like any other thing you have in your house. Ashtrays were a part of life back then and they showed what people were like and what was okay, at the time.
Large Wall Clocks
They helped families keep track of their busy days. The sound of wall clocks was so steady. Wall clocks reminded everyone, in the family, when it was time to eat or when it was time to leave or when it was time to sit together.
TV Trays
Families really enjoyed eating dinner while watching their shows on the television. The TV trays made evening time feel really relaxed and they added comfort to the time families spent watching the television.
Patterned Curtains
Curtains in the 1960s were really something. They usually had bold prints and super bright colors. The curtains added a lot of personality to the rooms they were in. If you wanted to make your home feel new again, changing the curtains was a thing to do.
Electric Mixers
Electric mixers really made baking a lot easier and faster for people. Many children remember sitting in the kitchen watching their parents bake. They loved eating the homemade treats that their parents made with electric mixers.
Magazine Racks
Magazine racks held reading material for the whole family. People relaxed by reading at home. Magazines were shared, reread and kept for months, making them a regular part of daily life.
