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Home / Decorating Resources / Wallpaper

1950s wallpaper — 52 new designs from Bradbury & Bradbury

pam kueber - August 11, 2021, Updated: August 26, 2021

If you want to embrace a 1950s look in your mid century home, adding a splash (or more) of 1950s wallpaper is an important tool in your tool box. I’m always entranced with historic designs, so it’s exciting indeed to see Bradbury & Bradbury come out with this new collection of 1950s wallpapers. These are reproductions of original designs from the 1950s — the collection just went live last night!

1950s wallpaper from Bradbury and Bradbury

What a spectacular wallpaper design! Atomic — with all those googie and nuclear shapes. But kind of homespun-whimsical, too — with the leaf designs. And of course: It comes in Mamie Pink. Two other colorways, too.

52 new wallpaper designs

I count 52 new (old) designs in the collection, made possible by today’s digital printers. This is Bradbury’s fourth such collection of reproduction vintage wallpapers. Within the past few years, they’ve also introduced collections of digitally printed 1920s wallpaper … 1930s wallpaper … and 1940s wallpaper. These, in addition to their established screen print designs.

Using 1950s wallpaper to create the color palette for a room

Back in the day, marketers were working overtime to help homemakers understand how to coordinate colors in their kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms — every room, and ceilings too!

Patterned wallpaper

A useful rule: Where’s your pattern? That is, look for one, key decorative item with a pattern in colors that please you — and build your room’s color palette from there. Usually, the wallpaper designers were astute in how they combined colors — take the lead from their selections.

The usual contenders for finding your pattern: Rugs, draperies, shower curtains — and wallpaper.

1950s wallpaper for a bathroom

This lily pad design — with its variety of coordinated colors — is a good example of using wallpaper to “find your pattern” to establish the color palette for a room. In a bathroom, for example, match it to aquamarine or pink tile, then use one or two of the other colors in the paper for accents.

Tone-on-Tone wallpaper

Of course, sometimes wallpapers have only one, or few colors. These tone-on-tone — or simpler-palette — wallpapers can help anchor a monochromatic decorating scheme… or in kitchens or bathrooms with white cabinets and fixtures.

1950s wallpaper from bradbury and bradbury

My foyer has white wainscoting a little less than half-way up the wall. Because of its touch of white, this vintage reproduction wallpaper would be quite welcoming… quite charming… there. This paper probably would not be considered ‘tone-on-tone’ because of the white and black, but it’s along that continuum.

More of my favorite 1950s wallpaper from the new collection:

midcentury reproduction wallpaper from Bradbury and Bradbury
I bet this leafy, modern design attracts lots of fans!
1950s wallpaper
I am declaring this pattern my favorite of the new collection. Again, me a big fan of tone on tones, and the illustrations in this design are simply delightful.
1950s wallpaper from bradbury and bradbury
Another lovely shade of green in this charming wallpaper pattern.

And here are some more in my new Gallery feature:

  • vintage childrens wallpaper
    Another adorable retro wallpaper for a child’s bedroom.
  • garden babes at play by bradbury and bradbury
    This 1950s wallpaper for children’s bedrooms or nurseries is whimsical and fun.
  • lace and roses on gingham wallpaper by bradbury and bradbury
    Lace and posies on blue gingham checks — a great wallpaper for a soothing bedroom.
  • cherries and gingham wallpaper from bradbury & bradbury
    The graphical combination of round apples and cherries… red gingham checks… all combined in hexagons… makes this a cheerful 1950s wallpaper for a kitchen.
  • 1950s wallpaper
    I like checkerboard wallpaper like this for ceilings. I think I may have used This Exact Design as one of the squares in my office remodel!
  • 1950s wallpaper
    Another lacy design. Very pretty for a bedroom or foyer or even a ceiling, I think.
  • butterflies wallpaper in blue from bradbury and bradbury
    Atomic motifs combine with a fluttering butterflies — mid mod AND cheery — a two for one design!
  • kitchy kitchen wallpaper in green from bradbury and bradbury
    I adore smaller scale patterns that are almost tone on tone. This would look great in a kitchen.
  • kitchy kitchen in pink wallpaper from bradbury and bradbury
    Another gorgeous tone-on-tone, this time in pink. A terrific design — well chosen, Bradbury & Bradbury!
  • quilted 1950s wallpaper
    Wallpaper that looks quilted — lovely for a bedroom.
  • 1950s wallpaper
    I’m seeing this elegant wallpaper in a bathroom.
  • mid century modern wallpaper
    This abstract reproduction wallpaper from the collection will appeal to mid century modern enthusiasts.
  • novelty wallpaper
    This folksy novelty design would look good in a kitchen, I think. Yes, it’s dark — but dark rooms can be so very cozy!
  • novelty wallpaper
    Again, almost tone-on-tone, this wallpaper features charming folks characters and scenes, on a classic aqua field.
  • 1950s wallpaper
    Get ready for a matchy matchy set. This one goes on the wall… >>>
  • 1950s wallpaper
    >>… and this one goes on the ceiling! Someone needs to do it! I would except that all my walls are already wallpapered!

So many wallpapers — not enough rooms to decorate!

Oh, and Bradbury & Bradbury reminds me: They offer most all these wallpapers (along with other of their designs) available as fabrics on spoonflower. All hail, the matchy matchy! And thank you, Bradbury & Bradbury, for the images and info!

Where to find the collections:

  • See the entire collection here.
  • Bradbury & Bradbury on spoonflower.

CATEGORIES:
Decorating Resources Wallpaper

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