DIY House Decorating from 1958

A basement can be a gold mine of extra space.
It can be converted into a bright, airy room
 simply by painting the walls and using cheerful
 colors in Armstrong do-it-yourself floors.

       There's hardly a family that hasn't been faced with the need for more living space at one time or another. So, if that's your problem, too, don't think it's anything unusual. Fact is, you can take encouragement from the way many other families have gained extra living space - right in and around the homes in which they were already living. Many of these ideas are contained in this post. It's filled with suggestions that you can put to use in your own home.
       Whatever the reason may be for needing extra space in your home, there are plenty of ways to get it through remodeling. Perhaps you can make more efficient use of space you already have. Or you may be able to expand your living space into other areas, creating completely new rooms.
       For any major construction, such as framing in a new roof area or an exterior wall, it will probably be wise to call in an experienced carpenter or builder. After he has done the heavy work, you can take over the less critical jobs yourself. This would be the work involved with the finishing of interior walls, ceilings, and floors. You'll not only save money with this plan of operation but also get a lot of satisfaction from doing the work yourself.
       One of the best ways to save money in your remodeling is to select one of the Armstrong do-it-yourself floors and put it down yourself. These flooring materials are low in cost and are made especially for the home handyman to handle. These beautiful resilient tile floors are available in a variety of handsome stylings and lovely colors. Your flooring dealer will be glad to show you samples of the actual materials. He will also tell you how to go about putting down your floors and how to create interesting design effects.

FLOOR - Tile in Cork design with cattle-brand insets helps establish "Western" theme. Spilled food, liquids, even grease splatters won't harm this floor, are easily whisked away. WALLS - Temboard in a swirl pattern - surface painted white and rubbed with a gray glaze for rustic, weathered look. ACOUSTICAL CEILING - Cushiontone - a perforated ceiling tile soaks up party noises, easy to put up yourself.  BAR - simple, wood construction covered with Vinyl Plastic Surfacing, a flexible material that's very easy to install. Resists stains, easy to clean. COPPER HOOD - over the brazier, connected to main chimney. OLD PLAYER PIANO - coat of paint helped blend it with room's decorative scheme. HANGING GAS LAMPS - add to authenticity of room's "Western" atmosphere, electrified for better lighting.

       Having a basement room where the family can relax or entertain friends makes the entire house seem larger. It reduces wear and tear on the living room, too. Many successful recreation rooms have a special decorative theme - such as, "Western," "Nautical," or "Pennsylvania Dutch." You don't have to be an expert decorator to bring off a handsome decorative theme. Choose a design in Armstrong  do-it-yourself floors (or create your own special design) that will serve as the foundation for your theme. You'll find this will help you achieve just the effect you have in mind. Before you actually begin to remodel, you should also plan to build in a few features such as swinging cafe doors, portholes, or whatever you need to establish the theme. They'll add an authentic touch to the decorative atmosphere of your room.

FLOOR - Asphalt Tile, richly grained Woodtone styling,  PATIO - a plus possibility when one basement wall is exposed or ground can be re-graded and drained - sliding glass doors provide airy, open look. HORIZONTAL WINDOWS - run length of wall, an attractive basement feature that increases natural light in the room. CURTAINS - hung ceiling to floor at patio end of room, add style, privacy, and make the ceiling seem higher. COLOR SCHEME - light colors in the walls and window draperies and sky-blue ceiling add to cheerful atmosphere.

       There's no rule that says basements can be made over only into recreation rooms. If you need an extra bedroom, turn your old bedroom over to the children and build yourself a big, luxurious new bedroom down in the basement. It's so easy to make a basement cheerful and livable. You can put down a colorful floor right over the concrete - and what a difference that will make! You can make the ceiling look beautiful, too, by putting up an Armstrong Cushiontone Ceiling yourself. And if you have supporting posts to contend with, you can camouflage them by building right around them. Don't be afraid to use your imagination because you can make your most fanciful ideas work with careful planning before you begin. 

FLOOR - Cork Tile - very quiet and comfortable underfoot. Window - part of end wall was re-built to make the dramatic peaked window - keeps the whole apartment bright all day.  FIREPLACE - free-standing metal fireplace was attached to main chimney rising through attic. BEDS - serve as sofas during the day, beds at night - placed against the chimney to eliminate need for additional headboards. BOOKCASES - built floor to ceiling, add gracious livability to "complete apartment" effect. - COUNTER - built in with range and sink.

