Designing the Future

     Pretend Vacation is watching Star Trek. From the beginning. Amid the incredibly tight close ups of Shatner's incredibly young face and the tiny, tiny mini-dresses worn by the ship's crew, I've been paying attention to the celestial accoutrements in each setting. From the Enterprise to the alien planet encampments, there's a lot of weird stuff lying about. All of this glassware, light fixtures, and furniture was selected by someone on the show's creative team in 1964. 

    The artistic directors, set designers, costume designers, and so on, all had to create a 23rd century future based only on the present and the past. Temporal limitations aside, the show also reflects alien cultures! Basically, they could do whatever they wanted because there were no right choices. And now, if we lean into the canon of the show, these items belong to both the 1960s and the 2300s, and all cultures, terrestrial or otherwise.

    There's an over baked lesson here about how the future can only be designed in the present using what we know from the past, but really, I just want to show you some funky glassware. I found all these items listed and sourced by Star Trek + Design, a fan-run site that logs the material design of Star Trek.

Bud Vase by Kosta Boda

    In 1964, this was a bud vase. In 2300, it's a shot glass. If I ever get my hands on one, it will be a 2021 shot glass. 

Tube Lamp by Roger Rougier

 So warm, so cozy! Sort of looks like bugs hatched out of it but in a good way! I would 100% put this in my apartment (or space lounge?), in both the present and future.

Serpentine Sectional by Milo Baughman

    I think Anthropolgie is still selling this couch. Would that I could. Implied within these design choices, and particularly this winding couch, is the development of space technology past the need for efficient use of space. That, or the discovery of an undeniable benefit to wasting space. Either way, what a future!

    I've limited myself to sharing only 3 pieces because if I didn't I would end up reposting the whole website here on the blog. Give it a look if you want a blast from the past and a peek at the future!

    Live long and prosper,

Claire