Siemens Toaster TT 8003, about 1970. Manufacturer: Siemens Elektrowerke GmbH, Germany. Photo: Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum (A. Laurenzo)
The FUTURO house by Matti Suuronen embodies in an especially striking manner the future visions of the 1960s – the era of space travel known as the “Space Age”. To accompany the presentation of the FUTURO we are showing a monthly selection of futurist, future-related design objects from our museum holdings. Our basic premise: every age has its own, sometimes highly different concepts of what is futuristic, and what is visionary.
Object in September: Siemens Toaster TT 8003
Design: Siemens
Draft: about 1970
Manufacturer: Siemens Elektrowerke GmbH, Germany
A toaster with a spaced out feeling!
Even traditional firms like Siemens drew on the visionary, sometimes psychedelic late 1960s, for example with their TT series.
What does it take?
A tulip base – either in white or orange – two chrome side slots for the toast, and depending on the model number a – variable Flower Power motif: the patterns ranged from large-format roses (white, orange, yellow, brown / TT 8000) via the mini bouquet (white, yellow, orange, red / TT 8002) to – in this case – the striking, psychedelic circular segments (white, yellow, orange, red and lilac / TT 8003).
How does it work?
First once everyone at the breakfast table, very much in keeping with the spirit of liberation of the day, had selected the degree of browning they desired for their bread (roll) using the slide control. Then an ingenious and today usually rather battered side tilting system offered the toast to the hungry breakfast guest as a standing rhomboid rack – which was incidentally very practical for removing the toasted items.