       In the past ten years, more and more growing families have been growing right into their attics. The attic has come into its own as a wonderfully versatile and very practical part of the house. If you have a good-sized attic, you can make it over into two bedrooms and a half-bath, into a large den-guest room, even into a family-activities area. Perhaps you bought your home with much of the attic already "roughed in" by the builder. In that case, all you have to do is put in utilities (or arrange to have an electrician and plumber install them), finish the walls and ceiling, and put down a durable floor yourself. 

FLOOR -  Parquet Linoleum Tiles, laid end- to-end, give room elegance for formal dining . . . have the durability needed for carefree family living. AVALL CABINETS - TV, radio-phonograph section can be easily closed off - double sliding doors reveal or conceal bookshelves and china cabinets, depending on use of room. CABINET DOORS - covered with wallpaper panels give rich "carved" effect. SIDE TABLE - folded up, it's only 9" deep - yet it pulls out to make a full-size dining room table that will seat eight at dinner with ease.  LAMPS - "Pogo stick" type, with tension springs at both ends - can be moved about and set anywhere in room to create appropriate lighting effects,  CEILING - Armstrong Full Random Cushiontone - keeps the room restfully quiet - decoratively painted without lessening acoustical qualities.

       Are you getting the maximum use out of every room in your house? If you have a room that's in use only a fraction of the day, you have the makings of a good double-purpose room. One of the requirements of a room like this is that it can be changed from one use to another - quickly and easily. Special features built right into the walls, such as a cupboard, TV set, hi-fi set, and bookcases, will make it easy to change the room's purpose. You may have to make small structural changes to accommodate "built-ins" but you'll find they're well worth the cost.

FLOOR - Tile, in the gay Spatter pattern used right over old concrete floor of garage and over old wood floor of kitchen - helps unite kitchen and family room in decorative harmony. WINDOW IN FAMILY ROOM - insulated glass wall replaced original garage doors. BOOKCASE AND CABINETS - extending length of room. built right onto garage wall - cabinets below hold TV set, toys, and games. DIVIDERS - resemble playpen railings, they slide easily on Armstrong Furniture Rests - push back into slots in walls. FAMILY ROOM RUG - is a woven Deltox Rug. These smart rugs wear wonderfully. BEAMS -roof joists are "built up" by framing with boards stained to look like solid beams.

       An attached garage offers quite an economical way to remodel for more space because you have so much to begin with - a roof, walls, and subfloor. Once you break through the dividing wall, or have a builder do it for you, you're ready to start finishing the interior of your new room. How can you keep the new room from looking less like an afterthought and more like part of the original house? There should be some bridge of harmony between the new and the old, and one good way to unite both areas is through clever decorating. By putting down a tile floor in a design and color that blends with the decorative scheme of the adjacent rooms, you lay the foundation for wonderful harmony throughout.  

FLOOR - laid on concrete floor of original breezeway. This floor is resistant to whatever might be spilled here. FIREPLACE - same type of stone as exterior walls - has built-in wood storage and carving boards.  WINDOW WALLS - an effective way to close in a breezeway.  CEDAR TABLE AND YACHTING CHAIRS - maintain casual air, cost little. KITCHEN ENTRANCE - enlarged to make serving easier - double sliding doors vanish into walls.

       Closing in a breezeway or a porch can give yon an area for year-round indoor-outdoor fun. Most of the costly work - roof, supporting beams, and floor slab -has already been done. You can put up inexpensive walls to keep out bad weather. ( Here, glass walls were installed to retain out-of-doors atmosphere. ) Picnics can't be rained out when you have a spot like this, and the children have an ideal place to play during blustery winter days. Obviously, such a carefree haven calls for a carefree tile floor. Asphalt Tile can be laid directly over the concrete slab and will stand up under the scuffing of active youngsters. Neither floor will be harmed by foods or liquids that are likely to be spilled. Once the walls go up and the floor goes down, the fun is ready to begin.

