Retro space-age house porn with Lustron Homes

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#Decor & Decorating#mid-century modern#weird houses

My friend Rachel has a thing for Lustron homes. They’re these mod-looking houses built of pre-fabricated enameled steel. Fabricated only between 1948 and 1950, about 3,000 Lustrons were built — mostly in the US — and about 2,000 survive. They have crazy futuristc interiors with metal walls, and they were designed with space saving and efficiency in mind, so they have cool features like pocket doors. Lustrons were billed as sort of the the house of the future — maintenance-free, low-cost, fire-proof, rodent-proof. In the world of the future!

And luckily, Lustron has fans. Rachel sent me Lustron Connection, where I ogled photos of a handful of the houses. Click on any of the photos to visit each house’s group of more shots.

Oh, hai, Des Moines Lustron!
Each Lustron has its ID Plate installed in the laundry room.
Maybe you'd like one in this flavor instead. Unfortunately, not one of the original eight colors offered.

Just another round up of lovely, weird, awesome homes. Hope it satisfied today’s wanderlust. If not, see more at Lustron Connection.

About the Author: Cat Rocketship

I was the Managing Editor of Offbeat Home for a year and a half. I have a rich Internet life and also a pretty good real life. Hobbies include D&D, Twitter, and working on making our household more self-reliant. I also draw things.

Comments on Retro space-age house porn with Lustron Homes

  1. OMG! There is one of these in Morgantown WV! I drive by it every day on my way to work! I always wondered where they got their cool square siding. Now I know!

  7. I looked on the registry, and we have a few in our city, two are within walking distance of my home. I’m totally taking a sidewalk trip after work today.

  9. Oh my goodness! I think we have one in our neighborhood. We thought the steel siding was just another weird/cheap thing the people in our town do to their homes (like put up Masonite in the bathroom instead of real, waterproof tiles). Now I know!!

  10. why are these not still being made? they’re incredible and who doesn’t want “the home of the future”? of course, I wonder what it sounds like inside during a rain storm….
    thanks for the great post!

  12. More good stuff at Lustron Preservation: http://www.lustronpreservation.org/meet-the-lustrons/visual-guide-to-the-lustron

    There is a good documentary out there too, still waiting to get my hands on it: http://www.lustron.org/

    Lustron at MOMA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsbuZmsKGko

    Spread Lustron love. These houses are endangered. Learn how to be a Lustron Advocate: http://www.lustronpreservation.org/help-for-lustrons/advocacy-guide

  13. Glad to see your viewers are enjoying pictures at my Lustron websites–LustronConnection.ORG and LustronRegistry.ORG. Our traffic counter went off the charts today and visitors were coming from your page here. I wondered what the porn had to do with in your headline. Maybe a new meaning for the word? I live in a Lustron and magnet art is a big advantage. You can put a magnet anywhere. These Lustrons are holding up well. Modern metal homes are still made for hurricane prone areas and for people worried about other forces of destruction. They are made very strong.

    • I do believe “offbeat porn” [ie decor porn, floral porn, etc.] just means something visual that sets our brainbells a-ringing! Like “Ooo–look at that rack on her! That 1960’s cupboard is so SWEEET!!” If Lustron=house porn, that means they’re homes worth drooling over 😉
      Of course, correct me if I’m wrong..

  14. I will second the documentary recommendation. It really goes over the story of the rise and fall of the Lustron Company. (And answers the question as to why the Lustron brand homes aren’t made today).

  16. Ooh! The registry says there are 35+ in my state, 4 of which in my hometown. I think I’ll be searching the streets for these tomorrow 🙂 What a great mix of retro/modern. And I LOVE the orange paint job in the last photo.

  19. Dude, there are at least three of these in Fargo, ND (yes, Fargo!). They are not orange (alas), but the three I’ve seen are different colors. They always looked so cool and now I’m glad I got a chance to see some insides, too!

  20. We have two of these homes in Cedar Rapids, that we know of, and they are lovely little houses. But one is super cute! They have pink flamingos in the front yard, a teal vespa, and the owners who seem to be in their sixties totally embrace the mod feeling of their home. But the cutest thing that they do is every Christmas they put the classic “leg lamp” from A Christmas Story in their front window.

  21. After reading this article, I spotted a Lustron in my town. It is, unfortunately, empty with a sign on the door that looks like a foreclosure or eviction notice. Could be a Lustron on the market near Chicago, if there are Homies looking for one of their own…

  22. These are fab! We have lots of these in Ohio so I knew what they were, but I looked at the registry and sure enough, over 15 of them just in a half hour vicinity of me. Very cool. I have never seen the inside of one though. Great post!

  24. Our historical society in Columbus, OH has an entire Lustron house set up inside for tours right now as part of their 1950’s exhibit. Apparently, they were built locally. It was SO COOL!

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