These cute build-it-yourself 1950s cabins exemplify midcentury architecture and design — in a mini format.
home decor
New York City’s luxurious old Waldorf-Astoria hotel was among America’s first big hotels. When it was built during the Victorian era, it was considered the finest hotel in the world – and soon became the most famous, too.
Supergraphics: The epitome of 1970s charm Warning! Scrolling too fast through this post may induce a psychedelic experience! With that out of the way… The
This huge collection of 1940s vintage wallpaper samples show the decade was more colorful than you’d imagine from seeing just black and white photos. Take a look back!
With its gold edging and hardware, this style of French-inspired furniture design was popular for homes in the ’60s and into the ’70s. Take a look!
Looking at these 1950s bathroom color schemes, you’ll see that the look of white, stark home decor was quickly disappearing. In its wake was a trend toward colorful designs. Take a look!
The A-frame house design is a tried and true style, and was especially popular for second homes and vacation cabins in the ’60s. See several retro A-frames here!
These bold and bright retro 1970s sheet sets and bedding ensembles delightfully epitomize the colorful fashions – both in home decor and clothing – of the groovy years.
On TV, the I Dream of Jeannie bottle was magical – from the pretty painted outside to the plush, jeweled interior. Find out about the wizardry that made it work!
We’ve collected photos of vintage brick fireplaces from the 1940s through the 1970s, showing these fireplaces have been integrated into decor over those inspiring mid-century decades – and still maintain their charm as the warming heart of any home.
Try this beautiful melted bead suncatcher DIY! These decorative plastic crafts can even be embedded with foil, glass nuggets, marbles, shells, and more for countless interesting designs.
Whether you’re looking back to yesteryear to remember kids room decor of your childhood, or are thinking about recreating one of these looks today, we have a few dozen ideas for you!
Here are more than 100 colorful antique fabrics from right around the turn of the century – bright and bold vintage textiles that feature florals, tiny patterns, plaids, stripes, dots, paisley and other beautiful classic designs.
The best part of this collection of vintage calendar towels is remembering the ones from years ago – just like our moms, aunts and grandmothers used to have in their kitchens.
Here’s a collection of gingerbread houses to inspire you this holiday: a fairy-tale cottage, half-timbered country house, marvelous Victorian mansion, and many more – along with details on how to make your own classic gingerbread house.
Take a look at these beautiful sequined ornaments and beaded fruit crafts from the 1960s & 1970s for a little DIY inspiration!
You could spot that Laura Ashley Home vibe at a glance – those patterns (often florals) with a warm and cozy English country feel. And in the 80s and 90s, Americans loved them. See dozens of vintage LAH styles here.
Here, remember a few of the vintage colored paper towels that almost every home in America had hanging in their kitchen, in a wide range of now-rare colors & patterns!
Spreckels Mansion – aka The Sugar Palace – was a completely over-the-top late Victorian home, was the luxurious residence of one of San Francisco’s wealthiest men at the time. Take a look back at the original version of this house!
Ever since the 80s, the iconic conversation pit has seemed hopelessly out-of-date. Could it be poised for a comeback?
Check out some of the ways home builders incorporated decorative concrete block designs into the walled terraces and indoor design features of mid-century modern homes.
You couldn’t tell a 50s housewife that pastel pink washers and dryers weren’t practical, or that they wouldn’t still be fashionable in a decade. The appliances were stylish and pretty right then and there, at least to millions of women at the time.
This Tucson, Arizona, kitchen from 1965, wasn’t a traditional Mexican-inspired kitchen, but shimmered with a familiar Mexican decorative material – embossed tin – put to highly inventive use
Do you remember these flower-shaped bathtub stickers? It seems like all the parents in the late 60s & early 70s had some of these popular colorful non-slip Rubbermaid appliques on their tub.
A contemporary black 60s kitchen with a number of wide-open spaces became more intimate and more restful when lined with subtly glowing color.
This dramatic circular kitchen, inspired perhaps by contemporary theatres in the round, was a superb example of a smoothly-functioning kitchen back when it was built in 1968.
From the richly ornamental to the whimsical, old-fashioned wood porch bracket designs have enriched the faces of American houses for over a century.
Since modern and space-age decor is timeless, you’ll find these acrylic chairs are still in production! We’ve featured 14 of our favorites that you can find on sale today.
What was a classic Craftsman house like – and what made it unique? Find out more here about this vintage architectural style and its founder, Gustav Stickley – plus see more than 70 old examples of this iconic design.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Anyone obsessed with vintage Strawberry Shortcake probably dreamed of these pieces of sugary sweet delight featuring their favorite gal – dolls and toys, of course, but also bedding, wallpaper, roller skates and more.
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!
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 cheerful bedroom decor from the 60s was warm and sunny – aglow with yellow, the go-with-anything color.
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.
Light-reflecting textures of white brick walls and terrazzo floor picked up the green tints of foliage through the window wall that dominated this airy and bright 50s living room.
In this 1960s living room, the stucco walls were too damaged to wallpaper, so the homeowners hung printed fabric on the walls in a pattern that looked like a bold black and white tweed.
By placing two sofabeds in a 50s bedroom like this one, it could be converted into a sitting room – perfect for conversation or watching television with visiting friends.
This offbeat white-on-white living room shown was an almost total white entity, with opaque and luminous Plexiglas sofa platforms, glossy vinyl, matte walls, and a rug of satiny kidskins.
This deep blue dining room decor, with its navy blue walls, blue ceramic tile floor and shiny round royal blue table, had an effect that was somehow both dramatic and calming.
Several shades of green were in play on this 1960s kitchen island cooking center, in shades so vibrant, it couldn’t help but be the room’s focal point.
In this black & white entry hall from the late 60s, the tile squares were big and bold, and appeared below a a patterned wallpaper that was distinctly different from the floor’s design.
The soaring height of this tall mid century dining room brought light and air to both the main floor as well as to the upper level.
Plum – rich, dark, high-glaze- reflected all whites and brights in this passionately purple family room from the early 1970s.
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.
This elegantly decorated marble bathroom, clad in gold and black stone, was paneled with painted moldings in the Louis XVI style.
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.
Back in the late sixties, the most private room in this 300-year-old remodeled mill in Roxbury, Connecticut, was the relaxing attic retreat on the fourth floor.
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.
In a bid to make this 1950s tract house more functional – and help it to look a little less ordinary – a sunny living room makeover was in order.
In this gorgeous country-style dining room, the trestle table and ladderback chairs perfectly enhanced the charm of this mullioned window, and took advantage of a beautiful garden view.
Softly glowing textures of golden beige brick walls and silver-gray carpeting gave this large midcentury modern living room an intimate quality.
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.
His homeowner cleverly used framed butterfly prints to dramatize a long, blank wall – a feature common to the kind of calm 1950s living room found in many midcentury houses and apartments.
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.
