Sundays of Yore: 1951 Armstrong Bedroom

This bedroom from 1951 is quite clearly an eyesore. But don't write it off yet! I encourage you to take a closer look, because there are actually some interesting things hidden behind the awful ruffles and overused black floral pattern.

For one thing, the bed itself is kind of nice. If the ruffles went away, the bed might look something like this:

I like the crisp, tailored look of the black border on the floor. I think that could be achieved by layering a rug on top of seagrass. And, I love the way the black outline looks with the curly arm of the upholstered chair. Actually, I think I'd leave the chair just as it is.

The room would still need a lot more tweaks to make it current. New window treatments, an updated vanity, and different artwork, to name a few. Please don't forget new lamps. Also: Look what the lady of the house plans to slip into later. A nice green silky robe and high heeled red slippers. That's what I'm wearing right now!*

*Not true.

Sundays of Yore: 1925 Traditional Living Room

Pretty wallpaper panels, don't you think?

(Source)

Sundays of Yore: 1952 Bathroom

This post could also be called "Trendy today, ugly tomorrow."

Think about it. In 1952, a home editor at a women's magazine picked this bathroom to feature because it looked good. It was what the readers wanted to see. If there were blogs back then, this bathroom would have made the cut and people would have commented that they love the wallpaper, and that pink and red are so fresh together. And that pink sink! LOVE. Maybe someone would have shown how to get the look for less.

Ugh. I can't help but wonder: which of today's trends will be tomorrow's ugly?

Sundays of Yore: 1954 Magic Chef Gas Range

Whoa, this has to be in Texas.

(Source)

Let's talk about this picture. First of all, I love the buffalo checked dishtowel. (My love for checks is documented here, if you're interested.) It makes me laugh that the dishtowel is hanging off a set of bull horns ... over a big hunk of meat ... on a floating butcher block? This is an intense, manly scene going on here.

We can talk about the stool a little, too. It's pretty cool, don't you think? And what exactly do you call the object to the right of the Magic Chef Gas Range ... is that a free-standing salad bowl? A produce stand? I honestly can't decide if something like that would be convenient or useless. I'm guessing more of the latter since they're not really around today.

Sundays of Yore: 1950 Birge Wallpaper

This wallpaper is cute.

(Source)

Doesn't Birge's version of Paris in the 1950's look fabulous and fun? You know, An American in Paris came out in 1951.

With a soundtrack, of course.

OK, I'm convinced. If only planes could fly back in time, too.

(A plane that departs in 2010 and lands in 1950 Paris? A planeful of people, confused and displaced, end up having the time of their lives. Hollywood just called. I'm writing the script!)

Sundays of Yore: 1957 American Standard Tiny Tub

OK, four things about today's post:

1) The full name is actually "1957 American Standard Tiny Neo-Angle Tub" but I like the way "tiny tub" sounds much, much better.

2) I guess gun play sold bathtubs in the 1950s.

3) Why is there a little floatie hanging on the wall?

4) It's kind of ugly, but it's also weirdly cute. Not all vintage ads are inspiring (unless you're into rope ladder towel holders and pink tile and carpet)!

Sundays of Yore: 1921 Armstrong Kitchen

This cute little blue and white kitchen is from an Armstrong Kitchen ad is 1921.

I love the open shelving, and look -- another stool by the sink. I think it's so interesting how so much in this photo is popular even almost 80 years later. White cabinetry? Check. Open shelving? Farmhouse sink? Silver drawer pulls? Check, check, check.

Sundays of Yore: 1926 Crane kitchen

This kitchen is from a 1926 issue of American Builder.

(American Vintage Home)

It's sweet - maybe too sweet. But at the same time, I appreciate the simplicity of it. There is so much less stuff in this kitchen than what we have today. It's refreshing (not that I don't want my dishwasher or microwave. I'm just sayin'...).

I've noticed that a lot of older kitchens have stools near the sink. When there's no dishwasher, I guess standing would get old pretty fast. I imagine sitting on the stool, peeling potatoes while I stare out the window.

Sundays of Yore: 1929 Vitrolite Kitchen

Do you ever find yourself lost in someone else's Flickr photostream? Well, that's what happened to me when I discovered American Vintage Home. It's an amazing collection of photos and drawings from the home magazines of decades past. I am not exaggerating when I say I spent hours looking at these pictures.

I think it's so cool to see what people's homes looked like 100 years ago. What has changed? What has stayed the same? I'm not able to condense my excitement for these pictures into just one post, so I've decided to make it a weekly installment. Welcome to Filed For Later's Sundays of Yore.

This is a Vitrolite ad from 1929. I can't lie - I had no idea what Vitrolite was until I googled it. It's an opaque pigmented glass that was used for internal and external tiling from the 1920s to the 1950s. It hasn't been manufactured in the U.S. since 1947. In the drawing above, I'm guessing the floors are Vitrolite, and maybe the wall tiles, too?

This kitchen is small, yet it looks practical and functional. I love the pattern on the floor. I think it would make a stunning rug!