A white and red vintage inspired bathroom that's anything but dull

✯ Day 247 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Much as I do not consider myself a minimalist when it comes to home decor, there is much to be said for understatedly simplicity, for letting a handful of key pieces shine on their own and work in delightful harmony to create a room that is deeply pretty.

Most bathrooms veer on the small side, thus meaning that cramming them up to the rafters can create a stifling look and feel with very little appeal. A glaring colour palette can be tricky to pull off, too (much as I do, admittedly, love vintage pink bathrooms). When putting together a beautiful powder room you want to strive for the right balance between function and style, elegance and practicality.

To my mind, the charmingly lovely vintage inspired loo below nails that criteria smack dab on the head.

 

Hailing from online UK decor site House to Home (soooo worth bookmarking, if you haven't already), this fresh, elegantly arranged bathroom is big on style, but spared from looking even the slightest bit crowded.

Channelling a distinctly vintage vibe with its stately claw foot tub, antique chair, old-fashioned style toilet (note that the tank is elevated from the seat portion), playfully shaped mirrors, glistening chandelier, and vibrant red floral fabrics, this room is a winner from start to finish.

Using basic, neutral colours and engaging touches (like the white towel rack and toilet paper holder), this classy washroom provides oodles of vintage inspiration for those looking to update their own loos in very, very lovely vintage style.

Few things beat a long soak in a claw foot tub, nor how enjoyable it is to see one of these throwbacks to the past each time you enter a bathroom, so for me that - plus the gorgeous floral print fabrics - are what adheres this room to my decor inspiration board the most.

A timeless palette, clean lines and great details all add up to a room that's anything must boring and about a million miles away from minimalistic!

Dorm decor 1950s style

✯ Day 242 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Having never lived on campus in a dorm, I can't say as though I have any personal experience when it comes to decorating one, but I've certainly visited other peoples' and seen my fair share of these (usually) pocket-sized colligate dwellings before.

As with nearly all abodes, the decor in dorm rooms can run the gamut from painfully Spartan to glamorously gorgeous. Most fall squarely in between, veering towards the practical side of life - chocked full of items like a desk, comfy chair, bed (usually twin size), computer and printer, dresser, and bookcase.

Tiny spaces intended to hold the most basic creature comforts of life, while allowing students to productively plug away at their studies, dorms have been a way of collage life for millions of students over the years.

As the the new school year kicking off right about now, I thought it would be fun to share a cute I image I found recently of a 1950s dorm room with you.

{Charming vintage dorm room photo via Vassarcollegearchives on Flickr.}

 

In this shot of two 1950s Vassar College students pouring over their books we see a room that is both similar and different from many dorms today. It strikes me as being more reserved and homelike, with it's spindle back chairs, double curtain windows, and pair of rugs. It's not luxurious in the slightest, yet it seems inviting and comfortable.

The walls are free of posters, photos, bulletin boards, and mirrors, a small lone piece of artwork the only thing adoring their pale hued paint. I like that girls have added a few feminine touches in the form of things like the floral print bedspreads and cute plush dogs.

Three lamps ensure they needn't strain their eyes as they read chapter after chapter; what looks like folding chairs propped against the right wall are likely for when company stops by, and (slightly beat-up) shelving near the door gives the ladies a place to house their shoes and handbags.

Like so many rooms of the decade, this college dorm is both sweet and utilitarian. It speaks to the necessary frugality most students face, yet really looks like the kind of spot you could feel instantly at home in.

Were I headed off to a dorm of my own this fall, I'd definitely be looking at vintage photographs like this for inspiration on how to dress up my college digs!

A great 1950s example of decorating a dual purpose room

✯ Day 102 of Vintage 365 ✯

While definitely vividly hued and inviting, there's nothing (save perhaps for those cheerful candy cane-esque chairs) that really sets this living-slash-dinning room from 1955 apart from what many similar rooms of the era looked like, and that is precisely why I like it.

This modest sized corner looks homey and cosy. It's lived in and filled with various decor elements, but stops effectively short of being needlessly busy. Instead of being a grandly designed living room or dining room all on its own, this dual purpose room is one that many apartment, condo, and small house owners are very familiar with: the joint dining and living room (in fact, I'm sitting in exactly such as room in my apartment as I type this post).

It can be a challenge to furnish and attractively decorate such a room, as you need to serve at least two functions yet not have it seem either under or over designed. In my humble abode we use the back of the couch as a natural divider between the dinning area (with it's lovely mahogany wood table and chairs) and the living area, which houses the TV, couch, love seat, coffee table and a pretty dark burgundy hued rug (that matches that curtains running across the windows on both halves of the room).

As my husband is keen on pointing out, there isn't a lot of space in this part of the house, however we both agree it doesn't seem cluttered at all (in fact, I think it could use with a few more adornments, but I'm equally content with how it is for the time being) - and I get that same feeling when I look at this cheery 1950s Modern Living Room (which hails from Miss Retro Modern's enjoyable Flickr stream), with it's punchy bursts of lipstick red, cool snowflake white, and creamy pea soup green rugs and sofa.

This strikes me as a young person or couple's room, created as many are with an array of different practical items (table and chairs, shelves, seating, etc) that don't clash, yet also don't seem as though they were purposely purchased to all match perfectly.

They're real and honest. Exactly the sort of pieces and colours I'd imagine many younger folks of the era adorning their homes proudly with - and which still serve as home decor inspiration for people of all ages and house size today.