These illustrations from the National Plan Service courtesy Indiana Coal & Lumber companay are idealistic – picture perfect – to be sure. Even so, they all include great little ideas to scrutinize and consider replicating in our own little jewel box 40s 50s and 60s ranches, colonials, capes, splits and contemporaries.

Some tips from this model:

• Color scheme – I personally am a huge fan of gold as a paint color for ranch homes.
• Cupola – a great great addition to a postwar ranch, cape or colonial
• Lots of cool ironwork – connected to lighting
• Note the mix of horizontal and vertical wood, stone, and fretwork above the picture window
• The glass block wondow near the little pine tree, and the window on the green mudroom door are delightful
• Ooooh, and look at the planter with horizontal, minimalistic trellis.

Related posts:

1. A 1950 American Dream home A little two-story colonial action from my stash of dream...
2. 1950 American dream houses – we start a new series This year I was really fortunate to nab a real...
3. A 1950 American Dream Home A second image from my collection of 1950 National Plan...

Following up on yesterday’s post about Nancy’s (popular!) kitchen project… and on our Monday blue Television Kitchen… here are kitchen cabinet paint colors straight out of 1953. Lots of good mix-and-match ideas.

I do want to point out that with two-tone kitchen cabinet combinations, you want your darker color on the bottom to ground or anchor the design. It’s interesting to study the color combo’s below – for their use of harmony … and contrast. Honestly, study these things – and over time your design-eye will sharpen! I do think there’s some innate ‘talent’ in design – but like most other pursuits, it’s 99% perspiration! Work hard, study hard, and your ‘instinct’ (and ‘luck’) will get better, ha.

Do you want to read more stories about paint colors? Click here.
To see my 1950s kitchen gallery — 200 images! — Click here.
Readers and their kitchens? Yup, click here.

Floors can be light or dark – one guide might be whether you want to bring sunshine (light) into the kitchen, or coziness (medium/dark).

One of the tips you also see written about a lot in the 50s – as everyone was learning to decorate, together — was to choose your principal color scheme based on the direction the room faced. That is, south- and western-facing kitchens will get a lot of sunlight — they will be “hot” — so to counter that, choose ‘cool’ colors… colors in the blue/cool spectrum. North-facing kitchens tend to feel “cold” because of the quality of the sunlight — so use red/hot colors there, to warm things up. Eastern-facing: flexible, ahhh… that morning sunshine! I’ll look for some info on this issue and feature more, in the future.

Related posts:

1. 10 color schemes from 1968 Well, the color schemes from this 1968 Sherwin Williams brochure...
2. Let’s help Veronica with paint color ideas for her 1976 kitchen Now that the holiday frenzy is kinda sorta dying down,...
3. Help Christa choose an exterior paint color for her 1961 house Since moving into her midcentury modest house a year ago, Christa...

The winter is starting to feel like it will never end, here in western Massachusetts. I am not complaining – it’s very pretty, and the rush of spring is like no other. Even so, it feels like time for a BLAST OF COLOR from the 50s. How exuberant are these 1955 Crawford garage doors? To be sure, by ’55 a family’s car was nearly as important as their house, it seems. So following that logic, why wouldn’t their garage door deserve the royal treatment, too?

Click thumbnail and it will enlarge on screen.

Related posts:

1. Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern paint colors: #1 for 50s style retro paint palette I love the Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern paint palette. I’ve...
2. Retro style wood cabinets for a 1950s or 60s kitchen renovation Steel kitchen cabinets are what started me on this road...
3. My “Luxe for Less” tips, retro renovation style Yahoo Finance is set for my homepage, because about 10...