Families in the 1940s used their dining room for every meal.
During the postwar era of the 1940s, there were an estimated 6 million veteran homes that were built to deal with the housing shortage. These homes were typically no more than 1,000 square feet, so the living and dining rooms were often combined into one space. During this era, the d cor is described as being retro---bright-colored wallpapers, beautiful dark furniture and bold floral fabrics were often found throughout the home, including the dining room area.
Furniture
Dining rooms in the 1940s, just like today, often had a large family dinner table as the main focal point of the room. During this era, many manufacturers were designing tables, china cabinets and sideboards that matched the Duncan Phyfe furniture of the early 1800s. Duncan Phyfe's furniture creations grew so popular that the name is applied to any furniture done in this style. In the 1940s, much of the dining furniture was done in deep, rich wood colors. Other popular furniture brands included Heywood Wakefield, Cushman and Willett.
Wallpaper
During the 1940's era it was not uncommon to see a dining room that was entirely covered in wallpaper. Wallpaper was often very bold, with large flower patterns or other symmetrical shapes. The paper came in a variety of colors and patterns and it was not uncommon to see wallpaper used throughout the home, not just in the dining room.
Harmony House
In 1940, Sears developed a new color scheme known as the Harmony House collection. This decorating scheme used four main colors that could all be used in harmony together. Later, the collection was expanded to include a total of 18 colors including Tuscan rose, sage green and federal gold. It was not uncommon to see these colors, used in a variety of combinations, throughout American homes in the 1940s. Sears offered a wide variety of household objects in these colors including wallpaper, paint, upholstery fabrics, draperies, dinnerware and dinette sets.
Other Details
The dining room in the 1940's house was a very formal room. It was not uncommon for the dining room to have thick floral drapes with a matching floral tablecloth. The chairs were often upholstered in a matching colored fabric. During this era, you might find a china cabinet that displayed the fine china, which was used on special occasions. The table was usually positioned in the center of the room, and underneath you might find a large area rug to tie the room together.
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