The second season of Mad Men just started, and I’m glad have an outlet to write about it.
From the awesome graphics of the opening credits through the scandalous plot lines, the show is nothing short of amazing. The scenes at Don Draper’s office are peppered with moments of marketing genius – he’s the kind of visionary that everyone in the marketing industry (myself included) wants to be. He’s able to boil down human desire into pearls of wisdom that express the unique power of marketing. The way his personality is as dark as the underside of his industry is a constant reminder of the baser element of the human psyche that marketing taps into. This a show about my profession, set in an era that I am focused on in my spare time. What more could someone ask for?
But where’s the Dansk and other Danish tabletop accessories that were so popular in the early 60s? The Draper home is stuck solidly in the 50s, with traditional decor mixed with splashes of atomic age color. Wouldn’t you love to see a plot line with Betty Draper visiting the city and having a truckload of Danish Modern housewares delivered to their upstate home? Maybe she could buy it from the fictitious Menkin’s Deptartment Store – run by her husband’s Jewish crush – to add some drama to the plot.
Of course, the Draper home is not furnished with the latest fashion for a reason. The Draper’s traditional home design acts a stark contrast to the modern office to parallel the difference of Draper as a family man vs. advertising executive on many levels. The LA Times actually wrote an article about this last year, and AMC’s promo shot uses this contrast to promote the show (they are as savvy as Don Draper, apparently). At least we get to revel in the streamlined design of the Sterling Cooper Agency offices.
Don’t know about Mad Men? Missed the first season? It is out on DVD in a super cool package.
Did anyone notice Pete and Trudy had teak salt and peppers on their dining room table on season 2, episode 5? They weren’t Dansk so they don’t warrant their own post – but it’s close. They also had some cool stoneware in their china cabinet and other mod accessories in their home.