A smart "Chevron" design using 6" x 12" tiles. This exclusive tile shape permits many interesting designs. Stain-resistant, cleans easily. BUILT- INS - desk, chest, and bookshelves make a space-saving unit. 4 -POSTER BED - placed so that kitchen and bath are accessible from one side of bed and living room from the other.  DRAPERIES - hide the bed by day. KITCHEN AND BATH - concealed by accordion-type doors, the "Parquet" floor runs through the entire apartment. One continuous floor surface makes for fast, easy cleaning. CEILING - Textured Cushiontone . . . keeps rooms restfully quiet, can be put up easily with nails or staples.

       When you build a brand-new addition to a house, there's no limit to the type, size, and shape of the room or rooms you can add. How much you pay for an addition or for any remodeling project will depend on the nature and quality of the job. When building your addition, you may want to have a builder do the major construction and utility work for you. Then, you can finish the interior yourself.

Stone wall with fireplace tucked in flush with the wall. Striped upholstered
 chairs and sofa table with louvered top. Modern white and red linoleum tile floor.

Ideas for Five Dream Kitchens from 1935

       Are you, too, a little weary of working hour after hour in the kitchen? Wouldn't you like, sometimes, to just give up the whole business of housekeeping? Most of us would. It all seems so monotonous . . . that is, until we learn the secret. And the secret is this: Beauty is a cure for the blues! A beautiful, modern kitchen will lighten any housekeeper's work!

"...even your best friend, for a moment, will be jealous of you for cornering so many darling ideas.

       Let's go straight to the point and talk about the main feature of this kitchen -- that unusual plan of placing the sink at right angles to the window: First, the light comes over your left shoulder instead of straight into your eyes; second, it saves valuable wall space and puts otherwise useless floor space to work; third, it concentrates the food preparation center so that a minimum of steps is required to reach the sink, cupboards, refrigerator, and stove; fourth, two people can work at the sink comfortably. Why didn't we think of it before? However, the laboratory-like efficiency of this kitchen would not be so appealing were it not clothed in such an abundance of color. There's nothing subdued about this daring scheme of bold red and cream.

"A refreshing symphony in greens."

       A vision of coolness, this kitchen suggests the freshness of a garden after a shower - let's say a vegetable garden, because that very new and very smart wall paper with the naive and playful colored vegetable motif has given such delightful zest to a simple color scheme. Oh - you say you are tired of green kitchens; they've been done to death! Well, there are greens and GREENS. The deep myrtle shade in this plan gives the lighter green a certain distinction. Three good decorative materials make up the background for this tidy little kitchen - the floor of Armstrong's Embossed Linoleum , the wainscoting of linowall in close gradations of soothing green, and the fanciful wall paper.

       Instead of the usual and obvious treatment, the floor was bordered in white linoleum with inset strips of jade and evergreen plain linoleum for accent. This same dark green linoleum was used for quiet counters and table tops and for the new type of linoleum and Stainless Steel sink. It's this sharp contrasting note of deep green appearing in stove and kitchen cabinet fittings, under-cut baseboard, and chair that give character to the room. And, lest you miss it - make a mental note of that convenient rack for trays.

       Of course, the liquid quality of the green rubberized silk curtains further emphasises our cool idea and completes the scheme with the exception of that cozy little breakfast setting at the left of the picture. In front of a white leather padded and cushioned banquette is a just-right, long, narrow but practical breakfast table.

       That white painted tin epergne for fruit - the oblong china trays to hold the egg cups and cereal bowl in lieu of the usual plate and doily combination - the maple leaf plates for rolls and butter, and the deep green thumb print goblets are refreshingly new and different.

"Chinese Modern in a Breakfast Room and Kitchen."

       If you like modern things you may find in this plan a formula for your own ideal breakfast room and kitchen, especially if you live in an apartment, keep house on a small scale, and would like a breakfast room that might be used for lunch and impromptu suppers as well. Of course, it would be just as useful in a big house.

       The floor suggested the Chinese motif and the mad bright green for a dominant color which, in combination with gray and black becomes quite dramatic.

       Several arresting decorative ideas distinguish this two-purpose room. To begin with, the dull polished black walls, the Chinese grill, and the curtains in brilliant parrot green are simply breathtaking.

       If you would like your friends to grow faint with envy, make a note of those unusual curtains over the natural bamboo shades - widths and widths of gause-like Chinese silk accordian pleated. They are positively glamorous!

