1950s Patterned Textiles & Wallpaper

The American dream, or rediscovered joy

Building on the successes of previous decades, the 1950s benefited from the post-war reconstruction effort as well as the technical and creative innovations that had begun since the end of the 19th century.

This decade is marked by mass culture, standardization, and the growing taste for American culture, conveyed particularly through film and advertising. The American way of life thus brought ideas of modern amenities to European homes while simultaneously offering an ideal of a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The United States also brought to Europeans an attraction to Pacific civilizations. These civilizations interacted with European cultures through interior decoration, with the appearance of undulating corals, algae and other aquatic plants, as well as motifs from Tiki culture, such as tropical plants and flowers, and animal prints.

At the same time, new materials like PVC, aluminum, and rubber made it possible to create new, lightweight, and inexpensive furniture with tapered or splayed legs. Bright colors reflected the joy of renewed prosperity, and abstract geometric patterns now conveyed a taste for functional objects.

Designers still remembered from Scandinavian countries, the United States or Italy will leave their mark particularly through seating, such as Charles and Ray Eames, who specialized in molded furniture.