Swaths of fabric were used creatively in this apartment living room to create a space-age pad that was almost as exotic as a Bedouin tent.
Vintage homes & gardens
Having trouble figuring out the best colors for a dining room? We have some ideas for you, based on some great vintage home decor styles.
This wonderful antique wooden screen, made of five panels of very old French boiserie, dominated – and warmed – one side of this living room back in the 1960s.
If you love the mid-century style, or want to re-create that beautiful vintage backyard feel, get 47 of the best old-fashioned patio, deck & porch ideas here for a little retro inspo.
Space expanded in a small room when compact furniture was paired with visually expansive wall art — all created to decorate this space age small apartment back in 1970!
Built in a style that was super popular at the time, the midcentury stone fireplace didn’t appear overpowering, thanks to the lofty ceiling and extensive glass areas above it and on the sides.
Stained glass windows are back in style! Take a look at lots of gorgeous design examples, for churches, homes and businesses – plus get some historical perspective on stained and leaded glass art!
A smashing mix of style, color and pattern energized this small pink & yellow panda bedroom decor.
Here’s how one interior designer back in the early 1970s envisioned a retro-futuristic living room – a space filled with fashion-forward furnishings that were modern, fun and colorful.
During the height of milk glass popularity (it was a must-have in American homes from the 1920s through the 50s), 90 percent of Westmoreland’s production was the famous white glassware – and they made a lot of it.
Apparently stuck for a way to make toilet paper – particularly rolls of colored toilet tissue – more attractive to ’50s housewives, advertising executives turned to the world of glamour and fashion for an assist.
Here’s an inviting vintage boho-style tented nook that was created almost entirely with patterned fabrics and carpeting.
Once reserved for luxury backdrops, in the sixties, it wasn’t uncommon for fine eighteenth-century furniture to be set against walls of rough countryish texture. Here’s a look.
It’s a great idea to replace your vintage Corelle patterns like these with more modern and safer versions. We curated this great collection of modern-day Corelle dishware that has that retro style!
This vintage bedroom decor from the 1930s – which could have been for a guest bedroom or a mother-in-law’s suite – had decor elements unique to that decade: an intersection of art deco style and modern decor.
We remember getting drinks in glass tumblers that looked a lot more interesting than many of the plain drinking glasses you see today. We found these fantastic vintage-style (but brand-new) glassware sets you can get now! Check them out here.
Look back at adorable vintage 1950s nursery decor and furniture from the 50s, plus get advice from interior decorators about old-school baby bedrooms.
Do you remember how homes looked in the 1970s? Not the model homes but the real, houses everyday people lived in? Here, take a 1970s home tour, featuring photos not published before!
With clean lines and gentle curves, the minimalistic mid-century modern chair will never go out of style. Make a decor statement with one of these mid-century modern armchair styles you can buy now!
Take a look back at these old La-Z-Boy recliners and vintage easy chairs from the ’70s – the decade of the velvet and plaid reclining chairs!
Square and triangle patterned panels on the left wall of this retro geometric room inspired the fantastic color scheme that filled the rest of the walls.
The colors and shapes of the furniture used for this futuristic mod living room decor were fabulously vintage, in the space-age style so popular in the late 60s and early 70s.
In this contemporary home from the early 1950s, the beautiful red brick fireplace wall extended all the way beyond the cypress wood paneling on the high vaulted ceiling, and out over the lofty gabled slopes of the roof itself.
Jutting out from the corner wall of this cool, contemporary living room was a fireplace and chimney of very neatly laid natural grey stone.
The white brick fireplace effectively divided the living room from the dining room without obstructing the flow of traffic. It was massive, but the overall spaciousness of the combined areas kept it in scale with the rest of the house.
This large two-sided stone fireplace was perfect for its setting – the double-duty living room of a home in Lake Tahoe, seen here as it was back in the early 1960s.
This minimalist dining room’s furniture was designed by mid-century modern architect T H Robsjohn-Gibbings, one of the major influencers of the contemporary era.
In this kids’ bedroom from the mid-60s, a brilliant boho-style wallpaper in watermelon shades of pink and green enchantingly decorated this cozy boho bed alcove.
A medley of the multiple variations of yellow-green was captured in a patterned print and used extensively in this 1960s green paisley living room.
A small white birch tree was brought inside to live in a planter on this elevated and carpeted indoor terrace – a peaceful, pretty and very retro addition to a home that was decorated in the mid-1960s.
What this retro family room needed was color, pattern, and texture. And it definitely got it, going from bland neutrals to colorful super 70s home decor!
