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!
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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.
From the sixties: You will be delighted at the wide variety of things to do and see all year ’round in Outdoor Mississippi. Hundreds of lakes and rivers, five huge reservoir playgrounds, fourteen state parks and, of course, the glamorous and famous Gulf Coast.
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.
There was no question that these 1950s gloves for women were stylish – but they were also a required accessory for any proper lady. See pictures of dozens of styles, plus get vintage fashion tips & glove etiquette.
Hot buttered tomato juice is a surprising ‘wow.’ Butter blends the subtlety of oregano and the zip of Worcestershire with the goodness of tomato juice.
In 1975, Chrysler released the Cordoba – and sales were helped along by TV ads featuring the great Ricardo Montalban and his famous mention of the car’s soft Corinthian leather.
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.
The M1 helmet was a WW2 helmet used by the United States military in the 1940s, and the M1C helmet was designed especially for paratroopers. Take a look up-close, inside and out!
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.
Tilted rainbow jello layers form a striped color spectrum that delights the eye as well as the palate. Prepare several fruit flavors of jello for this fun dessert!
Check out some original ‘Wizard of Oz’ cast photos from 1903, and see if you don’t think the characters seem creepy — maybe even a little bit ghoulish.
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.
This gorgeous living room full of exotic color could have come out of a Venetian palazzo, with tall shutters, bold shades and a creative style.
Seen here after it was remodeled in 1965, this pumpkin orange kitchen also had a vintage black and white checkerboard pattern of vinyl floor tiles.
See all the bonus storage space built into this vintage hallway design – adjacent to and underneath the home’s main staircase.
When choosing how to accent this small yellow, green & orange bedroom with a single bed, the designers kept it simple by using a bright color scheme, and look that had a bit of a Southwestern flavor.
This decor from the early 1970s overflowed with a bold electric blue in many different textures, materials, and surfaces, making it look more like a living room art installation than a family home.
When this restored Victorian living room was made new again in the 1950s, the owners didn’t want to superimpose contemporary design on it, instead choosing to return it to its former glory.
This minimalist midcentury modern living room, cheerful and welcoming in character, left plenty of room for hospitality.
A room like this midcentury dining room, where you could eat in casual connection with the outdoors, underlined the biggest advantages of the relaxed suburban 1950s lifestyle.
See how little hand-painted paper was needed to endow this beautiful silver and blue vintage living room with the drama and importance of a mural.
On one side of a vintage living room from 1965 was this charming little garden view dining area. Take a look!
In this living room from the 60s, striped wallpaper and stylish home decor created an entry hall out of a plain wall area. Here’s how!
A masterly mix of patterns gave warmth and a sense of intimacy to this hug vintage Texas living room/great room.
This beautiful vintage 1930s green and white entry hall arch is reflected by a mirror, which was placed in a second archway set into the wall opposite.
The vintage screen made of circles could work as a DIY project – this eye-catching retro room divider was simply made with craft hoops and oak strips.
Radiant as an April morning, this 1930s guest bedroom extended a warm welcome with shades of coral pink and shimmering silver fabric.
Have a peek inside one of the private dining rooms at the Cosmopolitan Club in New York City, as seen back in the 1930s.
The bright and bold bursts of color used in this 1930s celebrity home helped make this pink & white vintage living room really stand out.
These vintage glass screen dividers, brilliantly decorated with undersea motifs, offered a beautiful and creative way to visually expand this space without adding a lot of weight.
Sunshine brightened this cheerful 1930s morning room – a sort of casual sitting room or family room, positioned in the home to catch the morning sun.
This kitchen stands out with its custom peninsula-style mix-bake center, offering everything from space to store and stir, to a cool white marble inset that’s perfect for rolling out dough.
In this home, every space, including the 1970s contemporary living room, had sliding glass doors, decks or balconies that opened up to the outdoors.
This shipshape gray-clad tiny guest bedroom for two was cleverly made from just a little bit of space. See how it was done!
This 1960s living room made from a terrace space was filled with bold contrasting animal print patterns that filled nearly every surface, but combined to create a luxuriously exotic tent-like atmosphere.
This beautiful mid-century modern curved mosaic tile bathroom was covered floor, countertops, walls and ceiling in an elegant light green and brown combo.
With the help of an interior decorator back in 1969, this psychedelic bathroom was transformed, by wallpaper and indoor-outdoor carpeting, into a trippy glory of patterned color.
This silvery and shiny bathroom decor from 1969 was once an interior designer’s concept of the ultimate in contemporary bathrooms.
There was nothing run of the mill about the decor of this unusual and enchanting modern living room. Here’s a look!
