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50s design: 1952 living-dining room with great details

Posted by: • March 11, 2008

Continuing the theme of the week, another great interior to scrutinize and learn from.

1952 living room dining room by Armstrong

1950s living room dining room by ArmstrongThis 1952 living room dining room comes courtesy the interior designers at Armstrong Flooring. To be sure, this company had a massive influence via their advertising in establishing the postwar look. Seems like they were among the first to figure out that if you employed interior designers to finish a whole room — especially as it was a new look for America — it would be lots easier to sell the pieces — starting with the floor. Heck yeah there is more →

50s living room: A wonderful modern interior with the perfect colonial touch

Posted by: • March 10, 2008

I feel like I’ve been very focused on kitchens and bathrooms the past several months, so for the next several weeks I will be trying to spotlight a greater selection of 40s 50s and 60s living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms.

1952-duco-paint-living-room-dining-room

1952-duco-paint-living-room-dining-roomLet’s start with this amazing living room dining room from 1952. The color combination is simply mesmerizing – to me, at least. This particular shade of pink (touch of salmon?) is so inviting…its relationship to the paneled wall is brilliant – I would never have thought of trying this…and the ‘peek’ into the aquamarine kitchen is terrific, too.

Notice also how they’ve matched the floor-to-ceiling pinch pleat draperies to at least one chair, a classic designer trick. And last, I think it’s so wonderful how — again — they’ve included colonial details like the gorgeous oil painting and the dining room table (laquered in black to modernize it). This addition of the unexpected…makes this room all the more perfect.

50s retro equals Colonial, Provincial, Capes and Split Levels — too

Posted by: • March 3, 2008

1958-provincial-modern

One of my pet peeves is that decorating pundits always seem to associate 50s with only modern…atomic. In fact, colonial was wicked hot and even French provincial was extremely popular. It’s not that I don’t love atomic — I do. It’s just that, well — it didn’t rule. Those of us with Capes and Colonial and Split Levels — and the eclectic quasi traditional decor to go with them — are proudly postwar, too.

1958-provincial-modern

Those cool illustrations from 1958 showed housewives how they could take the same furniture and through accessories — swing either Modern or Provincial.

1958-provincial-modern

1953 storybook ranch home – envy strikes, bigtime!

Posted by: • January 26, 2008

I love my home and everything in it. But when I saw this house. OMG. This is what they call a “storybook ranch.” I suppose, for all the bric-a-brac trim… the mimicking of a Hansel and Gretel cottage. You think we are trying to relive the past with our kitsch? We have nothing on these people!

1953 storybook ranch home

1953 storybook ranch home yellow paintClick all photos to enlarge.

Note all the details – the mix of horizontal and vertical siding, the bracketed eaves, the decorative roof supports and the jutting roof line, the coach light, the shutters, the roof shingles and window ledges and different mullions on each window…and is that brick under the bay window? This design is all in the details! The living room is a 50s classic, too.

This just might be the most awesome 50s house of all time.

1953 storybook ranch home

50s style dogbone sofa and chair, Palm Springs Stephan has reproductions from this maker – today’s ebay pick

Posted by: • January 10, 2008

retro style 50s dogbone sofa

retro style 50s dogbone club chairBeautiful sofa and chair! These are new. But our good friend Palm Springs Stephan says that he bought his reproduction set from this furniture-maker upholsterer in metro Los Angeles – and that they are great pieces.

“He is located in a little shop down in Hollywood, and he specializes in reproduction mid century modern upholstered furniture. He is an excellent resource for reproduction items. I love my set!” Stephan says. Stephan also offers to send photos, and I’ll post them sometime soon.

Here is the furniture maker’s ebay seller’s name: http://myworld.ebay.com/corpheads … You can contact him via the ebay dashboard.