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World War I was over and many people felt freer than they had in years. That was apparent in everything from home furnishings to the slightly scandalous flapper style to politics as women gained the right to vote in 1920.
Architecturally, Art Deco debuted in commercial buildings for which you’d be hard-pressed to find a better example and the Chrysler Building. As homeowners saw the extravagant style in larger buildings, they scaled it to their own homes to show off their own prosperity. It’s because of Art Deco and the Egyptian craze after Howard Carter discovered King Tut’s tomb in 1922 that we began to see opulent and highly ornamental décor. Lush colors, an abundance of patterns in fabrics and wall coverings, and plenty of glitzy metals in a variety of finishes, sometimes in the same room, were hallmarks of Art Deco.
Other homeowners with a smaller budget or different taste may have opted for Western bungalows. These smaller houses weren’t chosen purely for their aesthetic, however. It was during this decade that electricity became more common, not only for lighting but for smaller appliances like hand mixers and blenders.1
Despite electricity being more readily accessible, it still came at a cost. To save money, the houses themselves shrank and entire rooms were eliminated from common floorplans. The front parlor that had been so common in Victorian homes was one of the first spaces to disappear. Additionally, those floorplans started to open up making the rooms that remained a bit larger. Gas lighting could be dangerous, so highly partitioned rooms with heavy drapes to limit hazardous drafts had been safety measures. With electric lighting instead of gas, layouts became airier and less constricting.2
Personal and home hygiene were given greater priority during this decade than in years past, and early electric appliances often made it easier to maintain new societal standards. Even the painted metal finishes of kitchen appliances were touted as being “sanitary” to ease concern over the unfamiliar contraptions and encourage sales. Meanwhile, disinfecting cleaning solutions were suddenly deemed a necessity, practically solidifying Lysol as a household name.
“A massive growth in advertising for new-style bathroom fixtures, home appliances, and cleaning products spread the impression that people, their clothing, and their homes should be cleaner than ever before,” wrote David E. Kyvig in his book American Life from 1920 to 1940. Despite additional ease, time spent cleaning was still high. “Three studies in the 1920s showed that women spent between fifty-one and sixty hours a week on housework.”
Included in that more than 50 hours of housework was cooking for the family. People were paying more attention to balanced diets and they had plenty of new food stuffs to choose from. What was deemed nutritious was sometimes a strange by today’s standards, though. Dairy was safer to drink thanks to the advent of pasteurization, and Corn Flakes and Grape Nuts3 were the epitome of nutritious. However, congealed salads were mainstays on the dinner table. The fictional Betty Crocker made her debut to help women learn how to cook the first processed foods.
The Roaring Twenties were a highly inventive decade, introducing appliances like the toaster, vacuum and electric iron. These may not seem particularly innovative by today’s standards, but they altered everyday life forever. Not once have Americans gone back to the habit of heating their iron on the stovetop just to de-wrinkle pants.
The twenties also marked the beginning of Schlage locks as founder Walter Schlage began developing his push-button lock. Prior to his invention, doors required a key for unlocking both from the inside and out, causing major headaches if the key was lost. The push-button mechanism survives today, not only in door hardware but also in other items like retractable pens.
If the twenties were marked by glamour and technological advances, the thirties were generally the opposite. The Great Depression, when nearly 30 percent of households didn’t have a single wage earner4, meant many families had to tighten their belts. Few new houses were built. Those who were already homeowners defaulted on their mortgages at a rate of better than 40 percent or welcomed extended families into their homes. Grandparents, aunts and uncles might have moved into the home, and adult children simply never left, oftentimes adding a spouse to the fold if the newlyweds couldn’t afford a place of their own.
People planted more gardens. The 1920s had been the first decade in American history when more people lived in urban areas than rural ones5, but now those who had left farms for industrial work were again growing their own food, canning and pickling at home just to make ends meet.
