A number of readers asked if I could share more details about the content of my recent home show talks. I did not videotape them, because they are 30 minutes long or longer — and that does not make for good video. So over the next while, I instead will break the talks down into digestible, illustrated chunks. During my talks, I pretty much always strive to put mid-century design into historical context as I display vintage illustrations. And, I usually start at the beginning: the 1940s. Disclaimer up front: I don’t have a degree in this – I’m a passionate observer, who is still “putting all the pieces into place.”

In the immediate wake of the war’s end, there was a tremendous housing shortage. I’ve read that we needed to get 6 million homes built as quickly as possible. And I’ve even seen references indicating that the government was concerned that if we didn’t deal with the housing (and jobs) situation quickly enough, America’s young men would become restless and political – in a bad way. So we built houses as fast as we could. Usually: Very small houses by today’s standards, no more than 1,000 s.f. There were material shortages given all this construction… as evidenced in the 1946 Aladdin Homes customer letter, above. I also swear I’ve read somewhere that there were prohibitions on building more than one indoor bathroom at some point… I need to find the source.

Also, in terms of design, in this immediate postwar period, the “look” still tended to be similar to that of the late 1930s and wartime period. There had also been material shortages during the war, so manufacturers had put all their new-design work on hold. A good example: After the war, when Heywood Wakefield retooled its factories to again produce furniture, its Riviera line was really just the same, but with new handles, as the Rio line produced earlier.

Because of the shortage and ramping up from 1946 until 1952, these years are generally viewed at more “40s style” than “50s style.” (In his terrific book Populuxe, Thomas Hine looks at the 1953-1963 years, which were more exuberant.) So what did the 1946-1953 interior design look like? Here is additional explanation of the eight characteristics:

1. Innocent: When I look at some 1940s design, I see a real sweetness. We still were a nation in which the masses did not have a lot of material affluence. No clutter, far less excess. Thanks to Kohler for this 1949 image from their archives.
2. Sentimental: When the war ended, the nation was immensely grateful to have their men and women all back home. It had been five years of tremendous sacrifice. I see a lot of ads like this one, that celebrate the simple pleasures in life. Wallpaper is sweet, flowery.
3. Sunny: Kind of same as above. There was so much to be grateful for, that we did not necessarily need “more stuff” to be happier. One other thought is that we still were a nation with a lot of farmers and apartment dwellers – the spaces were small, money was tight, and as a result, interiors and their decorative appointments were simpler.

   Sanitary: White kitchen cabinets, or wood. Remember, we still were a nation concerned about vermin and disease, including polio. When your kitchen is white, you can see the dirt.

4. Patriotic: I see a lot of red-white-blue kitchen color combinations. In generally, I think I see richer colors – full-on primary colors and jewel tones – than in the later 1950s pastel period. I’ll attribute this to carryover 1930s preferences and to the influence of Hollywood, but there may have been other factors — there often are, often related to technological innovation.
5. Traditional: My mom, who grew up in the 40s, says the furniture was all dark wood where she lived in Pennsylvania – the influence of Europe, she recalls. Of course, we also had Heywood Wakefield blonde – but we also had colonial maple from Heywood Wakefield, Cushman, Willett and scores if not hundreds of small regional manufacturers. The more I explore the history of interior design – of all eras – the more convinced I become that: We are a traditional nation.
6. Hollywood glamour: Think Nick and Nora and the Thin Man. We did not get television until 1949… before that, our idols were often very glamorous. Remember women’s clothes from the 1940s – their hats and tailored suits and gloves and bags and hose, the whole very put-together thing? That’s the look I think of for 1940s bedrooms and living rooms – formal, very put together. In other rooms, we also may see large prints used on wallpaper and barkcloth pinch pleats, often tropical.
7. Streamline – deco – jazz age: Through to 1953, I think I see more high-contrast bathrooms. That is: black bullnose (or dark green or maroon bullnose, depending on the field tile color). Post-1953, the bullnose is less likely to be black and more likely to be the same color or a similarly toned contrast color, e.g. pink and mint, pink and robin’s egg, etc.

