Decorating Ideas from Colonial Williamsburg: 1962 Inspirations

The August 1962 Family Circle magazine offered 18th c. decor to inspire 20th c. homes.

Restored homes in Colonial Williamsburg showcased Revolutionary era decorating.

"The interiors of the four houses are shown here for the first time in a national publication."

The first house photographed was not open to the public but was rented privately and furnished with antiques and reproductions.

Scenic wallpaper like in the room above was very popular in mid-century homes. In the back of the magazine is an ad for Oriental themed wallpaper scenes.

An embroidered linen bed hanging appears in the bedroom of the Brush-Everard House.

Above is a child's room. The jigsaw puzzle is from about 1787. It turns out that Venetian blinds were popular in Colonial times!  I am sure they were made of wood slats.

The Everard-Brush House parlor includes a desk and a teatime grouping. The "Tavern Green" wall paint was one of six Colonial Williamsburg colors. The color on my computer is not very close to the photograph in the magazine. The color is much deeper and greener.

The following two rooms are from the George Wythe House. Note the fire screen with needlework panel. This parlor includes a desk, card table, piano, reading nook, and conversation groupings.

 

This bedroom has interior shutters and a canopy bed. A crewelwork chair has a detachable candle arm.

The following photograph is the dining room from the Coke-Garrett House West. 

The dining room in the Carter-Saunders House includes an Oriental runner and replica wallpaper. Don't you love the turquoise painted corner hutch?

The drawing room of Dr. David Y. Paschall, president of the College of William and Mary, features an imposing 1780s Chippendale style bookcase.

We have inherited a few Colonial inspired pieces. A Windsor chair. A secretary. A pie-crust table. We have a winged arm chair similar to the yellow one pictured above. The homes in my family were not as high traditional as the ones in this article, but they were ALL Colonial reproductions or Colonial inspired. Magazine articles like this must have informed their choices.

Mom and Dad had a huge bronze eagle.  Sadly, Mom did not notice she had positioned me right under it when she took this photo! I had a great deal of fun showing it to the kids at school!

The eagle is still in the family.

Big Changes In Small Kitchens

The August 1962 Family Circle magazine included an article "Big Changes for Small Kitchens."I really liked this photo because it reminds me of the cabinets in our 1966 ranch.

Our original cabinets have copper hardware added by my folks in the 1970s, and the cabinets were refinished by my brother in the 1980s. I am told they are in wonderful shape. Otherwise the kitchen is all original.

Here is the kitchen 'work space' when we inherited it:

No dishwasher. The 'hood' over the range is just for lighting, there is no exhaust fan. The hanging light was made by Dad in the 1970s.

Ideas for making better use of a small kitchen in 1962:

This kitchen was made into an "L" shape with everything easily reachable for one person, obviously the lady of the house ruled the roost in this department. NO ONE ELSE was allowed in! I mean, where would they fit?

I lived in a house with this arrangement: corner sink with dishwasher and range flanking it, fridge next to the dishwasher. It was horrible to work in! Thankfully the parsonage underwent a remodel.

The next kitchen added a free standing range behind the half wall partition behind the seating area.

The next kitchen, the one I showed first in my post, has a U-shape. Note the cool hanging ceiling lamp over the breakfast bar and the wall oven. It even has pot lights!In the first photo you see the electric range top.

Gee, what is old is new again. These features are very popular today.

Except for the curtains. I don't see these little geometric prints right now. But I do have four or five pieces in my stash!

Yesterday we met with a contractor. We are going to gut the kitchen. No more carpeted floor. We will have a dishwasher. Good by soffits, hello 48" cabinets. We will have a real venting hood and under counter lighting. A new range. Drawers instead of deep cabinets that require kneeling to get to. A backsplash. A place for trash and recycling. A kitchen we can age in.

We will move the sink to the side where the stove is. The refrigerator has already been replaced and is against another wall. The new range will go in it's place. The pantry will go, and the cabinets will run the length of the wall. Here is that wall as it was a few years ago:

Retro Renovation fans would hate me for tearing out this original kitchen. We will have slab doors and Formica counter tops, keeping to a "retro" feel.

We have made many upgrades and repairs and improvements over the last six years, but now the best part comes: major remodeling for our needs!