As spring approached in 1958, Mrs. William Dee Ross and her son Dee, at age 5, graced the cover of The Register. At that time, the magazine cover was a primary advertising spot, and R. and O. Electric Company sought to showcase the newly installed Fedders air conditioner in the Ross’ home on Country Club Drive. While air conditioning was invented in the 1930s, it wasn’t until the 1960s that it became an everyday feature in most homes.

The Ross’ window unit was placed in a corner of their home just above an RCA Victor color television, which had debuted only four years earlier. “Mrs. Ross, gracefully combining the old with the new, designed her own home and had it built without the assistance of an architect,” the On Our Cover feature states, noting the home’s pink brick facade. Along with the technological wonders of the day, the Ross home featured her curated collection of bird figurines and demitasse cups. Her prized possessions, a pair of pink Venetian glass pheasants, sit atop the RCA for the photo.

The mid-century home of the future may have impressed guests with its gadgets, but for Mrs. Ross, they served as convenient and entertaining accoutrements to her artistic expression, which welcomed the new while honoring the charm of the old. The Ross home serves as a classic lesson in homemaking and a reminder that while the latest technology may provide comfort, it’s the hand of a homeowner that creates character.