As part of my recent blog update… and now that I’m back from the home show… I’ll be working to ensure all stories are in the right categories so that they will be easier to search up on the blue navigation bar. Meanwhile,if the 1940s are your thing, take a look at the 1940s stories up in Browse STORIES so far.

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Let me take you on a little stroll though kitchen design history from the 1930s though the 1950s — with this terrific series of images from Kohler. Vicki Hafenstein of the media relations team at Kohler is really helpful and responsive, and quickly supplied these vintage kitchen photos and illustrations to help with the etsy.com video. She is also hunting some pink bathroom illustrations for my talk in Charlotte. I really appreciate your help, Vicki!  I also wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Kohler makes two hudee-rimmed porcelain-on-cast-iron sinks still available today — they would be my top choices for a Retro Renovation kitchen. Oh, and have I ever mentioned that when I found my 67 vintage Geneva steel kitchen cabinets, the former cooking-school set also came with four vintage, 42″ wide, double-bowl, hudee-ringed Kohler sinks? One is now installed in my kitchen.

These first three images show old, farmhouse style sinks. I don’t really understand the design evolution of sinks. I am pretty sure they were all heavy cast iron, because that was the dominant metal-making technology. Honestly, these have kind of a “trough” feel to me, I am guessing they are in fact derived from designs originally used on farms. I need to do more research… The design above shows how the sink was not necessarily integrated with the cabinets.

Here we have a little evolution – the sink at least is tucked along the same wall as the cabinets, and it has legs. Look at the deep bowl, which also has a hinged top.

This looks like a bungalow kitchen. You see further integration of the sink into the cabinetry — a clear line in the evolution of “fitted kitchens.”

I love this illustration, which I am guessing comes from the 40s, I’d say. The way the linoleum (probably) counter is fitted to the sink — with that stainless steel strip — is a giveaway that this is an earlier-postwar-era kitchen. Did you know that Kohler also made steel kitchen cabinets at one point? I am pretty sure these are theirs.

This looks to be the same sink as the one above – without the drainboards. Late 40s and early 50s kitchens were much more likely to have built-in banquettes or dinettes and such. Kind of a carryover from bungalows. As kitchen design progressed, it seems we moved to stand-alone dinettes. Maybe this derives from the fact there could be less craftsmanship as housing construction boomed. Bungalows were part of the “arts and crafts” era — a return to hand-made and craftsmanship in a backlash response to mass industrialization during the Victorian era. With the etsy.com handmade movement today, I think we are seeing a bit of this same sentiment.

The same kitchen, perhaps — but in a real-life installation (as opposed to an illustration).

Same kitchen as above, it appears – with Shirley Temple lookalike. Hey, and notice all the mid-century modern geraniums.

Ahhhh, notice that the sink has “lost” its integrated backsplash, and it’s set into the laminate countertop with its metal hudee ring. More design evolution. It’s like… monkees losing their tails and becoming… human!

We are into the heart of 1950s kitchens now, I think.

Woah, look at this beauty! Early 50s? Honestly, I don’t cook much, BUT it still seems that I am doing dishes all the time. I would REALLY love to have drainboards like this to the left and to the right. So practical for managing the dishes piling up, going through production, then over to drying.

Like this! Except that today, we compost all of our carrot peelings. Right, people?! Obviously, it’s impossible to say because this is a black-and-white photo, but: That sure looks like a colored sink to me. Let’s guess.

This is one of the two images from my collection of vintage Kohler ads. Gorgeous mid-century kitchen, isn’t it?

And this colonial modern Kohler kitchen (also from my collection) — one of my favorites of all time, truly.

Modern! Can anyone give me a date based on the oven?

Finally, I want to remind everyone that Kohler still makes two, metal-rimmed, cast-iron-on-porcelain kitchen sinks available today. The Delafield sink has two bowls, the Bakersfield, one. The list price from Kohler’s website is shown in the images above — but talk to your local retailers, I bet you can do better. You can see all my mid-century kitchen resources recommendations anytime over on my Product Guides: Kitchens Page.

