Out-of-This-World Decorating: Space Age Style for Today

There was a time, not so long ago, when the sky wasn’t the limit.

Inspired by the mid-20th-century space age, designers incorporated whirling starbursts into everything from wall clocks to teacups, while luminous flying saucers and floating moon-shaped chairs sent spirits soaring. It was an era when the imaginations of both scientists and designers ran wild, unfettered by the constraints of time and even gravity.

Although humans have been observing and questioning the heavens since the beginning of recorded time, this fascination reached its peak in the middle of the past century — from the early 1940s (when the Germans began testing the V-2 rocket) through the 1957 launch of Sputnik, into the fevered escalation of America’s space program in the 1960s, culminating in Apollo 11’s astonishing 1969 moon landing.

Space travel had a profound impact on pop culture. It influenced film (from 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still to 1968’s 2001), music (from Jet Set Pop to psychedelic rock), television (The Jetsons) and, of course, interior design. Here are some ideas for bringing a bit of space — and not the square-footage variety — into your home.

Midcentury industrial designer George Nelson brought pizzazz and whimsy to the utilitarian wall clock with his snazzy multicolored 1950s Starburst timepiece. Its exuberant presence is commanding enough to fill an entire wall, despite its medium-size dimensions, and the clock’s range of colors works beautifully with the blue and orange hues in this room.


Nelson Ball Clock, Red - $375 Nelson’s iconic Ball Clock, pictured here in dramatic red, black and white, epitomizes space age design at its finest. Created in 1948, it has remained popular for over half a century. It is included in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection; MoMA calls it “a joyous, often irreverent exploration of form and inspired simplicity.” Buy on Houzz


The multicolored version (sometimes called “the atomic clock") is a standout in this stylish kitchen. It brings a touch of joie de vivre into an otherwise minimalist room.


This Sputnik Chandelier was futuristic in its time and — as interpreted by contemporary designer Jonathan Adler — is elegantly retro now. It is one of a plethora of designs inspired by Russia’s startling (and to some, frightening) achievement of being the first country to put an orbiting satellite into space.

The spokes shooting out from the central metal sphere are tipped with either a sparkling crystal or a softly glowing bulb, creating an extraordinary lighting effect.


Sparkly starburst drawer handles heighten the wow factor of this elegant, understated wooden dresser. Exclusive to Pulp Home, they are available in brass or polished nickel.


George Nelson’s famous hanging Bubble Lamps — suggesting visitors from outer space — were originally designed in 1947 and were produced through the late 1970s. The ingenious use of materials (soft white polymer sprayed over a wire frame) eliminates glare and provides abundant diffused light.

One of the most highly regarded midcentury lighting collections, the Bubble Lamps are now part of the permanent collection at MoMA in New York. Notice how well they go with the traditional architecture in this stairwell.


More hovercraft: George Nelson’s Criss Cross Saucer Lamp is crafted with an internal steel structure overlaid with white polymer. It comes in a variety of sizes and crisscross patterns, including ones called Ball and Cigar. Like the Bubble Lamp, this fixture is included in MoMA’s permanent collection of iconic 20th-century designs.


What child wouldn’t be enchanted by this sparkling celestial bedroom? Filled with hand-painted and ceiling-suspended planets, moons, comets and other otherworldly objects, it’s a dream come true for an aspiring astronomer or astronaut.


Dishware decorated with the Franciscan Company’s Mid-Century Atomic Modern Star pattern was a pop culture object of desire during the early 1960s and has become quite collectible today. Elvis Presley is reputed to have had a set at Graceland, and a set embellished with the presidential seal was purchased for Air Force One during JFK’s administration.


The company’s atomic star pattern was also available on textiles, used for things like tablecloths and draperies. (These fabrics can be found today on Etsy.) This 1950s-style “atomic haute couture apron” was created by contemporary craftswoman LittleSuzyHomemaker.


UFO Ceiling Lamp Chrome - $238 Is it a deluxe light fixture, or is it a UFO, sending intelligence from Earth to a distant planet?

Actually, it’s the UFO Ceiling Lamp. When I look at it, I can hear Rod Serling’s voice gravely intoning, “You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into … the Twilight Zone.”


Captivating Saturn-shaped light fixtures and other unidentified floating objects — hand crafted by renowned glass artist Steve Fellerman — create a magical ambience at the Celestial Bar in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.


Finnish designer Eero Aarnio rose to worldwide fame in the 1960s with his now-iconic Ball Chair, a deceptively simple piece of furniture that he thought of as “a room within a room.” The chair was introduced at the 1966 International Furniture Fair in Cologne, Germany. It was an immediate sensation, a singular breakthrough for Aarnio and the start of a whole line of fiberglass designs he went on to create.


Aarnio’s 1968 hanging ball chair — also known as the Bubble Chair — adds both whimsy and a perky accent mark to this room. It’s considered a space age classic and gives whoever sits in it the feeling of being in a private, free-floating universe.

Bubble Chairs have been used in music videos and fashion magazines; I expect one to show up in Roger Sterling’s office on Mad Men very soon.


Samara Wall Clock - $298 Another whimsical wall clock with a starburst design, the Samara creates a feeling of pinwheel motion. “Samara” is a term from botany; it’s an airborne seed with wings. (I know this because Samara is my middle name!) Buy on Houzz


This entire room setting evokes a spacey sensibility, from the dramatic black and white color scheme (which includes numerous shades of gray), to the Sputnik ceiling light, sculptural felted gray “stone” seat cushions and wacky three-armed floor lamp. Beam me up, Scotty!

More: So Your Style Is: Midcentury Modern

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