When they did their grocery shopping, Americans gained their first taste of the self-service grocery store6. Previously the woman of the house would either visit multiple stores – the baker, the butcher and the green grocer – to get all of her ingredients or hand her list to a grocer who would package everything behind the scenes and deliver it to the house. Now, shoppers roamed the aisles of a single store and could choose from a greater variety of goods, as long as they could afford them.
Despite the dire economic times and limited new home construction, some 1930s Americans could still enjoy innovative home goods. Refrigerators, which had been available in prior decades, were finally reliable enough to be worth the expense. As the price for refrigeration dropped and consumers could, for the first time, pay for appliances in installments or with credit, homes shifted away from the labor-intensive ice box – a literal box designed to hold a block of ice.
In an effort to ease the dour mood of the decade, many companies produced home goods that were both affordable and cheery. Fiesta Dinnerware made its debut in the 1930s and was lauded for its durability and bright colors. Depression glass followed the same trend. The tinted glass was often free as part of another purchase.
The 1930s were also considered the Golden Age of Radio. Socializing outside the home with non-family members declined for financial reasons, although Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 and Wizard of Oz in 1939 were wildly popular in movie theaters. The need to economize leisure dollars and the ability to pay in installments meant that approximately 60 percent of American households had a radio in 1933, up from one-third of homes in the late twenties7. Much larger in size than what we have today, the radio allowed Americans to listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic Fireside Chats, a greater variety of music than they had ever heard before and, eventually, serials like The Lone Ranger.8
The next decade brought its own hardships but of a different kind. The Second World War caused Americans to buckle down in the name of patriotism.
“For everyone back home, war meant meatless Tuesdays and Fridays or cutting the meat off the lamb chop for the kids while Mom chewed on what was left – unless she had a new recipe for Spam, which she might serve along with Uncle Ben’s new ‘converted’ rice,” according to Tom McBride and Ron Nief’s The Mindset Lists of American History. “The kids did their part by tagging along with older brothers and sisters in the Scouts or Campfire Girls as they collected scraps and newspapers, or they helped Mom plant and keep up with the victory garden.”
Women began working outside the home in greater numbers to fill the jobs left open by men fighting overseas. With the help of Rosie the Riveter and similar wartime propaganda, it also became more accepted, at least for a time. Often these women produced munitions and built ships and airplanes in factories not originally outfitted for those purposes.
Schlage was one of many manufacturers across the country that did its part for the war. Instead of producing locks as normal, Schlage switched to munitions such as proximity fuses, shell casings and aircraft gun brackets. By 1943, the factory had gone to a 48-hour workweek to keep up with demand. At the end of the war two years later, Schlage received the Army-Navy E Award for excellence in service to the United States.
The post-war construction boom brought Cape Cods and kit homes to popularity. These modest homes could be built quickly and efficiently, with kit houses available through catalogs. Suburbs and housing developments exploded as people could finally chase the American Dream during this period of renewed optimism.
In their new homes, you might have seen the now-famous bent-plywood Eames chair. The ball clock also has its roots in the 1940s, as do storage walls. Some 70 years ago, these walls were suggested by Life magazine as a way to maximize storage in homes at a time when closets were exceedingly small and narrow by today’s standards. Storage walls have returned, and today they are touted as a stylish way to divide open floorplans without closing off rooms or as unique partitions for an office/guest room.
As part of the American Dream, life in suburbia often included the family car, which had been gaining popularity since the 1920s, oven-friendly Pyrex and television. Refrigerators were stocked with Kraft processed cheese and Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise . And entertainment may have included the comic strip, Li’l Folks, which first appeared in 1947. You know them today as the Peanuts gang.
The 1950s might most easily be described as a decade of convenience. Homes, appliances and amenities – including television – spoke to the desire for simplicity while reaping the rewards of the economic growth and stability that followed World War II. After all, what could be better than using a TV tray to eat your TV dinner (cooked in the oven since its container was aluminum) in front of your favorite program? Additionally, “many families displayed handsome walnut cabinets containing a full entertainment system (TV, radio, and record player that held as many as five long-playing records at a time, changing them automatically).”10
These new-age entertainment systems were likely part of a ranch home, along with picture windows and garages, individual air conditioning units and a new space called the “den,” the new core of family life. Rooms were painted “First Lady Pink,” inspired by Mamie Eisenhower and her penchant for the feminine color. And it was everywhere, including bathroom vanities, which were a new popular home feature. Everything seemed to be covered in laminate, Formica or wood-veneer panels, and the more colorful they were, the better.
