The last century still plays a big part in how we decorate our homes, whether it’s recreating a look or using vintage color and decor to create a new one. Even though we are well into the 21st century, we still draw from the last one. In our new 10-part series, 10 Decades of Vintage Color and Decor, we will look at trends from from the 1900s to the 1990s.
Color plays a big part in the look and feel of a home and will be an important part of our series. For those truly interested in how color and design have played a role throughout the 20th century, A Century of Color in Design by David Harrison is a deep dive into how color has defined design over the past 100 years.
Harrison chose 250 objects, and presents the story behind them. From the publisher:
A Century of Color in Design delivers a snapshot of twentieth-century history through the lens of design, exploring the origins and rationale behind the design and colorization of some of the century’s most iconic furniture and objects.
It’s like a walk through the a design museum that has iconic designs in every color from the last century you can imagine. Think Eames fiberglass chairs, Marimekko fabrics, Memphis design and Bauhaus, with other pieces to inspire you as well.
Choosing Colors
Think about what colors you’re drawn to and how they make you feel. Next, determine what style or styles suit you and your lifestyle. And honestly, it doesn’t matter if your home is a mash-up of donated and scavenged items or a thoughtfully collected selection. With a little reflection and some adjustments, you can create a look that’s cohesive and all your own. Identifying with the right color scheme for you is the place to start.
Color is not easy. The color you might love for a sweater is not the color you want for your living room. You can cover your walls with swatches and look at them at different times of day. There’s a psychology to colors. The right color can improve your mood, relieve your stress, energize you or relax you. If you’re stumped as to where to begin, True Value Paint has a Color Psychology primer to help out.
The colors we see around us change year to year. Pantone offers a color forecast and chooses a color of the year that you will find on things to wear and things for your home. Paint companies all produce color trend palettes. The risk of a trend color is it might appeal to you this year, but might look dated in couple years. That’s why many of us look for inspiration in the past. That’s what inspired this series.
Choosing Styles
Over the next 10 weeks, we will dig into the home decor looks and colors of the last century by decade. Take note of some of your favorite color schemes and styles as you follow along each week. Defining your own style can be tricky, it might be easier to figure out what you are not on the way to what you are. Most of us are a mix of styles. We might like a traditional dining area but a minimalist bedroom. We might be more shabby, soft and chippy chic than we are gilt Hollywood Regency. And where we live is also important. It will be hard to make a rustic home with lots of stone and wooden walls into a modernist ideal, but it’s not impossible. Browse these 20 classic interior design styles from Decor Aid, helpfully defined with photos to help you pick out some of your favorites.
Remember, it doesn’t matter if your finds come from thrift stores, curb alerts, big-box retail stores or custom interior design firms. As long as you like it, an eclectic mix defined by a loose theme or color scheme will work. A nice mix of vintage color and decor that suits you and your home takes work. Be patient with yourself and your choices. Over time your look will evolve and change to suit your home and the way you live in it. In the end, we offer a quiz to help you select your color palette and preferred look. Along the way, we include links to sites to help you with your choices as well as photos to spark your imagination. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. So let’s get started with part 1 – The 1900s.
Look for our decade by decade look at vintage color and design on the blog every Friday. Don’t miss a week of this new series. Sign up for our email list and we’ll send you links to all our posts every Sunday.
We often think about vintage color and decor. We often write about it too. You might find some inspiration in our post on incorporating vintage in your home.
