1950's Retro Furniture

From LoveToKnow Furniture

1950's retro furniture is identified with diner style furniture that used chrome, naugahyde vinyl upholstery and laminate table tops.

Vintage Inspired Furniture

1950's Retro Furniture: Identifying Design Elements

The 1950's furniture designs were most influenced by Scandinavian and American designers. Movies and television shows helped promote the new look of sleek furniture lines and splashes of color. Furniture upholstery reflected the excitement of a war-free country with bright colors: Lime green, lavender, yellow, pink, and combination colors such as red and black.

Advent of Rec Rooms

Rec (Recreational) rooms were the latest floor plan addition to homes. There were certain pieces of furniture found in this entertainment room.

Ping pong table
Pool (billiard) table
Folding bridge tables and chairs covered with padded naugahyde vinyl
Television set housed in wood cabinets was considered a piece of furniture and the centerpiece of the new rec room.
Folding plastic TV tables and trays so you didn’t miss your favorite nighttime television show during the dinner hour. (There were no DVRs and only three television channels.)
Cocktail bars – Typically enough room for two bar stools
Sofa, chairs, end tables, and coffee table

Living Rooms

Living room furniture changed from the previous period styles of dark woods and heavy materials to the exciting new matched sets of colorful upholstery for furniture

Kidney-shaped coffee tables
Sectional sofas
End tables

Dining Rooms

Dining rooms were still used for lunch and dinner but the 1950's style was light-colored woods for the table, matching chairs, china cabinet and breakfront. Veneers were popular over solid wood.

Bedrooms

Bedroom suites also reflected the new blonde look in furniture.

Twin beds became popular with a nightstand placed between the two single beds.

Kitchens

The diner collections were very popular for kitchen designs. Many kitchens still used a table in the center while others had breakfast nooks just off of the kitchen or to one side of the room with a large bay window.

Popular Kitchen Furniture:

Chrome and vinyl upholstered swivel counter stools – Bolted to floor often with footrests or with chair legs
Vinyl upholstered booth seats – Single, double, wall booth, circle
Chrome tables with laminate tops
Booths and banquettes used in breakfast nooks off of the kitchen
Built-in bars or stand-alone cocktail bars

Vintage Vs Reproduction

You can find vintage and reproduction furniture pieces. Something to consider when purchasing these are how well the vintage piece has survived. Metal was once more available for 1950's style furniture, having been scarce during the preceding World War II era. Many of the metals used were of varying quality and quite a few weren’t rust resistant, so you’ll need to evaluate the quality of the vintage piece and determine if you can live with its flaws or can possibly refinish it. For the purist vintage collector, refinishing is tantamount to destroying an authentic piece.

Finding Vintage 1950's Furniture

You can find authentic vintage 1950's furniture on eBay and other internet websites, but one of the best places is your local flea market or antique furniture stores. One thing to consider about buying local is you can see the piece in person and you’ll save on shipping costs. So it will pay for you to start locally in your search for vintage pieces of furniture. Once you’ve exhausted this venue, you may wish to browse websites that specialize in this period style furniture.

Some 1950's vintage furniture websites:

Advantages of Reproduction 1950's Furniture

The most obvious advantage of purchasing a reproduction piece of furniture over a vintage one is that you’re buying a new piece of furniture. The finish and materials are the latest innovations and give you the look without compromising comfort and ease in using the furniture. You can create an authentic looking décor to reflect the nostalgia of the 1950s without having to deal with possible construction or aging material issues found in vintage pieces.

Some 1950's furniture reproduction websites:

Unique 1950's Furniture Pieces

Some of the reproduction furniture pieces have combined the muscle car look into the overall design to reflect America’s fascination with cars. The 1950's cars were also made with a lot of chrome.

Jukeboxes

No 1950's décor can be complete without the classic jukebox. This icon of the era was found in the local ice cream parlor where teenagers went to socialize while sipping milkshakes, eating burgers and dancing to the latest records on the jukebox. One popular style of jukebox was the arched design with colorfully lighted tubes that flashed or percolating bubble tubes, known as bubblers.

1950's jukebox reproductions:

Living Room and Other Furniture

Retro furniture can be found for rooms other than the kitchen or dining room when considering 1950's retro style furniture. You can decorate your entire home with this period style of furniture. The wood veneers were used for 1950's furniture with sleek lines and in many cases chrome accent features. The lawn furniture underwent a transformation with the ever popular shell-back metal chairs, rockers and love seats which were available in almost any color imaginable.

1950's Whole House Furniture Reproductions: