Appliance/Elevtronic status symbols by the decade

[DADoES]

 
I had three cassette decks with Dolby C, still have one of them.

 

[washer111]

One for the Late-70s/Early-80s

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Our monstrous single-story home we vacated several years ago (5 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms/Ensuite, Laundry, Kitchen, Games, Dining, Formal Dining, Lounge, Little-Lounge {Part of "Dining" and hallway}, Study) was built in 1987, and had the following:</span>

 

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">~ "Valet" VM1200 Intercom System.</span>

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Several of the stations could receive music and sometimes audio messages (Though setting the sliders was "finicky"), but often could not communicate. </span>

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Doorbell played an electronic Fur-Elise... Boy that song is annoying to hear now. You couldn't speak to them, either. </span>

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In the "Little-Lounge," there was a 5-pin DIN connector so you could run your Hi-Fi throughout the house. Now THAT is surround sound, LOL. Interestingly, that wire would have run from one side of the house, to the other. That probably wouldn't have helped signal quality either. </span>

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The system was repaired when we moved in around 2000, for doorbell functionality. The touchpad for the radio was irritating to use, and becoming increasingly sensitive in its age. </span>

 

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">~Valet Ducted Vacuum. An earlier model, and working well. One outlet never was quite right. Used little switches in EACH outlet to start the system. Trouble is, what if the wires break?!</span>

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Again - this was broken on arrival. Previous residents had used it to vacuum their dog's mess up... </span>

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Another breakdown around 2007. The replacement motor was evidently weaker and seemed less powerful. Made a horrendous noise, and dust in the garage, too!</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10pt;">Can't imagine Chinese builders/owners of the house would ever spec such equipment. Considering the floor-tiles were loose and misaligned, who knows how those products went in :/ </span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10pt;">Pictures:</span>

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;">1. Doorbell Unit</span>

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;">2. Variation of the Room-Station</span>

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;">3. Ducted Vacuum similar to ours (Ours was a Dark-Grey colour, with a yellow "VALET" logo)</span>

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;">4./5. The Base-Station for the Intercom. Manual here: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">https://valet.com.au/uploads/103/24/Valet_VM1200_Owners_Manual.pdf</span>

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">There are 4 switches, "Monitor-Master," "Door-Lock," "Front Door," "House-Call."</span></span>

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">The bottom row of switches allow control of Private or System-Wide Intercom, and the sliders allow control of Intercom, Music and Monitor functions. </span></span>

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Up the top are all the radio controls and input controls. </span></span>

 

 

 

[pcasa]

Ankarsrum & Aga

Two great designs - one older one newer that have great cache

 

[pcasa]

ankarsrum

.. not sure where this photo went - I would love to own one of these!

 

[pcasa]

central vac

.. my parent's home was built with central vac in 1971 - it is still working well - there are "portholes with covers" which receive the vacuum hose and when shoved into the connection - the unit activates - central unit located in the garage

 

[retropia]

We lived briefly in a model home built in around 1960 or so, while Mom and Dad were having a house built. The model home was not especially great, but it was loaded with "upsell" options, like a sputnik chandelier, and a built-in "planter" filled with plastic greenery. The planter was faced in styrofoam brick.

It also had a Nutone intercom system, and the base unit, located in the kitchen, had an AM-FM radio so you could pipe music throughout the house. The built-in intercom system seemed a popular "prestige" option, at least into the 1970s.

A 1979 up-market condo I lived in had a Sub Zero built-in refrigerator, and a Jenn-Air drop-in combo cooktop/grill and oven. I suppose built-in appliances are still considered prestigious, but not to the extent they were back in the 1960s and 1970s.

Nowadays, for the prestigious look, people want appliances in their homes that look like they came out of a restaurant kitchen.

 

[redcarpetdrew]

I still have customers with the Nutone intercom/music system. Two have an optional record player that dropped down from the wall.

I would say that having a 3D T.V. Started out as a status symbol.

RCD

 

[beekeyknee]

For the 1960's - Central air conditioning, for most of the United States anyway.