What does this Door Chime have in common with this Pitcher?

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Robert Dobrin | 0 Comments

Rachel Delphia, a Curator at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Art was combing through the notes and drawings of one of the 20th Century's preeminent industrial designers in preparation for an exhibit. Serendipitously, Rachel found this post at ElectraChime's companion site, the Doorbell Museum.

The astute Curator instantly recognized the "Skyline" Door Chime as the work of Peter Muller-Munk. “The touchstone for him as a designer is the idea of bringing ‘beauty, reason and order’ to the rituals of everyday life,” Ms. Delphia told the New York Times. 

In November of 2015, this never-used Skyline will take it's place among Munk's other icons of design including the Normandie Pitcher. ElectraChime is honored to lend a hand toward furthering appreciation of Muller-Munk's work. 


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Posted in Door Chime History, doorbellmuseum.org, ElectraChime, Mid Century, Peter Muller-Munk

Noise Enemy Number 1—Door Chimes vs Doorbells

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Robert Dobrin | 0 Comments

In the 1930s, doorbells that rang like an alarm were considered at best, annoying, and at worst, as dangerous to ones health. After electric lights, doorbells were often the second residential electrical appliance in a home.  Early doorbells were exactly that:  bells which sounded like a fire alarm. Thus door chimes were marketed to combat  "Public Noise Enemy #1" and calm "Doorbell Nerves".

Sure, early doorbells alerted you that somebody was at the door but it was like hitting you over the head with a hammer!. In the 1930s door chimes saved the day by treating the world to a much more pleasant sound by striking one or more tubular bells or metal xylophone-like tone bars.

Today, door chimes produce the ubiquitous "ding-dong" sound we know today.  For more on the subject of door chimes vs doorbells,  please see the article on my sister site, the Doorbell Museum.


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Posted in Door bell nerves, door bells vs door chimes, DoorbellMuseum.org, history