1940’s Decorating Style

Elements of 1940s Retro Decorating Style

We’re launching this new decorating ideas blog series today. In each new post, we will be discussing the hot new trend of Retro Decorating. We intend to break down the elements of each decade to make retro decorating easier and more fun. Armed with this information, you can create rooms inspired by your favorite decade. We’ll explain how you can customize your retro-inspired design to look fresh and contemporary for today’s home. Our goal is to become your go-to source when looking for retro decorating ideas, guidelines and inspiration.

We hope you will send us your comments to let us know how you think we’re doing, what you’d like to see, or to share your great ideas.

To begin with, we think it is important to establish what the significant decorating elements are from each decade in order to give you ideas that will help you achieve the retro look you want. Today we will begin with the 1940s and work our way chronologically through the 1970s.

The elements of 1940s décor are:

Colors
Navy blue, sunshine yellow, red and white, light green.

Fabrics
Floral patterns, cherry and/or apple motifs, gingham or checks, chicken or rooster themes.

Furniture
Chrome dinette sets with Formica tabletops, glass drawer pulls, chrome and vinyl stools, also bentwood was coming into fashion.

Flooring
Linoleum in bold geometrics.

Décor Accessories
Canisters in chrome or enamel in a range of colors (especially red, white, cream or green). Metal breadbox, jadeite dishware, covered cake servers.

New Technologies
Wooden radio/phonograph consoles, covered televisions.

Overall Look
Early American, or “Colonial” was in vogue. Wooden furniture with floral fabrics, ruffles were all the rage. Interiors were not just functional but fun, now that WWII was over and people were enjoying life again. The days of rationing and frugality were over and people had money to spend on home interiors and electronics.

Next time we will look at the design elements of 1950s décor. And when we are finished with the overview of the decades, we will begin to look at new and exciting ways to incorporate retro design into your home using today’s decorating trends.