nywf64.com — New York World’s Fair 1964/1965. The Website of America’s Space Age World’s Fair.
Formica at the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair

Living Room

Living Room

Floorplan featuring Living Room
Living Room
"The somewhat formal living room typifies the practical elegance newly achieved by man-made plastics and fibers. Wall paneling is Formica laminate forever-fresh in soft white, accented with gold. Carpet, drapery, and upholstery are of Creslan acrylic fiber soil- and wrinkle-resistant fabrics. The specially designed Native American furniture and all accessories and art objects...are creations of American artists and craftsmen derived from our own native traditions."

SOURCE: Souvenir Book, pp. 11-12

The "Native American" furniture mentioned above did NOT refer to actual Native American designs, but rather, in the words of Leo Jiranek, its creator, to "a unique cultural heritage, drawing inspiration from such contrasting elements as the old Indian frontier and the sleek sophistication of our great cities."

SOURCE: Souvenir Book, pp. 38-39 The comfortable armchair at right seems to owe much to the Craftsman movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the pattern on the attached table does indeed appear Navajo inspired.

Sofa Table & Chair
Coffee Table

"For a cocktail table, I found that the structural efficiency of a three-point pier - the same kind of pier that supports the Unisphere at the World's Fair - had appropriate dignity. A Formica screen-printed pattern in electric blue (it could also have been burnt orange or a vivid green in other color schemes) adds a strong, clear stroke to this room's subtle restraint." -Leo Jiranek, Designer

SOURCE: Souvenir Book, p. 40