Well-manicured lawns and barbecue pits, presided over by the man of the house, were also a sign of the times. For perhaps the first time, he was the one doing the cooking, but only outdoors. He also scrutinized his lawn and compared it to the neighbors’, which might have been part of the growing DIY movement . Doing it yourself, however, often meant calling in familial reinforcements. Even the kids were involved in building a new bookcase or painting the family room.
While the fifties might have been a return to normal for many – no more uncertainty of the Great Depression or war – not everyone found it easy. No longer needed to fill professional roles during wartime, many women were back at home, sometimes begrudgingly. They might have thrown themselves into decorating their homes, often with Mid-Century Modern furniture. This meant clean, simple lines like those found in the Eames lounge chair.
For some women who missed working outside the home, Tupperware gave them the opportunity to recapture the independence of a career. While the plastic storage solution was available in the 1940s, the company encouraged women to host Tupperware parties in the fifties. These women became, in some ways, one of the earliest waves of female entrepreneurs, and Tupperware became a ubiquitous fixture in homes across America.
The 1960s were a decade of cultural change and steps into the unknown. At times, it was exhilarating, at others, uneasy. Space exploration fascinated Americans. Alan Shepherd was the first American to make a suborbital flight at the beginning of the decade and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon at the end of it. Flower power became a symbol of opposition to the war. The Berlin Wall was also built in the sixties, and the Cuban Missile Crisis had everyone on edge.
New trends in the home were frequently inspired by larger cultural movements. Inside popular split-level and A-frame houses were plenty of wallpaper, textiles in Flower Power-inspired designs, tie-dye and paisley, open-plan kitchens and no shortage of colored plastic and Lucite furniture. Mid-Century Modern designs were still in vogue, while vinyl sheet flooring was new to homes. Savvy DIY designers often picked out Sputknik chandeliers, an ode to the space-travel craze, or Castiglioni lighting. And of course, there was the lava lamp.
Americans were fairly young in the decade. After all, the generation that would become known as Baby Boomers were teenagers in the sixties. At home, everyone in the family, regardless of age, might have been used to eating dinner around the television since the fifties. Bonanza and, later in the sixties, the newly introduced Sesame Street were popular on air, but there were also still untouchable times to gather around an actual table, harkening back to a more traditional time. The Mindset Lists of American History describes:
“On Sundays tables were set with matching china and glassware acquired from supermarket and gas station promotions, one piece each week …. Just as it was amazing what could be done with a creative Campbell’s soup recipe, it was equally astounding how much you could get with the S&H Green Stamps. On special occasions, Victor Borge’s Rock Cornish Hens and Mom’s green bean casserole with fried onions provided the perfect meal for company. Oleomargarine tasted like real butter, and it came from the store already yellow; Mom no longer had to put the white stuff in a bag with a food color pill and massage it.”
During this decade, it’s possible that a wholesome meal for the family was inspired by Julia Child. Having already published some of her most successful cookbooks, the culinary icon made her television debut and showed the home cook how she – and yes, the home cook was still almost exclusively a she – could create classic, “complicated” dishes easily in her own kitchen. She made meals like French beef bourguignon accessible to the average household.
And many people were certainly looking for that French taste in their homes during the sixties, whether it was fondue or fashion. Feeding the craze was America’s obsession with Jacqueline Kennedy. Women emulated the First Lady’s personal style, poise and interior design. In their eyes, Jackie’s class came, in part, from her French heritage, so they would also become French. No doubt they also analyzed every detail of the televised tour of Jackie’s redecorated White House.