       The handsome yet casual bamboo chairs were a bit expensive but they do so much for the scheme that they are worth all they cost, especially when you save so much on your floors! As a foil for the breakfast room, the kitchen is done in restrained gray and silvery Monel Metal with just a touch of red. The walls and cabinets are simply pale gray with metal trim, the curtains a fascinating silver rubberised silk. Even the stove is pearly gray. And lest we forget that extra quip of smartness, the aquarium is illuminated from the bottom and incorporated as a part of the grill design.

       Somewhat sophisticated yet undeniably practical, this kitchen is commended to young moderns who want chic for a song.

"A cottage kitchen...homey and intimate."

       This kitchen was planned for the woman who is happily and frankly domestic - and proud of it - the nice sort of person whose husband, children, and friends just naturally drift into the kitchen to be with her while she works. So, efficiency experts to the contrary, this kitchen is purposely a bit roomy.

       There is a certain serene charm about the scheme of copper and brown - how friendly and warm it seems in contrast to the wintry landscape. The pretty informal plaid linoleum floor is one of those highly satisfying combinations of beauty and serviceability. Best of all, it won't throw your budget into a panic. 

       Linowall, the new linoleum-like wall material, has been enthusiastically received by every housewife who has seen it. Instinctively she seems to sense its practical qualities. The coppery tones of the linowall wainscoting chosen for this room suggested the delicious color used for the cupboards and wood trim, a sort of pink apricot, or it may be salmon is a better description. Metallic copper paint was used for the scalloped frieze to harmonize with the polished copper hood over the stove which, by the way, is one of those modern miracles - a really good-looking, flat-topped gasoline range.

       Those filmy soft curtains are embroidered batiste - the fifty-cents-a-yard kind. Sunlight does such fascinating things with eyelet embroidered material. You will be interested to know that what may look like a complicated style in that graceful swag, is really very simple. One long length of material was used for the diamond casement group of windows, two ordinary straight curtains for the other.  The trick is all in the draping with the cotton cords and the glass tie-backs. For those necessary jewel-like accents, without which no picture is complete, clear green was used in small accessories - the table setting, the curtain tie-backs, and the child's chair. It goes without saying that this scheme is at its best in a northeast kitchen where the light is cold rather than on the sunny south side.

       Warm, inexpensive, and friendly, we commend this kitchen to those home makers who by choice or necessity, do their own work and crave a joyous place in which to do it.

"Peasant charm in a kitchen workshop."

       Here is a kitchen that doesn't have to be coddled, worried over, and spared. It will take the grueling wear that any family kitchen receives and look pleasant because it's almost completely "linoleumed" from top to bottom. Yes, those soft brown walls; the floor a marvel of serviceability; and the counter tops plain terra cotta; are all linoleum.

       This new Linowall is really something to become excited about. It's like linoleum except for the backing. You know, genuine linoleum has a burlap back - linowall has a strong, evenly woven fabric back which is better for walls. Like linoleum, the colors go through and, therefore, will not scrub off.

       A business-like kitchen is desirable, but not at the expense of beauty. This is how the two qualities were combined . . . Starting with a permanent finish Linowall and an equally serviceable floor, natural wood was the logical choice for cupboards and wood trim and, between you and me, there's really nothing quite like stained and waxed wood trim for a kitchen that gets hard use. The stark simplicity of plain wood was softened with a bit of free hand decoration in green, red, and blue on the cupboards, frieze, window recesses, and the tiny built-in desk at the left.

       Peasant chairs, cheerful decorated boxes, waste-basket (on a swinging crane), makeup mirror, the black china cat so often seen in French Provincial kitchens, shiny copper utensils, and colorful table setting lend charm to serviceability. Another interesting item is those double sash curtains. Even if you don't know one end of a needle from the other, you can make them yourself for they're really a large coarse plaid linen lunch cloth with fringed edges, cut into four pieces. Of course, you do have to sew a casing for the rod. That's all, however.

       And what makes it all unblemished joy is the fact that with expenses nudging you from the left and right, you can still afford this quaint, permanently finished kitchen, for both the walls and floor are surprisingly low in price. edited by grimm

Vintage Ideas in Home Decorating from 1929

       With good taste as her guide, the home decorator follows any period or group, she chooses from each as she wishes, or she decorates to please herself, without so much as a bow to either schools or leaders. A selection of decorative materials which would have been the envy of kings makes her task easy. 

