At first glance, the glass milk bottle seems like just a functional thing that belongs in the kitchen. Yet there is more to this simple object than you might suspect. After all, the designers of the Goed Wonen Foundation saw much more than just something functional in the milk bottle. For them, the milk bottle was the ultimate symbol of the modern era and also served as a test.

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The milkman

In the 1950s, milk was brought home by the milkman. The milkman was not the farmer who owned the cows, but a trader who delivered milk and milk products from farmers and dairies in surrounding regions to people's homes. Milk, buttermilk, yoghurt, custard and other liquid products were supplied in 1 litre glass milk bottles. After the milk products were consumed, the customer returned the empty milk bottles to the milkman. Delivery often took place by neighborhood, by cart or cargo bike. The milkman with milk bottles was an integral part of the daily street scene at that time. And it was thanks to that ordinariness that the milk bottle became a symbol of a certain zeitgeist.

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Deal with the bad taste

This was done by designer Wim den Boon, who, as editor of the magazine Goed Wonen, was an early part of the Goed Wonen Foundation. With the magazine, Stichting Goed Wonen spread its views on interior design for the modern era. Den Boon was convinced of the possibilities of raising people into people with good taste, and for him, that consisted of a sleek interior with multifunctional furniture. He was very excited about the then prevailing taste of the general public and the furniture industry; Persian rugs on the table and a house full of what he called frills. For him, this was “bad taste” and definitely “wrong” and it was a recurring theme in his articles. For example, he wrote: “The design of our home should be the honest expression of our personality and not a featureless collection of banal objects. Conventions and prejudices must be jettisoned; traditions should only be maintained insofar as we still regard them as a reality. '(Good Living, 1948, p. 167).

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Milk bottle test

Den Boon had a rather polite tone and strict vision. Indeed, for him, it was essential to convince the people to make modern choices when it comes to furnishing a home. Before that, he even went so far as to introduce a test: the milk bottle test. The milk bottle test was the way for Den Boon to check whether an interior met the regulations of the Goed Wonen Foundation: “This bottle is just a small thing in our society, yet it is typical of our time, of the state of our hygiene, our economy, our physics and chemistry, the level of our means of transport, of our art, of our social structure, in short: of our entire culture. If this bottle fits into your interior, it means that your interior is in line with our times, that your interior is good. If you think it is definitely necessary to pour the milk into a 'nice' jug first... then there is a mistake somewhere. Or with you, or with your interior. Because the bottle is good. '(Good Living, 1948, p. 88).

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Reflection of society

Den Boon saw the milk bottle as an ultimate product; an exemplary product. It was fellow designer and architect H.P. Berlage who inspired him to do this. During a visit to Egypt, Berlage had seen a woman draw water with a simple jug. In that jug, Berlage saw the entire Egyptian society reflected. The beautiful hand-made shape was perfect and showed the best this society had to offer. This inspired Den Boon to look for such an image for Dutch society, an image in which function, art and technology came together. He found that in the milk bottle. In addition to being a functional object, the milk bottle also became a symbol of the modern era. According to Den Boon, people were able to easily assess whether their interior was' good 'or' wrong 'using the milk bottle test at home.

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Writing history

By the way, the test was never a great success. Den Boon also received a lot of criticism for his very extreme attitude and oppressive tone and was expelled from the foundation. However, he did make history with his milk bottle test, as the milk bottle was regularly featured in later issues of the foundation.