Since home appliances and electronics took off, some weird and wonderful creations have decorated and filled homes around the world. Here are some of the oddest and strangest home appliances.
Stereo in a briefcase–during the 1970s, Bohsei created a stereo sound system that fitted into a briefcase. It has a record turntable with three speed, speakers that could be taken out and positioned outside of the briefcase, an AM/FM radio, and a cassette player. It was also equipped with microphones and various settings that were cutting-edge for its time. (ODDEE)
Dishwasher the size of a breadbox – the Colston dishwasher was made in the 1950s but was only the size of a breadbox and was ideal for living in an apartment. Although it might need many separate washes to get your dishes done.
Stove with its own cutting board – as convenience was the best selling point for any new appliance in the 1950s, Tappan created the Fabulous 400 stove which positioned the oven at eye-level rather than at floor level. It was fitted with glass doors and an electric rotisserie motor. It also had a slide-out drawer with a fold-down cutting board for preparing vegetables.
Space-saving refrigerator and stove – the ElectroChef was both a fridge and cooker, saving lots of space in the kitchen. But its weight would make it tough to fit at around 500 lbs.
1950s style communications – the TV/phone combination was trialled but never commercially successful since they were large, expensive and quite intrusive.
Fridge inside kitchen cabinet – today many kitchens hide their fridges behind cabinet doors that match the rest of their kitchen. But the first was made by GE in 1955 and was the first wall refrigerator-freezer.
Early version of the dishwasher – the electric sink was made to save space, but also to automatically wash and dry the dishes.
1930s refrigerator/radio–while it seems like a good idea, buying them separately would have probably been cheaper, particularly during the Depression of the 1930s.
Best of the refrigerators – has to be the1950s Kelvinator Foodarama which is a classic stand-alone fridge fitted with left and right fridge/freezer, egg and juice holders, crisper bin, and butter keeper.
Dishwasher/washing machine –the first washing machine was developed in the early 1900s in the US, and since then were continually developed and improved upon. By the 1940s, electrical company Thor developed the combination dishwasher and washing machine. It was heavily marketed but just didn’t take off particularly because homemakers didn’t want to wash both clothes and dishes together.