Through examples of stories about iconic products of the 20 th century consumer society (pressure cooker and washing machine), this article proposes to explore three types of stories: the story that creates opportunities for innovation (diffusion and acceptance), the story that legitimises and serves as a basis for innovation, and the story that makes innovation acceptable and overcomes fears. These three types of narratives have different functions and uses, which are essential elements for understanding the specific process of innovation in the world of household arts. The aim here is to examine the innovation discourses at work in this sector, which is marked by a "tradition-modernity" ambivalence, through the prism of narrative. How and why is innovation put into narrative? And in what way is the form of the narrative a vector for analysing the process of innovation in the history of techniques? What do these narratives tell us about the innovation process itself?