The Craftsman home's half-story attic could be converted into bedrooms.
In the 1940s the design of homes, a small footprint and compact rooms provided a comfortable space for suburban living. Many homes were purchased out of a catalog and delivered to the site with all the necessary components. The homes were often one-and-a-half stories and the unfinished attic could be converted into a store room or additional bedrooms.
Half-story Conversion
Homeowners in the 1940s found that do-it-yourself was a necessity, as their families outgrew the main floor. The attic became one or two bedrooms. The steep angle of the Cape Cod or Tudor roof made for narrow attic bedrooms, while the lesser pitch of the bungalow roof allowed for wider rooms with lower ceilings. Attic rooms often had built-in armoires and dresser storage or created closet space by walling off the steeply angled sides of the rooms and putting up rods for clothing storage.
Windows in Attic Bedrooms
In the 1940s, the Cape Cod- and Tudor-style houses often had dormer windows which could let light and air into attic rooms. Dormers could also provide structure for window seats. Bungalow-style attics sometimes had dormer or skylight windows. While these windows added an attractive touch to the decor, they rarely helped with ventilation, because most of them did not open. In fact, in the summer, the sun's heat streamed through the windows and the room's heat escaped through the windows in the winter.
Heating and Cooling
Attics in the 1940s had vent windows at each end, which could be enlarged and made into windows that could open and let flow through ventilation cool and refresh the space. In the winter, a south-facing window or skylight brought extra heat into the room. The popularity of the sleeping porch had faded by the 1940s, but sometimes was still incorporated in an attic conversion -- especially in the South because of its airy comfort on hot summer nights.
Furniture and Decor
Bedroom furniture of the era was relatively small compared to today's sizes, so it fit reasonably well. For example, the largest mattress size commonly available in that era was the double (now called full) size. Nightstands were rarely wider than the width of a magazine. Dressers were likely to be tall rather than wide. The furniture styles featured Art Deco-influenced curves with deep satin finishes. Paint colors were rich and floral wallpaper patterns were popular.
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