The 25 Most Influential Interior Designers of the 20th Century

Table Of Content

• Recovering and rebuilding after World War II dramatically affected 1940s interior design and the size of 1940s homes
• Unique Contemporary Interiors With Timeless Beauty by Hancock Architects
• The 1940s Kitchen Design Style
• Patriotic 1940s decorating style:
• Tips for Incorporating 1940s Style into Modern Homes
• Charles Eames

While modern homes often hint at a streamlined approach, embracing the past could present a refreshing juxtaposition. Today, vintage patterns and design elements are popular across a variety of materials and styles. You can easily incorporate these patterns in window treatments, flooring, wallpaper, artwork, tablecloths, or other items that tie the space together. Intricate design elements make a space feel alive, literally breathing life into the furniture and fixtures. A key material of the 1940s home aesthetic, which extends from an interior design 1940s house to an arab house interior design, is the linoleum flooring.

Recovering and rebuilding after World War II dramatically affected 1940s interior design and the size of 1940s homes

The style inspired the mashup of decades seen in Monica's apartment on Friends, where Shaker staples combined with Rococo for a mix-and-match ethos that survives to this day. "After decades of mass-produced furniture, young people found they could piece together their own unique looks from a thrift store," Gatlin says. Another outcome of repurposing items, the shabby-chic aesthetic combined flea market finds into a thoroughly eclectic style. The romantic, lived-in look surged in popularity after designer Rachel Ashwell opened a store with the same name in Santa Monica.

Unique Contemporary Interiors With Timeless Beauty by Hancock Architects

As someone who deeply loves the delicate dance between the past and the present in interior design, I hold a deep respect for designers of this era that laid the groundwork for us to build upon. New eras, new styles, yet somehow, we’re always circling back, aren’t we? Known as midcentury modern since the 1980s, this style of furniture is still being reproduced as well as riffed on today.

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The 1940s Kitchen Design Style

At the height of the Great Depression, nearly 25% of the total workforce was unemployed. Factories were shut down, farms and homes were lost to foreclosure, and wages and productivity plunged to a third of their 1929 peak. Most people no longer had money to spend on home furnishings, so minimalism became a necessity, not an aesthetic choice. Bauhaus—the German school of industrial design that decreed form should follow function—was also born in this era. Starburst designs were also popular in upholstery, wallpaper, tiles, and light fixtures.

Are Dark Kitchen Cabinets Coming Back Into Style?

By 1938, the Homer Laughlin China Company had produced more than 12 million pieces of the simple bright-colored pottery. The thought of renovating a 1940’s home can seem utterly daunting, can’t it? However, with the right approach and a clear vision, it can be a deeply rewarding journey. Prioritizing this need allows for creation of spaces that serve as functional sanctuaries, seamlessly blending beauty with everyday practicality. All models freely adapted ideas from Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian vision — natural lighting, open and expandable floor plans, and the merging of exterior and interior spaces.

Ruffled edges and lace details were also popular on fabrics, as they added a touch of refinement. Fabrics in the 1940s were often patterned and busy, with florals, gingham plaid, and stripes being a particular favorite. Curtains, upholstery, tablecloths, and dish towels were all fair game when it came to adding a pop of color to a room. There you have it, a peek into my considerations when taking on the remodeling challenge of 1940s homes.

At the time, hats, still a somewhat mandatory accouterment for a woman, shrunk in size. They were worn askew at an angle and crafted from a variety of materials, from felt to straw. Snoods and turbans also fell into fashion, prized for their practicality—they kept women’s hair out of the way in factories and looked superb with a dress. Mid-century modern became a style not only of architecture, but also of furniture and other design. This guide to single-family homes describes an American middle class as it struggled, grew, moved, and built.

Tips for Incorporating 1940s Style into Modern Homes

Colors reflected the era's sense of optimism, with deep reds, yellows, blues, and purples often paired with high-shine silver, chrome, or black accents. Strong color contrasts appeared on Art Deco items, inspired by the plush decor of jazz clubs and Fauvism, an early 20th painting movement that emphasized bright colors. "Art Deco is a pastiche of different styles united by a desire to be modern," says Dr. Anna Ruth Gatlin, assistant professor of interior design at Auburn University. Better Homes and Gardens has covered interior design since the dawn of the Jazz Age. Walking into the Finleys’ home, the transformation is evident and it proudly shows the harmonious blend of the past and modernity. The remodeled 1940s haven is a testament to the finesse of arab house interior design with a touch of creativity and innovation.

Charles Eames

Incorporate 1940s design into modern homes using wallpaper, bold contrasting colors, and vintage art. Influenced by figures like Churchill and Eames, this style reflects simplicity and Patriotic colours. The 1940s was a decade of glamour and sophistication in interior design, with its signature elements including Hollywood-inspired touches, luxurious fabrics, and bold color schemes.

Many of these dwellings changed the face of the United States and became the very homes we occupy today. America saw the rise of Reaganomics, MTV, the personal computer, yuppies, and an eclectic collection of interior design trends. "You've got a lot of things happening at once, but none of them define the era completely," Gatlin says. Hippies and counterculture rose in opposition to the Vietnam War, influencing interior design. Graphic floral patterns inspired by the peace movement's flower power theme appeared on wallpaper, upholstery, rugs, and curtains.

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"We were romanticizing what the simple life was before the internet, before traffic, before we had to get three kids to nine different activities in two days," Gatlin says. "We were imagining a life where you just worked on your farm and then knit in the evening, forgetting, of course, all the hardships that came with farm life." Social media sensation Instagram launched at the dawn of the decade and quickly became a source of inspiration, aspiration, and FOMO (fear of missing out, that is).

In my journey as an interior designer, studying the significance of furniture design from different eras has been an enlightening experience. It carries an emotional weight, influencing moods and creating a visual melody of the living space. This can be attributed to the psychological impact of color on our perception.

The idea of prefabricated housing — factory-made mass-produced parts shipped like self-contained Erector Sets to a construction site — was not a new idea in the 1940s or 1950s. In fact, many cast-iron buildings were produced this way in the late 1800s and shipped all over the world. Later, in the mid-twentieth century, factory-built mobile homes gave rise to entire communities of steel housing. But the Lustron Corporation in Columbus, Ohio put a modern spin on the idea of prefab metal homes, and orders for these affordable houses poured in.

It’s no secret that Draper opted for ”feel good” hues, exploiting the fine line between art and psychology. My approach to open floor plans centers around maximizing usability while preserving the structure’s historic charm. It’s a delicate balancing act, pivoting between showcasing architectural character and ensuring comfortable day to day living. Moreover, remodeling should not only be about breathing fresh life into a space but also instilling your personal touch. Geometric patterns such as chevron, herringbone, and Art Deco-inspired designs were commonly seen on wallpaper or upholstery fabrics. Soft shades of lavender, peach, and baby blue were often paired with bolder colors to create a balanced color scheme.