On display at MoMA is this radical kitchen design. Guess the date of the design and win a prize.

I lied about the prize. But it was designed in 1926 by Margarete (Grete) Schütte-Lihotzky, and installed in high numbers in affordable housing schemes in Frankfurt. It was designed around theories of efficiency, hygiene, and workflow, and after lengthy interviews with housewives and women’s groups. Schütte- Lihotzky believed that “women’s struggle for economic independence and personal development meant that the rationalization of housework was an absolute necessity.” Right on.

Looking at many of today’s kitchens, especially Ikea, you can see how many of her ideas are still in use. Plus, read her Wiki entry for the extraordinary story of her life, and the enchanting information that she ‘celebrated her 100th birthday by dancing a short waltz.’ You can do that, you see, if you have an ergonomic kitchen.