When I was 4 years old, in 1964, my parents bought a new house that we lived in until 1973. Since that house, and the others in the neighborhood, were all built about that time I can tell you what they were like. It was in Dallas, Texas so there may have been regional variations from other parts of North America, but here goes...

Our house had flat, sculpted carpet in the living room and master bedroom. The floor in the entrance foyer and two steps down into the living room were brick. The children's bedrooms, family room, and kitchen had what was probably asbestos floor tile, which looked like cork. Between the living room and family room was a 3/4 high wall constructed of brick to match the exterior of the house. The family room had "childproof" Danish modern furniture (which I wish someone still had!) and was decorated in aqua blue and avocado green. The living room had more traditionally styled furnishings, including a swag lamp. The windows in the living and famiy rooms were large and went almost to the floor and the draperies on them were simple and floor length on traverse rods with large, exposed rings.

The kitchen had avocado green plastic laminate countertops and coordinating vinyl wallcovering, which was not only on the walls but, also, inset into panels on the fronts of the upper cabinets. The kitchen ceiling was "luminous" and had a pattern of white plastic panels suspended in an irregular grid of rectangles. The light bulbs were up above the plastic panels so, when you turned on the lights, the ceiling glowed. The cabinets in all three bathrooms were up on little legs so, as a little kid, you could lay on the floor and look under them or hide completely under them for hide-n-seek. The bathroom mirrors slid back and forth on tracks to reveal hidden storage shelving behind them for towels, etc.

I remember our neighbor's kitchens were in colors like orange, light blue, and white. Our next-door neighbor's kitchen, in light blue, had matching appliances. Some of the neighbor's kitchen cabinets were up on little legs, like those in our bathrooms. All of the houses in that neighborhood were "transitional" in style, not traditional styles like Colonials, etc., and were what would be described now as 1960's in style.

It may sound hokey, but you can get ideas from old television shows from that era, too. For example, I can't watch an episode of the old Dick Van Dyke Show without thinking of that house and how it was decorated, for there were a lot of similarities. My parents looked and dressed just like Rob and Laura, too, and in many of our family photos from the early 1960's, my mother looks just like her or Jackie Kennedy!

Thumbing through old magazines can help too. I think that Better Homes goes back that far, for example.

Try doing some google searches about 1950's decor. YOu might find something. I have a modest 1958 split level and some friends of mine have a 1960 split that is anything but modest. His wife has good taste and has decorated with a more contemporary feel with colors she likes that are very today. Looks great in my book. I also painted my interior with colors to my liking, a soft creamy yellow, a very soft sage green, and a screaming melon color in the bath. My favorite, but definately not 1950's. Some teenage visitors to my house seem to think the bathroom calls for sunglasses when entering for some reason...I tell them it reminds me of the Caribean... warm, bright, beachy. They just don't seem to get it. LOL

Try this website: Lisa's Nostalgia Cafe. This link will take you right to the 1960s.

Many other decades are covered there and I have spent lots of happy time looking.

Here is a link that might be useful: 1960s decor

Here is another site someone else posted. It' looks pretty nice. http://www.atomic-ranch.com/

I grew up in a 1960's split level. Floors were all hardwood, except for the family room on the bottom floor, which was vinyl tile, and the kitchen, which I think was vinyl as well. My mother had braided rugs in the living room and the dining room, and the furniture was that '60's "colonial"--lots of pine and wing back chairs. The kitchen had whitewashed wood cabinets with black strap hinges. Countertops were that white laminate with the little sparklies in it--I HATED that stuff for so many years, now it looks good to me again. Drapes on our large front bow window were gold, to the floor, on traverse rods. I drove past the house awhile back--new owners made it look way too much like a 2-story colonial. Got rid of the bow window, the wrought iron railing and trellis--now it looks like it was built last week.

Thanks so much for the ideas!! The link is awesome and oh how ideas pour into my brain now...... just need a bucket under each ear to catch the suckers when they run out?

I for sure do not want this house to look 'new' I want it period. We are leaving the stucco exterior and the trim, just going to paint it back to the original colours when we get to the bottom of the layers out there....... the folks who have owned this house have apparently each liked to slather paint on everything, very thick on everything!

Thanks again for the ideas!!

Our brand-new 1964 house in a developing upscale neighborhood was soft yellow with brown trim. The interior was generally painted off-white. Interior paint colors were not widely used - mostly white and offwhite. Color was provided by rugs, upolstery, and drapes. The one exception wa my teenaged brothers' room - it had one fire engine red wall in gloss paint.

The front door sidelight was ripple glass. Yes, the appliances were gold. The bathrooms had newly introduced shiny vinyl wallpaper in op-art patterns - I remember one pattern was black-and-white checkerboard that was larger and smaller, so it had the optical illusion of bulging out and in. The den was paneled in walnut veneer panels grooved to look like 4 in wide boards.

The WW carpet was modest 1 inch shag in varigated yellow, green, and some brown. The furniture was mostly Danish Modern look in walnut, not light beech. Entrance was off-white vinyl tile textured to look like veined travertine marble, basement recroom was the same. Kitchen was sheet vinyl textured to look like white pebbles. Dark wooden kitchen cabinets.

