If your grandparents were born in the 1920s then they would be in their nineties today, possibly even 100 years old! Many people in the UK would not have had indoor bathrooms and furniture would have been handmade before mass production methods were around. It was also the beginning of modernity as we know it, and the taste for Victoriana soon became eclipsed by Art Deco and a desire for clean design in the homes. Electricity also became widespread: in 1920 just 35% of US households (6% in the UK) had it, but by 1929 this had risen to 68%.
After the First World War, it was a boom time for housebuilding and home design catalogues became a popular way to choose a brand new property. Colonial styles with European heritage such as Dutch Colonial, Greek Revival and English style were extremely popular and would often include columns, shutters and gabled roofs in their designs.
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Back in the 1920s, it was not uncommon to see twin beds in a couple's bedroom, though they might well be pushed together. An economic boomtime, bedrooms were an expression of a newfound taste for luxury in the home and sumptuous soft furnishings and fine furniture sets were brought in to set the tone.
The 1920s saw a shift towards better cleanliness and most people went from bathing once a week to more frequent ablutions. Bathrooms became much more important to potential homeowners and architects began to integrate them into new home plans. They were still smaller than we're used to today and showers were almost unheard of. Tiles, wallpaper and mirrors were used decoratively and to keep the place clean and splashproof, while wall-mounted sconces around the mirror over the sink would often have served as a vanity.
If your grandparents were born in the 1930s, then they would be 90 years old today at most. The era is often associated with glamour, but it was a time of great scarcity for most ordinary families following the Wall Street Crash of 1929. In the Great Depression that followed, more than 15 million employable Americans were out of work and the consumer economy ground to a halt. Times were hard but those who could afford it would splash out on the latest fashions and interior trends for their homes. Ivory, beige and metallics were used prominently and modernism came into full force, with clean lines and geometric shapes becoming all the rage.
The glamorous 1930s was the decade that Art Deco turned into Art Moderne, and streamlined curves were the coolest thing you could have in your house. It was another decade of intense home building by individuals with DIY home kits, plus architects let their creativity run wild on creating stylish abodes that embodied the age. Stucco was a firm favourite, delivering a smooth surface and crisp finish to highlight geometric shapes. Driveways were becoming increasingly common as more people bought their own cars, though these were still very much a luxury!
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If you grew up in the 1930s, your living room may have looked as stylish as this. Garish bright colours were swapped for muted tones in pale green, beige and pastel pink. The dawn of mass production brought more futuristic materials into the home like chrome and plastic, while shiny furniture began to creep in too. Geometric prints, inspired by exotic and often 'oriental' influences were used in fabrics and soft furnishings.
As fewer people had domestic help and the average woman spent more time in the kitchen, designers began to really pay attention to this previously neglected space. Like many aspects of modern design, the concept of a fitted kitchen originated in the German Bauhaus movement and by the 1930s it was the must-have feature in any new home. The decade's obsession with curves was also brought into the shape of the cabinetry, with worktops rounded off at the ends to give it that Art Deco look. Sinks and appliances were fitted seamlessly and counters maintained the same height throughout.
The bedroom really became a boudoir during this decadent decade. Curved shapes were introduced in furniture, lighting and sometimes even the walls themselves! But the 1930s were also a time when the Arts and Crafts movement was still exerting its influence, allowing beautiful materials such as warm wood to shine in the home.
Those born in the 1940s would be in their seventies today, and many people might remember the effects of the Second World War on their daily lives. By 1942 manufacturers stopped making metal furniture, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and washing machines in order to contribute to the war effort but it was also a time where women entered the workforce and society's attitudes began to modernise.
With half of the 1940s taken over by World War II, the average house was far from affluent. 'Make do and mend' was the order of the day and with rationing and shortages still widespread on both sides of the pond, homes still bore the hallmarks of the previous decade's style. As the war ended and the great rebuilding program began, the demand for housing increased rapidly and many new homes were built on the outskirts of towns, creating the modern suburbs.