       Nature is an infallible guide to correct color balance and harmony. Follow her and your problem is solved. Put the lightest shades upon the ceiling, where they will diffuse light throughout the whole room. The moderate tones go upon the walls just as nature puts them about the horizon, where they constantly meet the eye. The darker shades go upon the floor, but here, too, dashes of color will prevent dullness, just as fields are saved from drabness by color in flower, tree and shrub.

       Planning a room is really very much like planning a setting on the stage. And many decorations consider not only the practical purposes of the room, but strive for a distinct aesthetic effect.

Living room of the author and designer.

       This was a very ordinary little house when I bought it - with not one thing to mark it from all the others that stood beside it in a row. But color wrought such a difference inside this little house that hundreds of people have come to see it. Notice how it was done in my living-room.
       For the floor I chose a lovely terra cotta linoleum, embossed in six-inch squares. A yellow-pink wall paper, with green and coral Toile de Jouy draperies, blended splendidly with this floor and the Cafe an La it woodwork. A little half-circle rug, and a character map over the mantel complete the decoration of the room. During the past few months many people, interested in home decoration, have come to visit my little house. And all who have seen this room have said, "What charming use of color, and how much the floors contribute to the effect!" And they have guessed the secret!
       I started this living-room with color in the floor, and now the whole room sings with color. In fact each room in my little home in a row depends for the basis of its decorative scheme upon an attractive linoleum floor.

Home of Mr. Hanning W. Prentis, Junior.

       On one of the rolling hills that lie to the north of the Lincoln Highway, just outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the home of Mr. Henning W. Prentis, Junior - an architectural achievement combining modern comfort and convenience with period design. Mr. Prentis had this home planned to combine the charm of the Georgian period with many modern ideas that you cannot so quickly sense. Walls, for instance, are all insulated with Armstrong's Corkboard. Underfloors are concrete over steel beams, completely fireproof.

       No one could step into this living-room without being conscious of the fine, old-fashioned charm that belongs to the Georgian period. Every line and color bespeaks Colonial days, gracious living, comfort. Yet with all its atmosphere of old-time charm, this room represents the last word in modern-day convenience.

       While the dignity of the Georgian demands that the large expanses of walls and floors be unobtrusive, notice that the beauty of this room is still kept very warm and vital. The yellow-cream of the walls is carried into the mantel and reflected in the brass fender and and irons. The whole scheme is based upon a rich, black floor. A two-tone border sharply defines the junction of floor and walls. Mulberry drapes and tan upholstery blend charmingly with the room effect.

A dining-room with a Duncan Phyfe table and Venetian blinds.

       This up-to-date dining-room is of no particular period or school, yet it combines the choice features of several in a way that is altogether charming. Note the graceful lines of the Duncan Phyfe table, the strong, vigorous feeling of the modernistic service buffet, the painted, paneled, walls, the Italian note in the colorful Venetian blinds. Note too, how well the contrasting effects, both in color and line, are made part of a harmonious room scheme, by a rich, regal design of Handmade Marble Inlaid Linoleum. The decidedly predominant blue of the room does not seem a bit extreme in combination with this delightfully-toned floor. Blues, browns, and colorful florals of the glazed chintz drapes are pleasantly at home together.
       The service buffet, by the way, indicates the most pleasing way to use modern furniture - with the furniture that you already have. One of the virtues of things modern is that they are friendly with almost every popular period and type. You can have a modern room without throwing out all the other furnishings, if you are careful to select a floor that will keep them friendly. And isn't this a rather clever way to use the sunny corner of the dining-room? Have breakfast there on a small table, with lots of sunshine, and no need to set the large table.

Spring comes indoors in a sun room!

       Springtime whenever you want it is the gift that a bright sun room such as this will bring to your home. 
       This room, like most sun rooms, had more than its share of sunshine. And yet, when I was asked to plan its redecoration, it lacked zest and character. So I put color to work, in the furniture, in the walls, and especially in the largest single expanse that meets the eye, the floor. Notice how the whole room scheme is tied together by carrying the blue of the linoleum into the upholstery, the wood trim, and the Delia Robbia placque above the Spanish table.
       Look at the room now! There may be snow just outside the window, but in here it will always be spring. Color can capture springtime for you, too, if you give it a chance. You will find your own sun room respond amazingly, as did the sunny setting pictured above. If you would like to have me do so, I will be glad to give you my suggestions for its decoration.