In this purple & white guest room bedroom from 1942, a lavender floral pattern sang out from the curtains, the chaise lounge, the bed, and the walls.
Here’s how this bold and beautiful art deco living room decor was created inside the opulent East 57th Street apartment of 1930s writer Katharine Brush.
In the living room of this luxurious old New York City apartment, shades of rosy and shell pinks created a cheerful atmosphere for traditional furniture.
The basic simplicity of this refined living room decor, seen here as it was in the 1950s, brought out the elegance of choice European antiques – furniture with graceful lines.
When this Northern California home was renovated and redecorated back in the mid-1960s, the owners added a charming circular stone fire pit right in the middle of the room.
A contemporary overscaled paisley pattern splashed with lotus blossoms was a vital part of this 1960s home’s colorfully eclectic dining room decor.
In this 1960s brown living room, the sweeping impact of the carpet made a neutral monochromatic color scheme come alive – and set the decorating mood of the entire room.
A central feature of this impressive mid-century modern living room was the huge, two-story fireplace that reached right up into the very peak of the vaulted ceiling.
In this room from the mid-1950s, a striking harlequin pattern wallpaper, as dramatic as gift wrapping, lined one side of a small dining room.
Stylized blossoms centered in twined hearts – in fabric form – swept over walls, bedspreads, curtains, and window shades in this pretty 1960s dormer bedroom.
Natural materials like wicker and rattan have an almost magical ability to create a tropical feel year-round, indoors and out. That was certainly the case with this lounge setup, seen here back in the mid-1950s.
When decorating this spectacularly pink living room back in 1969, the interior designers said that one of the most effective and most versatile was to apply color in the form of a pattern.
Near the very contemporary and quite airy white fireplace, there were charming bursts of bright color from the pair of yellow modern chairs and the royal blue stool.
Wallpaper with an open mesh wicker weave pattern of yellow on white covered the walls, and established the basis of the warm country-style bathroom decor.
The freshness of growing plants and striped shades on this peppermint-striped sun porch created a relaxing view from a simple but formal dining room.
In this mirror wall kitchen from the 1960s, the reflective doors at the end of the room opened to reveal major storage – a full-height pantry or a great place to keep glassware.
This dining room had contemporary decor with old Persian style, as it was decorated in a vintage Arabesque design in reds, browns, oranges and yellows, spiked with blue.
Mirrors, soft textures and pale colors – plus some unique decorative elements – brought a look of classic sophistication to this elegant 1940s living room.
This wood-paneled 1940s house was held up as a fine example of the maturing character of American Modern architecture. It used no line or material that was not necessary.
This vintage living room decor was set in front of one of this home’s most impressive architectural features: the wide, ceiling-height masonry fireplace wall.
In this dramatic vintage 1930s dining room , the eyecatching starburst stripes of the silver and black linoleum flooring led outward, while the hint of a garden outside the window led still outward to more open space.
Full of candy colors, this cheerful open-air bubblegum pink sunroom from the 70s was set up to make it easy to have a little party any time.
This retro 70s party-friendly family room could easily host guests and after-dinner coffee — it was a family room (or living room) with definite pizzazz.
A simple decorative feature – a dining room’s mirrored wall – didn’t just add luster and elegance, but also helped fool the eye to make it look like a smaller space was really a lot larger.
Spirits soared as high as the tall ceiling when entering this spring-bright midcentury modern living room — the tall glass gables made it bright and airy all year round.
In this old plantation home, renovated in the early 1950s, old carpet and old wallpaper were faithfully reproduced to help restore the glory of the original hallway, with its graceful double staircase.
The fab furnishings in this super pink 70s bedroom were split between the traditional and trendy – classic pine furniture, plus a lucite and chrome bed you just don’t see every day.
First of all, there was the focal point of this stylish contemporary 1960s living room: the stone fireplace wall with floor-to-ceiling plants growing on either side of the hearth.
This space once looked small and cluttered, but the space was cleared out and completely renovated back in the mid-1950s – and this summery blue & white 50s living room was the end result.
A frame of sunshine colors softened the view of the sliding glass doors in this poolside party room without impeding either the view or traffic to the terrace.
A two-sided stone fireplace sat between this renovated home’s solarium and game room. It featured a modern style molded plaster hood, and an elevated round marble hearth.
This cozy retro carpeted conversation pit with comfortable built-in sofas drew party guests irresistibly toward the hearth of this dramatic living room from the 60s.
In the transformation of this 1940s-style living room, the color idea came first, and you can see for yourself how the simple recipe of pink and blue-green succeeded.