With the war only coming to an end in 1945, homes interiors in the first half of the decade were largely still stuck in the 30s. Properties were awash with floral prints and traditional dark wood furnishings. In the living room, entertainment consisted of listening to the radio or record player, while a shortage of material meant old clothes and soft furnishings had to be adapted and repaired.
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In the 1940s, your kitchen would probably have been small and simple in comparison to what we’re used to today. Pastel colours and two-tone cabinets were popular, as well as brighter tones like this sunny yellow. As more people started to own larger appliances like fridge-freezers, more spacious layouts were designed to accommodate them.
Anyone lucky enough to be born in the 1950s would be among the early wave of ‘baby boomers’ who grew up in a prosperous and revamped society. Now in their sixties, their childhoods were the first where TV sets were much more common in the home, labour-saving appliances appeared in the kitchen and consumer goods were plentiful. Homes were undergoing big changes too, with new open-plan layouts favoured and American influences felt all over the world – checkerboard floors, Formica furniture and bright colours become especially popular.
In the 1950s, the economic picture was much rosier. It was a boom time for industry and consumer wealth, which spurred on great leaps in terms of design and modern tastes. House building moved away from traditional styles to more modernist designs, with clean angular lines, swathes of windows and sliding glass doors to draw the outside in. House facades from this era tended to feature very little ornamentation and outdoor space becomes more polished.
If you grew up in the 1950s, your living room is where you would have listened to music, watched TV, spent time with your family and entertained guests. Typically, the colour palette consisted of pastel hues, with bold shades incorporated across accessories, like the red zigzag cushion pictured here. When it came to upholstery, heavy textures in earthy browns and greens were all the rage, while busy patterns were commonplace too.
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A popular hue for bathrooms, the pink suite has a 'love it or hate it' place in the hearts of 1950s kids. Coloured sanitaryware in pastel shades also became fashionable at this time, a trend which continued well into the 1980s. Colour co-ordination was a must, while wipeable tiling found its way onto countertops and bathroom vanities.
Growing up in the 1960s would have felt very cool and modern. After 1963, society changed dramatically as cultural, political and economic forces swept away the buttoned-up rules of the previous decade. The swinging 60s meant that the home and interiors also became supercharged with colour and many of the comforts we recognise today. Women were beginning to enter the workforce in earnest, while many people moved into apartments, flats and condos as new buildings shot up. Plastic, PVC and space-themed décor were on-trend, as were global throws and rugs from Morocco and India.
If you grew up in a 1960s house, you may have lived in a smart new build house like this. These designs borrowed from the traditional styles of the past but came with shiny new modern additions. Cars were increasingly relied upon for day-to-day life, so this house has a built-in double garage and concrete driveway.
The 1960s was a time of cultural revolution and change, reflected in a vibrant new interior style. If you were around in this psychedelic decade, your home would've been transformed with an array of bright colours and the new obsession with shag pile carpets. Modern Danish furniture was also in vogue, which influenced the architectural shape of these sofas and chairs.
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This luxurious bedroom shows off the more flamboyant side of the 1960s when homes were increasingly treated as status symbols. The colour co-ordinated deep blue bed cover, bejewelled bench, carpet and chair create a decadent interior scheme typical of the decade. As homes expanded so too did the luxury of built-in storage. Massive bespoke wardrobes with mirrored doors would allow the groovy homeowner to keep their growing wardrobe in check without losing that streamlined style.
Anyone born between 1970 and 1979 will only be in their forties now – spring chickens! Aside from big hair and even bigger flares, the home was influenced by advancements in electronics, with a microwave oven in the kitchen and even some early Atari computers. New housing was in development between the 1960s and 1980s, resulting in modern new builds that were ripe for decorating. Colour TVs were showing the first wave of home improvement programmes and the desire to decorate went mainstream.
Bedspreads with geometric patterns like this one were a popular trend in the 1970s – this room even features framed matching curtains flanking the bed too. Plastic was now a regular choice for furniture production and it looks like it was used to create this curved headboard. Busy carpet, often in loud prints or check, was often used throughout the house too.
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