The 1930s Home Revival: Bringing Vintage Style to Modern Living

With nearly a century having passed, it’s perhaps no surprise that 1930s decor is making something of a triumphant comeback. This is a school of design that never really went away, especially when you consider how many millions of homes were built during the period.

We’re going to guide you through everything you need to know to enjoy your very own 1930s home revival. Have fun!

What is 1930s style all about?

In the era before the 1930s much of interior decor was about ornate detailing and intricate patterns designed to fully occupy the senses. When a new decade began, a different way of looking at the world quickly emerged. Art Deco and Streamline Moderne would take centre-stage and begin to really make everyone take a second look:

• A shift away from intricate ornamentation and fine detailing
• A move towards simple shapes and geometric lines in every room
• A desire to create striking colour combinations that stand out

Now it’s time you saw how to make it happen in your own home. The first thing you need to do is pick a side.

Art Deco vs Streamline Moderne

While the Art Deco movement was all about embracing architecture and art at home, Streamline Moderne stayed closer to industrial aesthetics. If you want to create a home that really aligns with what you imagine 1930s style to be, we’d recommend Art Deco.

Picture a home in which the simplicity of common shapes, the elegance of curved lines, and the beauty of bay windows all come together as one. The result is a space that makes you feel at home from the moment you walk through the door.

Adding colour for vintage style

Art Deco is all about embracing striking colour combinations and unexpected pairings that you simply wouldn’t have found in the previous decade. Everything is about balance here, so try to avoid pairing up contrasting colours for the sake of it — not every pairing is going to create the effect you want.

If it were up to us, we would consider having one understated colour and one much bolder tone. Gold, deep blue, and juicy orange are great options to bring to the table if you want to pursue this approach. Think about it as a way to break up primary surfaces with bursts of colour that will always make you feel at home and you will soon come across the perfect choice.

Making the most of simple lines

The real beauty of bringing vintage back to life by embracing 1930s decor is that it doesn’t require wholesale changes. Something as simple as fitting a couple of 1930s internal doors to the downstairs hallway, or upstairs landing, will help you breathe new life into a key space in the home.

Take a moment to consider how you can create a hallway in which everything feels well-appointed and finely balanced and you’ll soon see it come to life. If you have the space, fitting a parquet floor downstairs will really help break things up by adding bold yet homely geometric detailing to your home’s main entrance way. Ideal when you want to be able to set the tone in a way that’s sure to make you feel reconnected to the 30s.  

Embracing the world of monochrome

Just because we’ve touched on bold accent colours doesn’t mean everything that you add to your home has to go in that direction. What you want is a real sense of balance so that you feel at peace in your new-look surroundings. Embracing the world of monochrome will allow you to do exactly that, and all while you avoid the risk of overpowering the senses.

Using monochrome in this way allows the more overt colour choices and patterns to really come into their own. After all, if every surface and feature were equally bold and bright, how would you ever create the focal points you’re striving for?

Bold geometric detailing works anywhere

Tiles, doors, metalwork, and even lighting fixtures can break up the more neutral touch of a largely monochrome space in an instant. Being bold with smaller features like this will allow your choice of flooring and wallpaper to fit into your space without overwhelming it. Perfect when you want to be able to breathe new life into your vintage transformation project with the minimum of effort.

What’s next?

Try to avoid convincing yourself that you have to start from scratch if you’re going to bring the vintage touch to contemporary living. Something as simple as fitting a 1930s vintage style door and matching light fitting is all it takes to make sure that you can elevate your interiors. Start small like this and then move around the room, assessing each surface and feature as you go and you’ll have the space you want in no time at all.