When you look at this vintage home decor from the sixties, you’ll see that the timbered finishes plus team USA colors combined to give this living room a unique feel – a little like modern style met Americana.
To make this roof-high fieldstone fireplace look as if it had always been there, during the home’s renovation in the 60s, it was constructed of the same material as the tall old walls.
Where this retro op-art fireplace ended at the top of the wall, a designer added more plaster to match the rest of the chimney breast, curving it up onto the ceiling.
As space and simplicity were the goals of this 1930s upscale modern living room, located in an apartment on Park Avenue in New York City, the designer created a color scheme mostly in slate blue.
With just a travertine-topped table, four chairs, a four-door cabinet, and two daybeds, the designer of this vintage 1960s beachside living room achieved a look of remarkable opulence.
A dramatic peaked ceiling and window wall were the most striking features of the living room in a vintage A-frame house. Find out more here!
Here’s an idea from the 1950s: To gain year-round use from a porch, or to convert an old sunporch, why not make it into a conservatory living room or family room?
Massive beams gave solidity to this contemporary living room, bringing it into line – literally and figuratively – with the fireplace wall and the generous hearth.
Drapes, sheers and aluminum window blinds were the window treatment trends of the 60s and 70s, but some people got way more creative. Get some inspiration from this unique mid-century window decor.
This large master bedroom from the 1960s was decorated with several spirited colors, and had as its centerpiece a beautiful hot pink chaise lounge.
Brown was considered a popular midcentury modern color, so Bloomingdale’s put together this contemporary 1960s living room decor that made the most of the rich tone.
A hot orange color was used full force in this 1960s living room, where color spotlighted the fireplace and set off the accessories above the mantel.
This mid century modern dinette set was from around the time when mod design became widely available with a range of colors and shapes, and was much more affordable than before.
In this calming and serene green retreat from the 60s, the furniture was traditional rather than modern — overstuffed armchairs, graceful antique tables of dark wood, a crystal chandelier.
Vintage Williamsburg Restoration furnishings were used to decorate this modern semicircular dining room in a two-story-high space.
One important ingredient for this simple retro mod living room: the high walls and ceilings were all painted white wood, giving the tall room a spacious feel.
From the vermillion living room to the elegant foyer, this 1960s New York home had played-to-the-hilt, marvelously uninhibited color.
This living room was mostly decked out in earth tones, but went beyond the usual with two cozy cubic cantilevered chairs that somehow made a seat made of squares seem comfortable.
In this 1970s home, a colorful peacock wallpaper pattern was the springboard for a fanciful hallway design.
A personal room that invited family or friends, this cozy sunroom from the 70s was a dazzle of color – but the colors never intimidated, never overpowered.
In this lavender bedroom, a pale purple cotton was applied to walls over cotton batting, surrounding the room in a cocoon of visual warmth.
By using a colorful antique rug below a dado rail, the homeowners added so much decorative flair to this space – texture, pattern, color – and it definitely became a conversation piece.
Here’s a gorgeous home from 1959 that featured a conversation pit by a fireplace – one example of a luxurious vintage midcentury modern home admired all these decades later.
More than just a place to sleep, this mid-century contemporary bedroom from 1967 had a wide view, thanks to a wall of glass that ran from floor to ceiling.
This vibrantly colored dining room from the sixties was arranged into a diamond shape by an unusual screen made of linked aluminum strips.
A lively white and poppy red print called “Provincial” diminished the bad points of an awkward space when it was converted into this fab family room back in the early 1960s.
As one retailer selling this blue tie-dyed sofa said at the time, ‘The bolts of blue lighting in this unusual and dramatic resist-dyed fabric will knock you out.’
This cozy vintage living room decor from the late 1930s/early 1940s featured the kind of clean, crisp lines popular in early modern decor.
Two vintage bamboo screens worked together to create a feature wall for this 1960s dining room – and in the process, covered up a window with no view to speak of.
In this radiant 1960s yellow dining room, the largest areas of color fell in two unexpected places to create a flood of sunshine distilled by two different versions of the color, Goldfinch and Lemon Peel.
For this kitchen from the late sixties, the typical style was replaced with fresh green and white swappable cabinet decor, inspired by Florida’s lush landscape.
This Early American-themed powder room, seen here as it was back in 1966, showed how wallpaper could be used in truly creative ways that went far beyond the usual.
The upward sweep of this ocean view living room was shaped by red laminated wood beams that curved up to disappear into the vortex of the skylighted cupola.
Love a nostalgic look? Check out this creative home decor from the 1950s! This cute and clever kids’ bedroom with corner bunk beds was a cozy space for two.
