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

This 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.

There is so much to love about this room, including:

• The floor, of course – interesting how the neutral grey works just fine with the orange and chartreuse paint, fabric and accessories
• The fireplace wall is cork, the ad says. Very cool
• The wall-to-floor pinch-pleat draperies are retro necessities
• I love the built in just left of the chartreuse slipper chair, foreground left
• The plants are very modern – remember, a Monsterosa is a must for any god fearing mid century interior!
• That’s a paneled room behind the drapery to the left.
• And check out the headless statue in the extreme foreground at the right. Freaky!

Freaky head aside – how could you NOT be happy in this room? Banish the beige, guys!

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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.

Let’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.

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Femme 1 sends us our item of the day – coincidentally, from reader Ronn Ives’ shop, Futures Antiques. Femme1 says:

I’ve just been looking online at some of the older furniture sites I used to check. You might like this sofa. This is a great site–Futures– and the guy who runs it has been around a long time.

Thanks, Femme1: Here’s Ronn’s listing along with the link…this is indeed a beauty!:

Early 1950’s sofa

Early 1950’s “strawberry-chocolate malt” colored herculon sofa, with stylized leaf/floral pattern. One small stain on the underside of one seat cushion. Everything else is 100 point condition. 29″ high, 31″ deep, 76″ long. 275.00, HO29939

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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.

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

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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!

Click 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.

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Beautiful 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.

Meanwhile, see this set — and the seller’s store. I understand that the Buy It Now is $1,500 for both, a great price for new furniture. Or — work with him and go it in the upholstery of your choice!

I’m posting this for short-term ebay – but also keeping it in our Furniture/Living Room/Basement catalog for everyone’s forever reference.

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