The 1962 Playboy Townhouse
“Posh Plans For Exciting Urban Living”! In a spread from the May 1962 issue of Playboy Magazine we catch a glimpse of a “modishly swinging manor for the modern man” — a three level dream-pad decked out in teak, where everything is controlled by remote. Step inside this impeccable (and surprisingly voguish) space to experience the fine art of leisurely living.
Though drafted in 1962 by architect-designer R. Donald Jaye for the “unattached, affluent young man happily wedded to the infinite advantages of urbia,” the sleek lines of this extravagant home appear remarkably modern. Placed on a 25-foot wide city lot, the townhouse is divided into three parts and centered around a full-sized, indoor swimming pool with a giant field stone wall stretching three stories up to a remote controlled sliding skylight. We were pleased to see some furniture favorites we’d happily welcome into our own home today — like the three legged Laverne chair, George Nelson bubble lamps, and plenty of good ole’ Knoll and Herman Miller.
The accompanying article reads as a “one-girl tour” of the swinging bachelor pad and begins the moment you park your Gran Turismo coupe in the two-car garage. From there you sweep your lady friend through the teak entry way and show off every inch of the home’s lavish offerings. With stops along the way to select an LP-tape from the automatic push button catalogue and sit at the 12 foot upholstered bar to sip frostily chilled martinis (most likely set out by the help who have quickly scurried back to their private quarters), the tour finishes with a demonstration of the patented Playboy Rotating Bed, which is…you guessed it…remote controlled.
Click here to view the Playboy Townhouse (originally scanned by Meathaus) in all its high-res glory, and special thanks to AndDouglasSays (a darling of our Tumblr dashboard) for this gem of a link.
Images: Playboy Magazine, May 1962