This decade was characterized by shag carpet, sunken living rooms and water beds. Some elements of this style – macramé, earth tones and mustard yellow, the Falcon chair and Bohemian plant patterns – are seeing a resurgence in the 21st century.
An energy crisis got more people paying attention to the environment in the seventies than ever before. Earth Day was established in 1970. A food counterculture developed, and people began choosing more sustainable and local cuisine. Even architecture got the ecological treatment as earthships started popping up. Like today’s passive houses, an earthship was positioned to take advantage of the sun for heating and cooling, and sustainable building materials were chosen. In the seventies, that sometimes meant aluminum cans and old tires.
New to the home, although probably not many earthships, were microwaves. According to the Smithsonian, “In the 1970s, food companies expanded their offerings of frozen, microwavable dinners and snacks to meet the demands of busy families and individuals with complex schedules or no inclination to cook.” It was a boon for many as the “traditional” family unit of a working father and stay-at-home mother was less common. For the first time, kids were coming home to empty houses, and being able to whip up their own after-school snack was made simple thanks to “radar ranges.”12
Color television was also more widespread, meaning you could finally watch The Brady Bunch in all its vibrant glory. Away from home, Mom might have been at work or attending a book club discussion of The Feminine Mystique, while Dad was likely working longer hours than ever before or relaxing to a broadcast of The Big Red Machine on the radio. Everyone had to make a trip to the movie theater to see that new George Lucas movie. Star Wars debuted in 1977 (and subsequently gave us Baby Yoda).
The eighties were another decade of marked technological innovations, which isn’t too surprising given our Star Wars-inspired fascination with robots roaming the galaxy. Personal computers debuted in homes, finally small and simple enough for the average user, and Apple released the first Macintosh13 in 1984. That launched an empire, which now has us wondering how Siri and R2-D2 would get along.
Transformers, talking robots and eventually video games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda were among the toys of choice for kids, along with Cabbage Patch Kids and Care Bears. Some of those toys, like Transformers and G.I. Joe, tied directly back to popular television. We also had The Cosby Show and Dallas on the small screen and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the most excellent Bill and Ted – a third movie is rumored for 2020 – on the big screen.
Homes, particularly shed-style homes, were shifting out of the Mid-Century Modern era and into a Postmodern phase. The shed style wasn’t brand new in the eighties, but it was popular and typical of builders trying to give construction a more modern flair. With their natural wood siding and intersecting gabled roofs, surviving examples today are often cabins and woodsy vacation homes.
Counterintuitive to the earthy shed-style home was some of the typical interior design of the eighties. Memphis style was anything but subtle or nature-inspired. Angular and abstract, in-your-face colors and graphic patterns, all in the same space, made a bold statement that was completely unmissable.
And brass finishes capped everything off, the brighter the better. If you live in a 1980s-built home and haven’t updated your door hardware, you probably know this. Builders often chose bright brass knobs for their new construction.
It’s easy to think that the nineties weren’t all that long ago. Despite being some 30 years in the past, 1990 ushered in trends that continue to influence us today but thankfully have matured in their resurgence. Light pine and blond woods, which we’re seeing again in 2020, were everywhere and may have covered every surface in the kitchen from cabinets to hutches to the dining table.
We love using mirrors as décor today, especially in entryways to make them feel larger, but entire walls of mirrors were big in the nineties. So were computer stations, which have evolved into today’s more robust home offices. Shabby chic has been updated to today’s Farmhouse Modern aesthetic thanks in part to the influence of Chip and Joanna Gaines in the new century.
There was also a bit of a kneejerk reaction away from the vibrancy of the eighties in some homes, although not all. Friends debuted in 1994, after which you may have seen odes to the popular show. Better Homes & Gardens remembers: we all wanted a purple door like Monica’s.
Frasier might have been your television show of choice, in which case you were probably drawn to neutral colors and dipped your toe in the minimalist look. Monochromatic color schemes, sleek silhouettes for furniture and fixtures, and limited yet strategically chosen décor captured homeowners’ imaginations.
