Karpen Furniture had some nice rooms illustrated in magazines like House Beautiful and American Home during the 1920s. The company tended to specialize in traditional furnishings which the majority of home owners wanted. This room leans toward the 18th C. Colonial style. (I'm building a collection of 20th C. American residential images and articles at Antique Home & Style.)
Because they were relatively quick and easy to construct, bungalow-style homes were all the rage in the 1920s, and homeowner Jessica Small’s (@fromgrittopearl) 1920s home is no exception. Its Craftsman details, such as the unique windows, thick wooden trim, beadboard ceilings, and original hardwood flooring, sold her on the home the minute she walked in, but they needed some major restoration work.
According to this article from Ladies' Home Journal magazine in April 1912, "the first requirement of a living room is to give a feeling of cheerfulness and hospitality." I certainly love the glass doors that open to the fresh air and the the whole room seems to me to look much lighter than typical rooms of the day. This article also featured ideas for the bedroom and dining room, so in the next few entries I'll be continuing with those.
Published in American Home Magazine. Karpen advertised their furniture in House Beautiful, American Home, and other shelter magazines during the 1920s. This eclectic living room has some decidedly Deco elements like the streamlined furniture shapes and especially the upholstery of the chair in the foreground. This is very "modern" for Karpen which generally tended to show more traditional furnishings. It uses a tetrad of muted red, purple, yellow, and green ... a very sophisticated color scheme.
In this craftsman bungalow, Anne McDonald used the home's original dark-stained red oak trim and millwork as the inspiration for a moody palette.
In this craftsman bungalow, Anne McDonald used the home's original dark-stained red oak trim and millwork as the inspiration for a moody palette.
Houses of the 1920s–40s, and how to treat them.
Color Schemes for the Living and Dining Room
Published in HOUSE & GARDEN'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO INTERIOR DECORATION, 1947.
This living room was illustrated in a Ladies Home Journal during the period of Armstrong's association with Frank Alvah Parsons or more likely his atelier, the students of which may have produced these pieces. Notice the portière draperies between the dining and living rooms that would have kept the heat from the fireplace in the living room where shivering humans could enjoy it. It's easy to imagine this as the living room of the 1922 Lewis Piping Rock house plan.
The original period details of Kim Mupangilai's 1920s Brooklyn brownstone offer a perfect backdrop for her extensive collection of vintage handmade objects.
Let the bonding begin.
Artist Christine Flynn’s laid back country home in Prince Edward County
Invented in 1860, linoleum flooring was already very popular by the early 1920s, when these full-color (thus, very expensive) advertisements ran in four
1920 Living and Dining Room Colours
Bedroom, Bath, Kitchen Color Schemes Interiors from 1910 to 1940⚫Antique Home
