Ideal Homes

Today sees the beginning of the Ideal Home Show at Earls Court, and this year I'm hoping to get along to see it. It's been a regular feature of the British calendar for over a century, and it has always reflected the way people live in their homes, including mass market trends as well as aspirational ideas and new technologies. MoDA's collections include a number of related things, including this catalogue from 1935, featuring a great quote from King George V: "The foundations of the national glory are set in the homes of the people"

Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture,

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The long history of the Ideal Home Show was detailed by Deborah Ryan, in her book Ideal Home through the Twentieth Century, which is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the histories of shopping, consumerism and advances in domestic technologies.