Miniatures and Kitchen Planning in the Atomic Age

If you love miniatures, you know there’s magic in small scale. But did you know that, long before 3D modeling software and Pinterest boards, people used miniature furniture to design real kitchens?

Enter the “Plan Your Kitchen” Kit—a mid-century gem from the 1950s and '60s that’s part design tool, part collectible, and pure time capsule.

What Is It?

This clever kit came in a tidy box with a scaled kitchen floor grid and a set of plastic or cardboard furniture: base cabinets, wall cupboards, sinks, stoves, fridges—even corner units. All the pieces could be moved around the board to plan out your dream kitchen layout before making costly changes.

Think of it as a retro, analog version of The Sims—tactile, charming, and thoroughly functional.

The kit was primarily marketed to women, with the included brochure declaring:

"You're the professional with the biggest job of all—making a healthy, happy home for your husband and children."

Oof. We've come a long way, haven’t we?

But the gendered messaging doesn’t stop there. Financing the remodel, we’re told, was naturally the man’s concern:

"The first question that naturally comes to mind when the man of the house begins to think about kitchen modernization is, 'How do we pay for it?'"

At least he’s thinking in terms of we, right?

A Slice of Postwar History

After World War II, America was booming. Suburbs expanded, and the kitchen became the heart of the home. Efficiency and modern design were top priorities, and kits like this helped everyday families rethink their space.

The Plan Your Kitchen kit was one of the earliest examples of user-centered design thinking—decades before "UX" became a buzzword. It let users test layouts physically before committing, empowering them to make smarter, more personal decisions.

Miniatures With Purpose

While it might look like a toy, this kit was a serious planning tool. As kitchens moved from cluttered Victorian styles to streamlined modern designs, this kit helped users visualize everything from traffic flow to cabinetry placement.

One such kit is held by the Science Museum Group in the UK, dated between 1955 and 1965. Their broader kitchen collection shows how household tech evolved—from Victorian gas ovens to the sleek, multifunctional appliances of the 1950s. This kit fit right into that evolution, where aesthetics and function began to hold equal weight.

And the brochure? A gem on its own. It outlines the “kitchen triangle” design principle—placing sink, stove, and fridge in a triangle to optimize workflow. Funny how Ikea and Home Depot now share this as if it’s groundbreaking.

A Designer’s Playground

When I tried the kit myself, I followed the triangle guideline... briefly. Then I just had fun. Two stoves? Why not. Corner cabinets galore? Of course. More cupboards than I have dishes? Definitely. I’m no Donna Reed, but there was a real joy in seeing the possibilities, just like any great miniature set.

Big Design, Small Scale

Whether you're a collector, creator, or just a fan of tiny stories, the Plan Your Kitchen kit is a delightful reminder that great design often starts small.

Interested in owning your own slice of mid-century design history?

This Con Edison “Plan Your Kitchen” Kit can be yours for $40 plus shipping and handling. Let us know if you’re interested!