1950s
The 1950s were the age of the consumer. The post-war boom brought massive changes in the home; it was out with the old and in with the new. Open-plan living was introduced, and the fitted kitchen with its brand new appliances was the housewife's domain.
Houses were smaller than pre-war ones so furniture had to stack or be light enough to move about; trolleys, sofa beds and ironing boards are all 1950s inventions.
Style
open plan
fitted kitchens
primary colours
stacking furniture
new materials - PVC, Formica, fibreglass, rubber, melamine, aluminium, vinyl, plastics
abstract, geometric patterns
animal prints

1930s
Get the look
Floors - lino is practical and hardwearing. A mottled effect will suit nearly all colour schemes.
Seating - the three-piece suite is a 1930s invention. Choose a two or three-seat settee with two armchairs. Make sure they are all covered in the same material, such as a moquette (a woollen velvet, furry to the touch) with geometric designs.
Armchairs - brown leather armchairs in boxy shapes are both in keeping and timeless classics. Leather only looks better with age.
Lighting - lighting was mass-produced from industrial materials such as chrome, glass, opaque and frosted glass. For a modernist look, look for simple globe forms or simple tubes that can be arranged in groups like sculptures.
Colour schemes - choose subtle colour schemes such as eau de nil (a pale green), pale blue and pink, buff, beige and coffee.
Fireplaces - fireplaces should be tiled in plain tiles - often brown or green with a speckled effect - with a stepped profile typical of art deco.
Ceiling - in an art deco-inspired room you could paint the ceiling silver for a stunning effect.
Veneer - often used with a layer of a more expensive wood such as oak or an exotic fruitwood stuck or sandwiched onto a cheaper plywood.
Display - find a glass-fronted cabinet to display the best china, such as Clarice Cliff or Susie Cooper.
Windows - position stained glass in the top panel of front windows, and panels in French windows and doors. Typical designs are galleon ships and sunbursts. Moderne houses don't have the stained glass panels.
Bed - choose silky satin eiderdowns to cover the entire bed.

Inside, the art deco style with its striking colours of red, black, and silver, its exoticism and animal prints sits happily alongside reproductions of Tudor furniture with a Moderne chair in leather and tubular steel. The three-piece suite came into use, most homes had plumbed-in kitchens, and three out of four households had a radio.

Style
streamlined
boxy shapes
Bakelite - a type of plastic used for everything from radio casings to telephones and light switches
chrome
modernism
art deco

Influences
modernism, art deco and Scandinavian design (modern)
historical styles such as Tudor, Jacobean and Georgian
cinema - 20 million people went every week
sun - people loved sunbathing and built flat roofs, pergolas and balconies as sun traps
The names
Alvar Aalto - Finnish furniture designer
George Nelson - American furniture designer
Clarice Cliff - potter
Keith Murray - designed ceramics for Wedgwood
At the time
1936 Edward VIII abdicates to marry Wallis Simpson
1936 Spanish Civil War
1937 To Have and Have Not, Ernest Hemingway
1939 The Wizard of Oz
1939 Hitler invades Poland - war breaks out in Europe

1920s
Furniture - choose strong streamlined shapes for furniture and in single pieces rather than suites. Look for modern classics by Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray. Reproductions and re-issues can be found.
Floor - plain polished parquet is perfect for floors. Linoleum in abstract designs or black and white chequerboard vinyl tiles are also typical.
Rug - floors would have been overlaid with a large rug in geometric patterns. Go for a huge circular one as the centrepiece to the room.
Fireplaces - fireplaces should be rectangular and bold with a stepped profile.
Colour schemes - halls suit bold colours such as silver, black, chrome, and black and white. For real dramatic impact, why not silver-leaf your entire ceiling or black-gloss your floor.
Lighting - lights featuring female figures holding the ball of the lamp are typical and good reproductions abound. Also look for chrome, a brand new material at the time, and glass. Glass would have been etched, sandblasted or enamelled rather than coloured.
Walls - keep walls plain and free from decorative plasterwork. Use a coat of varnish on top for a really glossy sheen.
Fabrics - choose shiny light-reflective fabrics or plain fabrics with metallic threads.
Accessories - add a striking painting or one statue rather than a clutter of objects. For real authenticity, look for light switches etc in Bakelite, a plastic resin. Add touches of opulence with items such as tortoiseshell and enamel cigarette boxes and mother-of-pearl letter openers.

At the time
1921 The Kid by Charlie Chaplin
1926 Television first demonstrated
1926 Rudolph Valentino dies
1927 Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer, the first talking picture
1929 Wall Street Crash

1920s
In the home, modernism was taking off in Europe with the setting up of the Bauhaus, and shocking the world with its pared-down austere look. Architects began designing objects for the home, such as coffee sets and radios, as well as buildings. In the middle of the decade, art deco was showcased in Paris and became the major new style.
The decade known for its decadence ended with the Wall Street Crash, which plunged America and consequently much of Europe into economic depression.
Style
glamorous and sophisticated
geometric and angular shapes
chrome, glass, shiny fabrics, mirrors and mirror tiles
stylised images of aeroplanes, cars, cruise liners and skyscrapers
nature motifs
exotic touches from the Orient, Africa and Egypt
Influences
art deco and modernism.
early Hollywood - the glamorous world of the silver screen filtered through to design. Cocktail cabinets and smoking paraphernalia became highly fashionable.
travel - African safaris were all the rage, especially animal skins, ivory, mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell.