1950s
How to be a perfect ’50s housewife: Cleaning your home
Take a fun look back at the stereotypical ’50s housewife, as she vacuums in heels, washes dishes wearing pearls, and makes everything practically perfect.
Take a fun look back at the stereotypical ’50s housewife, as she vacuums in heels, washes dishes wearing pearls, and makes everything practically perfect.
Check out these groovy vintage sofas from the ’70s – curved models, sectionals, modular couches and a whole lot more that just screams retro.
See what retro inspiration you can get from the ’60s and ’70s with these kitchen cabinet facelift ideas that are perfect for the DIYer.
Charles Bronson has many houses and lives wherever filmmaking takes him, but this superstar is most “at home” in his Vermont farmhouse.
Here’s a look at actor, dancer & singer Gene Kelly’s house in Southern California, as it looked back in 1950, when he lived there with this wife and daughter.
Here is how the builders of this small home in the ’50s made the most of the space they had available! Take a look at the decor and floorplan here.
These retro yellow kitchens – in all their buttery, warm and sunny splendor – are here for the midcentury home decor enthusiast to appreciate!
From stylish room dividers to savvy storage to simple tips for making the most of a small home interior, get some ideas from the fifties for space-saving small home decor.
How to use washboards, wringers, manglers & other old-fashioned laundry equipment (1921) From The Cuba Daylight (Cuba, Kansas) April 22, 1921 Good equipment in the
These old-fashioned Dymo labelmakers were easy to use and affordable – which meant that these colorful plastic sticky labels used to be seen almost everywhere and on everything.
Take a 1950s home tour of a ‘junior five’ near San Francisco – a small house that had an entry stairway that starts at garage level and leads up to five rooms – bedrooms, kitchen, garage and more.
Back when cheap Halloween party decor was a distant dream, people had to make their Halloween decorations the old-fashioned way: by getting creative. Ghoul School 1919 is now in session!
Remember having fun in vintage playhouses & forts like these? Take a look back at some of these retro play structures through the decades, from the ’50s through the ’80s!
Take a look back at this collection of 60 vintage ’60s bathrooms for some authentically retro home decorating inspiration!
Here, remember a few of the vintage paper towels that almost every home in America had hanging in their kitchen, in plain white, colors & patterns!
Here’s a look back at singer and actor Bing Crosby’s house in Holmby Hills, California, as it appeared in 1950.
Here’s a peek into Judy Garland’s home – and life – during her first marriage to David Rose. Judy can be seen modeling some Valentine’s Day fashions, too!
Starting in 1914, there was a lot of hype about Old Gilbert, Arizona, a little town near Phoenix: ‘the fastest growing and most prosperous community in the Southwest.” See how it’s grown!
Decades ago, vintage table lighters like these ‘played an important part in the art of entertaining. The gracious, easy way to get a light if you smoke.’
How did people celebrate the spookiest holiday many generations ago? Look here for some very vintage – but hauntingly creative – old-school Halloween party table decor ideas & menus!
Decorated vintage bathroom sinks with designs that looked painted or stenciled on had some popularity in the ’60s, until less frilly designs were once again favored.
Take a look back at a few views of the pretty and peaceful backyard and the Kennedy family pool house behind the Virginia home known as Hickory Hill.
Of Gloria Steinem’s apartment in New York, the feminist icon wrote in 1970s that it offered cheerful rooms to live in and a private place to work. Take a look!
These vintage tips to identify antique silver come from the 1940s – and include diagrams, descriptions and photos of lots of vintage silverwork.
Vintage actor James Coburn’s home in 1970 was filled with exotic treasures from around the globe, and colors and patterns to match. Take a look!
Here’s a look at Cary Grant’s home – a 2-story, 12-room stucco house on the exclusive beach at Santa Monica, where the famous actor lived in the 1940s.
See some of the vintage baby gear from the 1950s that parents used when raising our parents and grandparents – including a lot that wouldn’t be considered safe today.
Inventor Thomas Edison’s mansion home in New Jersey housed both new inventions and priceless antiques – and was where his children were born, and where he died.
The home of vintage celebrities Mary Ann Mobley & Gary Collins in Beverly Hills was steeped in southern charm – and you can see it right here.
How did they decorate small homes back in the 1940s? Here’s a look at how career girl could set up her first apartment back during the post-war years.
Vintage Fenton glass – candy dishes, bowls, vases, lamps, baskets and more – came in milk glass and in radiant colors.
See more than 50 vintage Libbey glasses from the ’60s that you might remember – and probably miss having in your home!
These are the vintage alarm clocks – ranging from the mod to the digital – that used to wake people up during the workweek. Take a look!
These gorgeous vintage in-ground swimming pools go beyond the basic – with unusual shapes, specialty finishes, and other refreshingly retro ideas.
If you’re remodeling a 1950s home, advice from that decade says to, follow a simple, straightforward style. Your house will look better and cost less.
What is a mansard roof home – or a Second Empire-style house? Find out here, and take a look at more than 20 beautiful examples!
From the richly ornamental to the whimsical, old-fashioned wood porch bracket designs have enriched the faces of American houses for over a century.
See some old-fashioned gas ranges millions of people had in their homes in the ’50s – right around when electric appliances were becoming popular.
Warm up with a look back at 25 different beautiful old-fashioned fireplaces that were once found in homes across the US.
After years of growth, Detroit became a major transportation hub, and many gorgeous Victorian mansions were built for wealthy residents.
A hundred years ago, needle baths were popular in hotels and luxury homes. They were like a shower, but with a few basic differences. See some here.
This vintage mid-century modern show home – the House & Garden magazine Hallmark House for 1963 – offered nearly 5000 square feet of ’60s style.
Tide… for your cups and plates? Early versions of Tide detergent said right on the box that it would give you sparkling dishes in addition to clean clothes.
See several sets of authentic Victorian house paint color sample cards, showing how people back in the 1800s decorated their home exteriors!
Take a look back at these creative handmade vintage quilts from the ’70s. These are the 51 prize winners out of almost 10,000 entries.
The Rosedown mansion in Louisiana was built in 1835, and after eventually falling into disrepair, was renovated in the ’60s. Here’s a look inside!
When post-WWII prefab housing was becoming passe, in the ’50s, a new version of the prefab home emerged – the kind of home with many of the mid-century modern design ideas that would become popular over the next decade.
What was old bedroom decor like from the early 1900s? Here are some rooms from just after the turn of the century, from the simple to the super-floral.
What should you put in a hope chest? Linens and items for the home after the wedding, or clothing for the bride’s trousseau? Here are answers from 100 years ago!
These 60+ vintage patio furniture sets – charming tables, chairs, chaises and more – were as popular in the 1940s through the 1970s as they are now.
Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is filled with 999 retired spooks and spirits who have taken up permanent residence at this California theme park. Sneak a peek!
Take a look back at 20+ elegant antique bathrooms and decor from the turn of the century, many of which were intended for luxury homes.
130 vintage ’50s house plans used to build millions of mid-century homes we still live in today 
Women: Do you have the ideal figure? Here’s what ‘they’ thought in 1950 
Prohibition political cartoons (1927) 
’60s lingerie, pantyhose, girdles, garters & more from the 1968 Wards catalog 
8 rules of the vampire, according to Dracula (from 1901) Want to remember to remember? Our weekly newsletter shows you the latest vintage, old-fashioned & historic stuff that we have published or refreshed during the past seven days. Sign up here.
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