Here is our latest article for Vintage Life magazine with ideas of how to create a 1950s home with the must have items from the day.

Homes in the 1950′s were evolving fast. The Festival of Britain in 1951 showed the world that we had style and with rationing ending in 1954, we began to embrace a new look in our homes. Here are our “must have” items to recreate this fun and sometimes kitsch look.

Barware. In the 50s families loved spending a week in holiday camps. Butlins was the favourite with millions of people holidaying there every year. The bar was not only a place to relax and enjoy a tipple, but somewhere you could truly escape British life. Often decorated as a tropical Hawaiian beach hut complete with hula girls and pineapple ice buckets, holiday makers chose to recreate this look on return home.

Vintage barware is easily found and will add humour to your lounge. Choose fruity ice buckets, candy coloured shot glasses and bright soda syphons. Babycham was the glamorous drink of the decade and no home should be without a cute deer prancing on the side of a champagne bowl. If you dare, get a bar or cocktail cabinet to hold all your collection.

Atomic ball feet.  The Festival of Britain wasn’t just about design, it was also about science. Displays revealed for the first time molecular structures which in turn inspired our interiors. The love of space and all things unknown was becoming a  fascination which would continue throughout the 60s. So many decorative yet functional items in the home had primary coloured ball feet, alluding to what was learnt at the festival. Magazine racks, wall hooks..even waste paper bins can be found and are a perfect yet practical 1950s addition to your home.

Ceramics. People still drank their tea from a floral china cup but they were beginning to move towards a  modern pattern that would become the norm in the 60s. The most recognisable design was called Homemaker by Ridgeway; black and white with hand drawn images of  fashionable furniture styles. A Robin Day chair, a long sideboard and a sofa are sketchily drawn on the white ceramic. Designed in 1956, they became the first mass produced tableware sold through Woolworths.

photo coutesy of Lauren Sutherland, Poppy Lauren Vintage

These are not easily found and are quite collectable which is surprising since so many were made. However, they will look great contrasting against candy coloured 1950s kitchenalia and are a must have for this look.

The original flat packed furniture. Flat packed furniture has been around since the 50s with kits available so you could build your own. These were primarily coffee table tops with shiny black screw on legs and metal feet. A classic shape is the kidney side table with 3 tripod angled legs. Often the tops were laminated in a marble or wood effect but the more flamboyant chose picture scenes. Maps, flowers and even kitsch flamingo paper pictures were cut to fit under a thick clear plastic covering. They were modern and light  to contrast with the heavy wood furniture that came before. These black legs can be found on all types of furniture from sewing boxes to room dividers and are a key look with even modern furniture now beginning to allude to this feel.

Plastic: Tupperware arrived in the 1950s to provide better storage enabling the housewife to cook batches of food which lasted longer. The Tupperware party also gave her an opportunity to earn money within her home. Pastel colours were the most desired including small bowls with clear lids and beakers for the kids. Melamine plastic tableware became popular and was even used for dinner parties as well as

picnics. Gaydon Melmex made a great range in pretty pastels which are a must have item for your vintage 1950s kitchen. Not only are they super durable but they look good too!

Walls: Wall art in the 1950s was still very classic and hadn’t moved on too far from the decades before. Most people had Vernon Ward prints of swans or flamingoes. Again in candy colours, these will add a sense of nostalgia to your home. We have hang our swan print in the bathroom to give it a vintage and calming look. Why not hang a 1950s mirror on the wall too. Homes either chose a teak fluid shaped one or a bevelled edged frameless one which hung on a metal chain. Maybe create a wall of these in the hall to give the sense of space as well as being eye catching!

Pattern: The 1950s home loved a pattern! Wallpapers, carpets, curtains and cushions  in brightly coloured fabrics, often clashed within the same space. Lucienne Day’s designs are the most iconic with organic shapes and abstract patterns influenced by artists such as Miro. She exhibited her textiles at the Festival of Britain, won many awards and inspired us to be brave in our homes. Reproductions of similar fabric can be found now as well as new versions of old wallpaper designs by Sanderson. We say, continue to be brave but maybe on feature walls with plain carpet or wooden floors! Choose a cushion made from original fabric to complement the look.

All things kitsch! The 1950s home wasn’t just brave with their pattern but also with their knick-knacks. Most homes had one or all of these kitsch pieces: the Murano glass fish, the ceramic cat or dog with an elongated neck or a pretty glass swan. These can be really fun in a modern home, choose 1 key piece, or maybe display one you have inherited.

Coronation memorabilia: The queen’s coronation in 1953 resulted in a mass production of souvenir items to celebrate the day. Biscuit tins and ceramics were the most popular and can be found easily today. We love the tins particularly, as they are nicely worn, she looks beautiful and they can be used to store your bits and bobs in today.

There are so many more design classics from the 1950s such as Formica kitchens and telephones that we could go on for pages! Why not mix and match some of these items to get the 1950s look…it was so colourful, optimistic and fun. Surely better than our minimal cream homes of today!