We’re glad some 1990s home trends have gone by the wayside. Oversized curtains – the more that pooled on the floor and the frillier, the better – not to mention sponge-painted walls and neon beer signs are a few that have slipped into the hall of infamy.
While it’s easy to knock many of the styles coming out of this decade, one innovation we are truly thrilled about the cell phone, although these first ones were usually “dumb.” We don’t need to tell you about communication benefits of a cell, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t praise these first devices for laying the groundwork for smartphones and the apps and non-communication-related convenience they provide us today.
At the turn of the millennium, families lived in the suburbs, but young people had different dreams. It may have been part of a growing obsession with keeping up with appearances. Sex in the City had been on air since 1998 and, while introducing gaucho pants, also promoted the idea that looking good and living someplace cool were paramount.
“Especially if they were upper middle class, they have aspired to be able to work in hip cities such as Seattle or Denver or Houston or Chicago or Tokyo, and have always wanted to avoid Cleveland or Buffalo or Milwaukee or Scranton,” it’s written in Mindset Lists of American History. “They have always expected to work long, if discontinuous, hours, including weekends, and to change jobs and maybe even careers many times.”
Living and working in all the “hip cities” didn’t always work out thanks in part to The Great Recession late in the decade. In reality, nearly 40 percent of adults aged 18-34 moved back in with their parents, usually out of economic necessity, creating the “Boomerang Generation.” The Pew Research Center also found that in 2009, 51.4 million Americans lived in a multigenerational home.
The financial pinch of the decade may have played a role in the “quickie reno” trend. If moving or buying a new house wasn’t feasible, and if a total gut job was also beyond your pocketbook’s reach, simple weekend DIY projects could quickly refresh the home on a budget.
Before Millennial Pink, there was Bubblegum pink and it wasn’t just for little girls. Bathroom shower tiles, living room curtains and wall paint anywhere in the home got this bright treatment at some point. Other homeowners were inspired by their morning java and painted their bedroom in coffee-inspired hues. Kitchen cabinets, though? Those were predominantly white.
Paint wasn’t the only wall treatment, however. Faux antlers seemed to pop up everywhere. You might have had a set hanging over your sleigh-style bed. In other areas of the house, granite countertops and vessel sinks had their heyday. And it wasn’t exactly stylish, but we wouldn’t be surprised if a Snuggie snuck into your home toward the end of the decade, too.
Among all the innovations of the aughts, one common thread was technology at your fingertips. The first (rather large) iPod was released in 2002, and iPhone followed five years later. “DVR” became a verb and, paired with the launch of Hulu, meant you watched your shows on your own schedule. Survivor, Lost, a range of satire like The Daily Show, Colbert Report or 30 Rock, or perhaps replays of the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show’s wardrobe malfunction, courtesy of Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, aired when you wanted them. YouTube was founded in 2005 and cat videos have never been the same.
It seems like just yesterday, and it almost kind of was, that we fell in love with Farmhouse Modern and Industrial Modern design. Both featured raw wood and reclaimed materials, although the elements were used in dramatically different ways. At the same time, Scandinavian, with its minimalist quality, was popular. More wood and natural elements were a feature despite being used more sparingly. And walls were almost certainly white.
As the charm of minimalism began to wear off for some later in the decade, we started to come full circle. Art Deco started making its way back, although with a bit more restraint than a century ago. Jewel tones, whether for walls or textiles, regained popularity, and mixing metals like brass with gold or silver with copper became more common. Metallic rose gold was another popular finish for everything from faucet fixtures to jewelry to smart phones.
The throwbacks continued, albeit with a decidedly updated interpretation, in other ways. Would you expect anything less from a decade that also brought us Juan Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton? Mid-Century Modern furniture has been a stalwart in the home for some time, and we might be able to attribute some of that popularity to Mad Men. Debuting in 2007, the hit TV show reminded us of the most glamorous parts of the sixties.
