For you trying to escape reality, Mad Men is the right place. Millions have sought comfort in entertainment, namely from this award-winning show. Becoming one of the most influential shows in recent history, Mad Men has delivered some complex narratives and sharp descriptions of our commercial selves from the ‘40s through the ‘70s. This Emmy Award-winning show is now coming to an end.
Mad Men allows us to enjoy smarter quotes than what we hear at the office, memorable situations, and a ruthlessly competitive world. Personally, I have experienced similar events in the advertising, fashion, and now digital media businesses.
If this isn’t enough, the show lets you fill your senses with the most outstanding production design and costume design. The show’s creator, Matthew Weiner, production designer Dan Bishop, set decorator Claudette Didul and costume designer Janie Bryant have conceived one of the most immersive and accurate depiction of Mid-Century culture to date, making it a global phenomenon in the fashion and design industries. I saw myself while working in fashion business when the show first launched, and I recalled how everyone converted overnight to this Mid-Century Modern visual universe. Endless conversations at the photo shoot analyzed every single detail in the series, especially Bryant’s work.
What if we decided to find the real locations of our favorite characters? If we could pretend to match the production work of the team, there would be no other alternative than picking the finest architects of mid-century America, those who inspired the show. The settings’ real locations fit the characters’ hard-edged lives. Let me hear if we have chosen as you expected. Enjoy.
Betty Draper and the Kauffmann house by Richard Neutra
Few residences can compare to the timeless elegance of the Kauffmann house, but it is second to none to Betty Draper. Ambitious and representative, this Palm Springs residence was commissioned by Edgar Kaufmann, the Pittsburgh department store magnate, who ordered houses from the best architects in the world the way you and I order cups of coffee.
Roger Sterling and the Stahl house
Once upon a time, most elegant people threw parties the Sterling way, as he said, because men in his generation “deserved it.” So, this confident, womanizing, and moody guy deserves and lavish backdrop to his escapades and the days after. Designed to impress as you enter the Case Study House #22, this structure gives you the material to reflect about life for this guy, who is unable to be happy for too long, during the afternoons while watching the view with a scotch in hand.
Don Draper and the Miller Residence by Eero Saarinen
It is a great challenge to move Don from the best apartment set in TV history, but a good Finnish architect can help with the task. A conversation pit and gorgeous interiors do the rest. This residence is considered one of Saarinen’s finest.
Peggy Olson and The eames Residence
No creative in this world would mind moving into the Eames home in Palisades, and no woman is afraid of experimenting by mixing plastic chairs with African masks and Japanese origami. All framed in hi-tech steel and glass construction. most creatives today still dream of such a home. Surprisingly, only a few of the most well-off dare to build something similar.
Bertram Cooper and the Case Study House #16
Cooper loves Japan, and so he needed to pick the perfect house in which to go barefoot. There were hundreds of gorgeous homes to pick from, because Japan has been hot ever since, and the best American architects on the west coast looked across the Pacific for inspiration during the mid-century period. The best choice was Craig Ellwood’s Case Study House #16. With its great volume distribution and semi transparent screens, it is one of the finest houses of the 20th century and the closest you could come to Nagano at that time.
Joan Holloway and the Recreation Pavillion at the Mirman House
Dealing with your mother and your son at home is much easier in the right location. The architects Buff, Straub and Hensman stand behind the recreation pavilion for the Mirman residence and proved that having children at home does not mean turning your house into a mini Disneyland and saying goodbye to your former taste.
Credits:
Stalh house by Ryan Ward. Eames House: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times Julius Shulman: Mirman House and Case Study House #21. Mad Men charcters by ACM.