The walls of a 1950s buffet/bar area were finished with flat walnut paneling. Here’s how the designers created this dining area’s real midcentury modern look!
From boots to saddles, all of the elements of a luxury tack room made an appearance in this western-themed family room, made back in the 1970s for a family of fast-riding horse lovers.
A thick shag area rug sparked the spring-summer mood of the entire green dining nook, creating the kind of fabulously retro room you don’t see much today.
Positioned below a low ceiling’s white beams and planks, the triangular fireplace opening gave this home’s bohemian living room an eyecatching look.
This beautiful boho bathroom decor was created by none other than Gloria Vanderbilt Cooper back in the 70s, using a collection of flower prints she designed.
In this 1920s bedroom was gathered the most elegant of Hepplewhite fine antique furniture, richly inlaid with satinwood.
Beautiful wood ceilings, cabinetry and trim – all with the natural grain shining through – helped define the color scheme and midcentury feel of this 1950s dining area.
In this upbeat and friendly midcentury family room, multi-colored vinyl tile squares laid in a random pattern on the floor provided the fireworks.
A white and pink gingham checked fabric covered just about everything in the room, for a look that was, somehow, not quite as cloying as you might expect.
As seen back in 1967, this cool white apartment decor had decor that was crisp and invigorating – with bursts of yellow and green to warm it up.
The terraced family room was a tall recreation space that was really several rooms in one – a room for partying as well as family living.
The main working area in this bright and bold blueberry blue was designed to handle everything from a toasted cheese sandwich for one to a buffet dinner for fifty.
This colorful 1960s dining room for two took its inspiration from the brilliant shades woven into the wavy striped area rug.
This luxurious bathroom-dressing room was part of a high-end master suite built back in the 1950s, and even the most practical objects were aesthetic delights.
Porch dining – well, almost! A cheerful wallpaper mural gave this eating area off the kitchen an outdoor feeling, and the charm of a Parisian sidewalk cafe.
A fresh pattern on the wall – like this black & white wallpaper – works bigger decorating wonders than almost anything else you can do.
With the help of a daring, creative design team – and using nothing but fabric, paint, wallpaper, and pizazz – this dull old space was transformed into a comfy & colorful dining room.
Using the famous Mondrian-inspired interior design blocks of red, blue, yellow and white, these vintage 1970s cabinets and drawers took on new vibrant life as home decor with real function.
The color in this bedroom’s fanciful canopy-like trellis over the bed repeated the spectacular colors and shapes found in the large-scale floral patterned wallpaper.
In this simple, budget-friendly midcentury modern living room from the 1950s, a range of colors and textures played together harmoniously.
Take a look at these examples of old-fashioned bathroom tile style in one beautifully decorative bathroom from the 1930s.
Here’s a geometric graphic-clad sunken bed in a bright red room! The DIY decor for this 1973 bedroom was made from sheets, towels and carpeting.
A high-ceilinged gray 1940s living room formed the background for this selection of modern furniture with coordinated carpet and fabric.
In the early 1970s, an architect designed this dining room for a serene and luxurious city apartment, transforming the original rectangular shape with curving walls.
As many blues as the waters of the Caribbean was the color treatment of the beautiful 1930s drawing room shown here – a symphony in subtle blues and jade green.
This living room’s 7-panel diamond-patterned screen divider was painted in a variety of muted colors, and could perk up even the blandest space.
Totally carpeted in monochrome beige, this 1960s sunken living room conversation pit in a New York apartment living room provided a cloverleaf well of seating.
The basis of this retro paisley kitchen from 1966 was simple: white appliances and countertops, with teak-fronted cabinet doors. But then it got interesting.
This dusky blue mid century kitchen didn’t just look pretty. When it was built in the mid-1960s, it offered the most modern home conveniences available at the time.
This sweet red and blue prairie-style bedroom decor was echoed all over this space thanks to three different coordinating fabrics.
Black & white checkerboard patterns on the walls, the chairs and the sofas – some straight, some on a diagonal, some with fish-eye bulging effects – dressed up this retro 70s living room with graphic flair.
The decor of this pink and red 70s bedroom was one brilliant melange of peppery hot colors and a mix of exotic patterns – all done with fabrics.
This retro room’s imaginative midcentury modern luxury style decor was the complete package: simple but luxurious, unique but functional.
This beautiful Asian-themed 1950s bathroom decor was grey, white and aqua. The room’s tiles and wallpaper shared the same Chinese motif to great visual effect.
When the sun was shining and glimmering off the beaded glass curtains in this arched window, it almost looked like the entrance to a magical place.
