When one thinks of the materials that defined 1950s design, laminate is at the top of the list. It was a luxury material back then. It was a fashion statement. To have a laminate countertop or dinette table meant that one had arrived! While today we may think of laminate as a more cost effective option to stone, it was not the case in the mid-century. A laminate and chrome dinette table and chairs cost four times that of a solid wood set. Its wipe-clean face and cheerful colors made it the most desirable material of the decade. And this is what the product looked like...

Marble - Marble has been a traditional surfacing material for centuries. Even in the early 20th century Americans enjoyed marble sink tops in the bathroom and marble countertops in the soda fountain. The problem with marble is that it is porous and can be easily stained with food and hair care products. Laminate solved the maintenance issues and was designed to imitate creamy Carrera marble - marble with a pronounced grain - as well as travertine, made popular by the Modernist designers.

Speckled (Lamé) - Scattered gold flecks shimmer across the surface of this pattern which may very well be the most iconic design of the period. The effect is interesting because it was not a printed pattern, but a decorative inclusion in the overlay sheet. In other words, it was made with actual material, in this case gold glitter, which was invented in New Jersey in the 1930s.

Wood Grains - Although laminate was first developed in 1913, it did not become a decorative product until the 1930s. Almost instantly it was designed to feature wood grains. Period advertising touts that the material offered two advantages: the durability of plastic laminate and the color and grain of natural wood. Wood grain ads featured the Wilsonart truck driving through the famous Chandelier or "drive through tree" in the Avenue of the Giants redwood tourist attraction in Leggett, Northern California. The line featured Winchester Walnut, Red and White Oak and fashionable favorites Teak and Rosewood. Winchester Walnut was so popular it remained in the line for 45 years.

Solid Colors - In the 1940s, the pigments which make colors possible were rationed and battleship grey became color du jour. Post-war availability, coupled with our enthusiasm at having won the war, made bright and cheerful colors popular again. These colors became icons of the period - baby blue, lemon sherbet, cotton candy pink and white. At the very end of the decade (1959), some subtle earth tones were introduced: sand, beige, dusty rose, ochre and sage green. These colors were a hint of the avocado green and harvest gold which would dominate the palette for almost the next two decades.