 

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IN 1949, home interiors generally seemed to have a traditional look, and featured a soft and pretty palette, some jewel tones carried over from glamorous Hollywood, and of course, red-white-and-blue in the kitchens. Several of these images also suggest farmhouses and updating of older homes was a marketing focus — the Armstrong “Monowalls,” for example, are meant to cover failing plaster walls, I believe. Also, you don’t see much emphasis on technology — there a very few gizmos in the kitchen. In the bathroom — well, I think that many families were still getting their first bathroom.  And in the image above, the happy couple are multitasking that Simmons hide-a-bed, suggesting that this is a one-room apartment — something I think was pretty common due to a severe post-war housing shortage. In 1949 it didn’t take much to make us happy. We were still ramping up to our 1950s frenzy and the true launch of Consumer America. Click through for a slide show of  kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and more – 18 images in all.

 

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Continuing our mini-series on vintage stoves, ranges and ovens, here’s a 1946 Monarch-Paramount Roaster Range from the Malleable Iron Range Company, Beaver Dam,  Wisconsin. The first post-war year….you can see the simple, deco lines still in this stove. Love that roaster. You see the same style of feature – a recessed cooking well – but for soups and casseroele rather than roasts in many other stoves through at least the early ’50s.  Vintage Chambers stoves are famous for them, but I’ve seen them on other models as well.

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Quickly after World War II ended, Americans plowed right into making a wonderful new life for themselves – starting with building their dream kitchens, dream bathrooms – dream houses. Looking at periodicals from 1946, I can see a few distinct trends – this was a transitional period…you still see many Deco influences…you see a lot of primary colors…and definitely, interiors were “sweet”, although in ‘46 homeowners certainly would have declared them “modern.” Read on for ideas from each of six great interiors, including a bathroom, two living rooms and a bedroom. 1946 was a very good year!

Tips from the first kitchen image — isn’t the “life through a Pyrex pie plate” awesome?:

• This color combination: Dark cherry red linoleum countertops, primary green linoleum floor, white metal (or wood cabinets) with deco pulls seems to have been very, very common.
• In this image, you also see a light chartreuse green on the wall – this, or yellow, also seem to have been popular secondary colors.
• And flowered fabrics… These kitchens are pure prettiness. Image: Pyrex, of course.

Isn’t this Briggs Beautyware bathroom just gorgeous.  To be sure, there is a lot going on. Observations:

• Great color combination: beige – almost salmon tile, light baby blue (ala today’s “spa blue”), brown linoleum floor. The darker floor in both this image and the kitchen above “anchor” the rooms.
• Very ’40s: the fringy rug in front of the tub, striped and monogrammed towels, chenille-scalloped rug in front of the sink, tufted dressing chairs, and all the Carrera glass (used instead of tile on the walls).
• Last time I checked, today’s linoleum is not recommended for bathrooms – but if you are dedicated to keeping standing water off the floor – or want to use it in a 1/2 bath, go for it.
• Notice the full length mirror behind the dressing table at the far right.
• That full length drape – and of course, the glass block – both add to the luxe feel. Image: Briggs Plumbing.

• Blonde wood – similar to Heywood-Wakefield’s classic champagne (I believe) finish. This room definitely has a primary color feel.
• The lampshade: I’d call that “40s”…”waxed foil”?
• The patterned rug – definitely promoted heavily in the 40s.(You can see it in my header!)
• The built-in couch … a continuation straight of of 20s and 30s moderne designs

• Oh my gosh, oh so ’40s: lavendar walls, emerald green floors. Combining these “secondary” colors of the color wheel is always on the “recommended” lists that were so common during this period.
• Chintz draperies – scalloped valance
• Notice the Staffordshire dogs on the mantel – very classic.
• Not a ton of furniture in 40s interiors. (Today, our interiors are way jammed compared with the immediate postwar period.)
• Note the style of the deco club chairs. And, there’s a colonial wing chair in the foreground. Image: American Home.

