Page 139 - Demo

137Part of the appeal were the two-toned colour options, which included lime green and brown, blaze yellow and brown, and Carpentaria orange and %u2013 you guessed it %u2013 brown.In the glory years of instant co%u00a0ee, brands like Pablo, Nescaf%u00e9, Maxwell House and International Roast were being spooned into cups all over the country. Whether it was having a smoko at work, enjoying a post-coital heart starter or simply catching up for a gossip with Karen from next door, there%u2019s a good chance the KE 12 kettle was somewhere in the mix.The work of Melbourne industrial designer Barry Hudson, these kettles were manufactured by General Electric (GE), the American electrical conglomerate that had made history with the first television broadcast in 1928.As research and development manager at GE Australia, Hudson used advancing manufacturing techniques to get the kettle to market. Part of the appeal were the two-toned colour options, which included lime green and brown, blaze yellow and brown, and Carpentaria orange and%u00a0%u2013 you guessed it %u2013 brown.YEAR 1977DESIGNER Barry HudsonMANUFACTURER General ElectricFashionable and well designed, it pushed all the right buttons for the discerning hot-drink consumers of the 1970s, despite the fact that at certain angles the steam was prone to exit the spout, causing a little discomfort to the pouring hand. But hey, it was still less lethal than that tin of International Roast in the sta%u00a0room.Barry%u2019s much-loved design won him the coveted Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design in 1978, leaving one prominent rival complaining, %u2018I can%u2019t believe I%u2019ve just lost to a bloody kettle!%u2019