1940s decor 32 pages of designs and ideas from 1944

Table of Content

• Vintage Salzbuchstabe Federwaage Schwarz
• Vintage UNION D.R.Wz. Klemmbügel Holz 40er 50er Klemmleiste für Poster Bild Postkarte
• Stunning Ceramic Cake Or Pastry Plate, Checkered, Villeroy und Boch / Dresden / Germany, Decor Schotten, 1930‘s or 40‘s
• Fabelhafte späte 40er Jahre Tasche mit dramatischem Design, gute mittlere Größe - A stunner
• interior design — the 8 most popular looks

Furnishing those homes was another goal for many. Four rooms of furnishings was a substantial expense on top of the cost of the home to put them in. This example of a linoleum inlay works with the design and furniture layout of the room. We instantly know that the focal point of the room is the dining table and chairs — because it is in the center of the room and has been “pointed to” with the linoleum inlaid floor. It is only after we have taken in the table that our eyes wander to the red draperies, the pie cabinet and yes — the red ceiling.

Like you said though, all materials were quite scarce, with paint, papering and fabric creations being pretty much all there was to deal with. Fixing up an older house was a necessity — new housing starts were pretty much banned during the war. Also, if you lived near any industrial center, there was a chronic housing shortage — so being able to turn a room or attic into an apartment was really important.

Vintage Salzbuchstabe Federwaage Schwarz

Public Domain Mark 1.0This bathroom from 1946 has been done in a Colonial style with knotty pine, scallops, and Shaker-inspired fabrics. Knotty pine was often used in kitchens at the time, but was not often found as an element in bathrooms. The rectangle to the very left of the picture, right above the magazine rack, is a medicine cabinet. I think it will be easy to find new linoleum to fill in the edges of the kitchen as the kitchen floor has so many colors. I want to splurge on the coved edges and am oddly excited about that.

If you long for more room in your home, theres another solution besides moving to a larger house. Turn your living room into a lovely space that’s relaxing yet functional by selecting the right lighting. You not only have to pick a color but have to choose a finish and a brand as well. Decorating a small home might seem like a bit of a challenge at first.

Vintage UNION D.R.Wz. Klemmbügel Holz 40er 50er Klemmleiste für Poster Bild Postkarte

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. I see a lot of red-white-blue kitchen color combinations in the kitchens of 1940s homes. I also 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.

Even fabrics though were scarce, with the War Production boards putting clothing on the “endangered list,” declaring how clothing was to be constructed to conserve fabrics. Even the use of elastics even came under fire when the sources of natural rubber dried up because there were no more imports from the countries that produced it. Shoes came under the sharp eye of the Board, rationing leather, encouraging the fads of fabric sandals and espadrilles, fabric covered heels that were usually wood underneath, open toed shoes and so on. In the past I had bought wallpaper on clearance and found out it was so old the color was not still being used for accessories. I had a devil of a time finding drapery fabric!

Stunning Ceramic Cake Or Pastry Plate, Checkered, Villeroy und Boch / Dresden / Germany, Decor Schotten, 1930‘s or 40‘s

Oh, how we wish we could get this floor — and even more so, the famous #5352 — today. Our attic bedroom, 1940 cape cod attic turned master bedroom suite. Public Domain Mark 1.0In a period when books frequently lined the walls of homes, this 1940s home has a solid wall of books along the staircase. It's a classic look with bright, bold-statement splashes of red against blue that help catch visitors' attention the very moment they enter the home. Public Domain Mark 1.0In this kitchen, linoleum is used not just for the flooring, but for the sink surround and countertops.

To see all of Hazel Dell Brown’s thoughtful decorating solutions to common problems, view the slideshow below. Of course, I would not mind this kitchen, either. A family gathers around the living room TV set in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The Spruce is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family. Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years. There has been a lot of discussion in the past on gardenweb kitchens about it.

Rarely is linoleum found on kitchen countertops, even in the 1940s. Yet the designer noted that linoleum here would be "clatterproof, easy to clean, and resistant to stain." Even the scalloped swags near the ceiling were cut from linoleum. Public Domain Mark 1.0In this 1946 kitchen design, linoleum is the star since it is from a publication calledPortfolio of Room Interiors, produced by Armstrong World Industries Inc.

Three types of linoleum are combined to form this floor. Remember, we still were a nation concerned about vermin and disease, including polio. When your kitchen is white, you can see the dirt and crumbs — and get rid of them. There was so much to be grateful for, that we did not necessarily need “more stuff” to be happier. 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. Public Domain Mark 1.0This 1940s dining room style is up for interpretation.

It’s amazing how many interesting historical details you can glean from this brochure. I like the way the first photo is showing a kitchen set up to can tomatoes. We tore up the most kitchen carpeting ever in that room.

Here’s another thoughtful bathroom, packed with storage — notice how the tub is pretty much “built in” to the storage in front of it. This actually seems like a pretty darn good idea.