A bright, cheerful playroom.

       This room is a happy place - and a magic place. Who ever heard of a drum for a light, of scalloped and tasseled walls, and a wind-wrinkled sea for a floor? Who couldn't be happy in such a  sunshiny playroom? And who wouldn't be neat and tidy, too, with secret cupboards for storing  toys - and a floor that didn't tell tales, even when you rode a great big elephant over its Jasper face?
       Mothers who were once little girls will know that there is magic in a room like this. And they'll find a lot of real magic, too, if they plan it around a lovely floor. Like the touch of a fairy wand, any quality floor covering magically transforms an old, scratched-up one - hides it forever with new and lasting beauty. Somehow the rest of the decorations just fall into place, once the floor covering is selected.

An Early American bedroom with green jasper floors.

       The above bedroom is unquestionably Early American. And yet it does not have the cast-from-a-die look that so unfortunately characterizes many period rooms. There is no slavish following of stiff-necked rules here. The whole room sparkles with spirit; it is different and unusual. And all because the designer showed ingenuity in selecting the floor. The designer has boldly set forth . . . discarded some obsolete ideas about floors . . . and let pattern and color combine in a way to command admiration. 
       Like a meadow of rippling grass is this floor of Green Jasper. It makes the whole room look fresh and clean. It's new. It's modern. And yet it blends perfectly with the old maple chest, the canopied four-poster, and the salamander chairs. The room is still Early American in spirit, but it is modern in tone. No matter what period you may select, there is an Armstrong pattern that will help you put a  touch of your own personality into it. And the modern floors are as easy to select as draperies.

A friendly and bright breakfast room uses three primary colors.

       In such a space as this breakfast room above you may give color free reign. Notice that the three primary complementary colors have been brought all together here in the same room. The vermilion tone of the floor is carried to the wall by the china closet and the small table. The blue-green of the wall is brought to the floor by the chair seats. The lighter tone of the cream-yellow ceiling is nicely tied in with the whole scheme by the warm beige drapes. Let me call your attention to the two tiny flower-pot shelves and to the cunning way in which the wall motif has been picked up by the scalloped edging around the closet and along the upper wall border. If you look closely, you will note an added and highly effective color touch in the red edge of the scalloped sides on the china closet. The nest of tables in the corner is separated and used when tea is served on the adjoining sun porch. edited by Grimm

More Retro Kitchens from The 1950s

Above is a kitchen perfect for those dolls who love blue.

        More retro kitchens for the doll house printables from the 1950s, mostly primary color palettes. Print out bright, playful and fun kitchens for your tiny dolls or paper dolls. Paste these inside on the walls of a shoe box or onto an accordion shaped doll house. Click directly on each png. to download the largest available file.

A cheerful yellow kitchen from the 1950s. This one comes with
a yellow linoleum floor and gingerbread trim around the ceiling.

A red, white and blue contemporary retro kitchen for dolls.

This white kitchen trimmed out with a red canary
 motif for that unique paper doll kitchen!

Bright and Cheerful Kitchens from The 40s And 50s

Who wouldn't want to pretend to cook and dine in this retro buttercream kitchen? With every plant in perfect alignment,
and the stainless white steal stove without one blemish! How the starry floors will zing across your doll's frozen expression
of satisfaction when she sees this pasted to her doll house walls!

        These vintage kitchens would look amazing inside of a doll house! Each comes with brilliant colors and period furnishings and what doll wouldn't like that?

       Bold, flashy linoleum floors, solid colors on the walls and stainless steel cabinets were all the rage during the 1940s and 1950s. The nicest thing about these kitchens is that your dolly won't need to clean them. They will always remain picture perfect.

Vintage mirrored pantry doors are open to reveal a large space for pots and pans and groceries.
Although this kitchen is small, there is still plenty of room for your dolls to display things
from his or her imaginations.

Vintage kitchen with daisy motif, green cabinets, white appliances, and textured linoleum floors. This kitchen looks like
it was designed for a little doll.