• Here’s the purple/green color combo again.
• I’m calling the bedding: dove gray, although it’s hard to tell from this image.
• The wallpaper – very sweet, simple…and combined with the chintz curtains and scalloped valance (again…) even more so. Note: I’ve found some not-too-expensive wallpaper in this vein and will feature it soon. Image: American Home.

• Cabbage rose chintz pinch pleats with frilly undercurtains. American Home.

Remember this palette? It’s from the Church toilet seat company – and it captures the 40 palette very will indeed. Happy decorating all you owners of 40s homes… Jason K…Carleton Heights Girl… Neil.. and more! Ad: Church Plumbing.

 

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No question, it’s a little unsettling to read this ad from 1947-48, which underscores today’s perception that the 40s and 50s exerted too much pressure to conform to society norms — in this case, around personal hygiene. In reading about the period, the issue of ‘cleanliness’ seems to go a bit deeper than mere righteousness or intolerance.

Back to the day of Florence Nightingale there had been pressure to improve levels of cleanliness in order to combat disease. In the earlier days of America, norms around personal hygiene were quite loose – we were immigrant-pioneers trying to scratch out a living. Into the 20th century, as cities became more crowded…as more children stayed in school…and as men moved into jobs outside the home/farm…there was a major movement to tidy up and maintain good hygiene. Immigrants coming to America also were quickly socialized to these American ways, it was part of the melting pot assimilation. After World War II, with women pushed back into the home and men out in the workforce trying to nab a solid piece of the American dream, the focus on cleanliness and making a good first impression only strengthened.

Hey, did you now that “Keeping up with the Joneses” goes back way another 100 years, though?  It’s apocryphal (love that word), but it’s believed that the phrase was picked up after Edith Wharton’s spinster aunt Elizabeth Schermerhorn Jones built the original “McMansion” – named Wyndclyffe — in 1853.  Wall Street Journal. “It featured a four-story tower, 24 rooms, 80 acres of lawn and sweeping river views. After
its completion, turret towers and extra wings began ppearing on nearby homes – leading to the now-famous phrase, ‘keeping up ith the Joneses.’

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Dishmaster kitchen faucets are not only stylish — they are functional, too. In the postwar era, there was a Gadget Revolution, with an explosion of labor saving devicies for the kitchen, in particular. The Dishmaster fit right into that mold, promising to make a tedious task easier on your hands and enjoyable, even.

Ronda handles customer service at Silver Stream, which manufactures the Dishmaster today. And she underscores, that when the girls clean up at her house after Thanksgiving — everyone fights over who gets to use the Dishmaster. Now, doesn’t that sound fun?

With Christmas around the corner – consider Dishmasters for gifts for friends, family, “the house” — anyone moving into a new/old house or with a retro renovation kitchen project under way.

For sale at dishmaster-faucet.com.

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The 1940s saw all kinds of innovation that supposedly gave women the freedom to cavort around town all afternoon.

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Back in the day before the Surgeon General, technology still held the key to solving for cigarette dangers… Drowsy smokers? We’ve got you covered. This ad was a tiny PR placement in the 1947-48 winter/spring edition of Small Home Guide…turned up as I researched 1948 to mark launch of The Dishmaster.

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This week I will be spotlighting 1948 — the year that the world gave us The Dishmaster. What a great time this was for America. The war had ended…with peace and prosperity setting in for the first time in decades. It was also a time characterized by great faith in technology and invention.

And, it was a period of severe housing shortages. 1947 set a new record for home constuction – 750,000 new starts. And the industry could hardly believe the pace. As a result of all these convergences, there was a tremendous focus on innovation and efficiency in both building and outfitting homes.

It’s fun to look back – and see the awe that people had at features we take so much for granted today. Like the automatic garage door opener. Jee willikers, how the heck DOES it work? Click on the diagram below for a large view that explains all!

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