Not to be left out, the 1970s sparked our imaginations again as well. Macramé and woven textiles returned to our walls. Hanging basket chairs, rattan furniture and terrazzo made their mark and will likely continue to do so in the near future. Vintage is the new now, and upcycling has never been hotter.
To read this, it might seem that the home styles of the 2010s were helter-skelter. But we think it could be considered a nod to the expectation that our home, like our lives, can be whatever we want to make of it. New technology adds customization without complication. Schlage introduced the Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt in 2019, giving homeowners the security of a smart lock with the convenience of built-in WiFi. With the single, innovative product, you no longer have to figure out which hub to connect your lock to. Stylish home security became easier than ever.
To read this, it might seem that the home styles of the 2010s were helter-skelter. But we think it could be considered a nod to the expectation that our home, like our lives, can be whatever we want to make of it. New technology adds customization without complication. Schlage introduced the Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt in 2019, giving homeowners the security of a smart lock with the convenience of built-in WiFi. With the single, innovative product, you no longer have to figure out which hub to connect your lock to. Stylish home security became easier than ever.
We saw similar technological revolutions with the Amazon Echo, the first of which was released in 2014, and Alexa. AirPods made their debut in 2016, and Uber and ride sharing via an app simplified transportation challenges. Virtual and augmented reality are still picking up steam, and while we often think of them for gaming, their uses extend to improving collaboration in remote workplaces, surgical training and PTSD treatment.
It’s incredible to see how much has changed in the last 100 years. In the 1920s, few people thought anything of locks for their doors, while a century later, we’re controlling them from anywhere with a smartphone. How to bring electricity and indoor plumbing to every home was a looming question at one time. Today, the question is not whether we will have those, but rather how we can use them more efficiently and sustainably. The novelty of self-service markets has worn off, and we again ask companies to do our shopping for us, although this time with a twist. A few clicks on the computer and Amazon or the grocery store brings them to our door within the day.
At the same time, there is much that still looks familiar. Old houses full of “character” have come back in vogue. Contemporary homes are influenced by our quest for the unique and state-of-the-art. In both cases, our homes allow us to live the life we crave and inspire our families to do great things. Whether through their architectural bones or the decorative embellishments we add, our homes make a statement about where we come from, who we are and where we hope to go.
For more design inspiration, including how to incorporate Satin Brass and Polished Nickel finishes into your home, visit Schlage’s Style Center. You’ll find design guides, home renovation tips and more information about all of Schlage’s styles, finishes and products.
Select sources
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1Daily Life in the United States 1920-1940: How Americans lived through the 'Roaring Twenties' and the Great Depression, by David E. Kyvig
2Daily Life in the United States 1920-1940: How Americans lived through the 'Roaring Twenties' and the Great Depression, by David E. Kyvig
3The Mindset Lists of American History: From Typewriters to Text Messages, What Ten Generations of Americans Think is Normal, by Tom McBride and Ron Nief
4Daily Life in the United States 1920-1940: How Americans lived through the 'Roaring Twenties' and the Great Depression, by David E. Kyvig
5America in the 1920s, by Edmund Lindop with Margaret J. Goldstein
6Daily Life in the United States 1920-1940: How Americans lived through the 'Roaring Twenties' and the Great Depression, by David E. Kyvig
7The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects, by Richard Kurin
8National Geographic Almanac of American History, by James Miller and John Thompson
9The Mindset Lists of American History: From Typewriters to Text Messages, What Ten Generations of Americans Think is Normal, by Tom McBride and Ron Nief
10The Mindset Lists of American History: From Typewriters to Text Messages, What Ten Generations of Americans Think is Normal, by Tom McBride and Ron Nief
11The Mindset Lists of American History: From Typewriters to Text Messages, What Ten Generations of Americans Think is Normal, by Tom McBride and Ron Nief
12The Mindset Lists of American History: From Typewriters to Text Messages, What Ten Generations of Americans Think is Normal, by Tom McBride and Ron Nief
13The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects, by Richard Kurin