1950s Textile & Wallpaper

The American dream or joy rediscovered

Built on the previous decades, the 1950s benefited from the post-war reconstruction effort as well as the technical and creative innovations initiated since the end of the 19th century.

This decade is marked by mass culture, standardization and the development of taste for American culture conveyed in particular by cinema and advertising. The American way of life thus breathes modern ideas into European interiors while offering the ideal of a warm home.

The United States also brings to Europeans an interest for Pacific civilizations. They interact with European cultures through interior decoration with the appearance of undulating corals, seaweed and other aquatic plants as well as motifs from Tiki culture, such as tropical plants and flowers, animal prints.

At the same time, new materials such as PVC, aluminum or rubber make it possible to create new, lightweight and inexpensive furniture with tapered or compass legs. The bright colors share the joy of a newfound prosperity and the abstract geometric patterns this time show a taste for the functionality of objects.

Designers, still remembered, from Scandinavian countries, United States or Italy will leave their mark, particularly through seats, like Charles and Ray Eames, specialized in molded furniture.