Upolstery and drape colors tended towards gold, brown, green, yellows, in either nubbly-weave (think naturals) or flocked patterns. Our neighbors were fond of flocked wallpapers. Shiny mylar wallpapers had just come in and were available with printed patterns over the chrome surface.

Bath vanities were a new, big deal than, and had self-rimming sinks in Formica counters. Ours had toekicks to the floor. Vanity door styles were white with the yellow or gold "french" arches incised into them with ring pulls or knobs in the center.

I did not say the stuff was in good taste or looked like Andy Warhol lived there - that's just the way it was.

My parents bought a new house in 1965. Split level. Foyer was slate other than that, hardwood floors. All window trim was
wood stained pine color.
Rod iron railing up and down stairs. Large hanging fixture in foyer. Furnishings in livingroom were
colonial maple colonial.
With one wall fieldstone with a fireplace.
Diningroom had wallpaper,light aqua blues green floral stripe. blue drapes. Kitchen painted gold with copper color appliances. Counters were gold formica. Pine
cabinets. Black rod iron hardware.
Most other rooms white. My room had danish modern furn. bookcase beds,turqoise and navy plaid bedsreads.Little sisters room was pink with white wood work and french provincial white furniture with gold trim.. lower level rec room had danish modern. brown/black stripe sofa. Turqouse tile tables. Drum shades on lamps. A pole lamp with 3 colored shades on it. Orange rug and chair. Knotty pine walls. Outside was natural white cedar shingles. Bathrooms, one was that aqua blue tile on floor and halfway up wall. White formica counter with gold specks. oval inset sink. Master bath was small with gold fixtures and just a shower.Lower level bath was bright orange with white fixtures.
I think it would be great fun to do that era house. My parents mixed styles. Some rooms were danish modern and some were very colonial some french provincial etc. Oh and i cant forget the
stereo console.
sheshe

The home my parent built did not have any of the "modern" decor. My mom only put in white appliances and fixtures. She painted the walls a light celery and we had hardwood floors in maple. Maple kitchen cabinets. The home was really pretty and is still really pretty even though it has a new owner.

We recently purchase a 1965 home and my goal has been to have it look like it was well done at the time. Got rid of the shag carpet. The light fixtures were all plastic and made to look like silver. Metal spiral staircase which is really impractical and dangerous. We got rid of the iron railing and put in wood, but something that would have fit the time. Couldn't afford hardwood floors, but some of the laminates look really nice.

I like the pink bathroom fixtures, but put white in a newly built bath.

I think my point is that not everyone decorated with the "latest style" for a new home even in the 60's.

Have fun. Don't forget there is tons of stuff from this era on ebay.

Gloria

I live in a 1965 split and have been for past 25 years. From the above posts, it sounds like you all have been visiting my house. Honestly, the people who originally owned it did nothing from the day they bought it. When we moved in, there was green shag carpeting over hardwood floors. Gold walls. Kitchen appliances were avacado green. Main bath had seafoam green tub, toilet and sink, along with seafoam green and white tiles around tub. Master bath was same size as main bath but had huge shower instead of tub, toilet and sink in banana yellow. Original owners left everything in brand new condition. Basement had real knotty pine walls with one wall a full white brick fireplace. Though the kitchen cabinets are in excellent condition (externally), they are discolored on the inside due to their smoking. We're going to be moving within next year and I'm wondering whether I should replace kitchen cabinets? I'm putting in new carpeting and entire inside paint job. Outside of house is all brick and we had new windows put in about 10 years ago.

Good sources are Atomic Ranch and JetSet Modern.
Also Melinamade offers reproduction fabric and wallpaper.

This article at the HGTV site was interesting.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_styles_modern/article/0,1793,HGTV_3524_2706813,00.html

Gloria has a great point that not everyone was into the moderne look in the 50's and 60's. My parents certainly weren't and I wasn't untill.... I got the split level. LOL. My Victorian buffet and china cabinet are way too large for my 11' X 12' dining room, so I'm looking for a size and style more appropriate and this this might be it.

Reading all these posts makes me sit back and reflect on the decor of the era. The colours, the styles, the over all feelings..............and makes me think.... DO I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS????? (giggles)

Some of the ideas are WOW some of them are, did people really think that was pretty? I am certainly coming up with some super duper really cool ideas though! And I am glad to see that I am not the only one who has thought in this direction (not sure if it is a good thing not to be alone on this track!)

Soon as I get some time and a bit more motivation the decorations will commence! (well after the needed things like a wall for a bed room and some insulation under the house and fastening a potty to the floor and...... well a few things)

With our weather being sooooooo cold right now ( -47F which is -44C) all thoughts of anything but keeping warm have been put on hold!

KoffeeKupz, I was relieved to see your latest post! I've been following this thread, and having lived through the sixties, I've not reached a stage where I can appreciate the colored appliances, shag carpet and formica. I was fortunate to grow up in an older traditional home and my folks did not 'update' to the sixties trends (thank goodness.) But I had friends whose parents lived in houses like those described, and they were not 'charming', at least in my opinion - then and now. I do think it's neat that you're trying to be faithful to the original spirit of the home. Whatever you do with your home it will be lovely, have fun!

I think you're onto some inspirational ideas here. Just don't worry about being slavishly literal. You have to like the look that you are creating!

My parents built a new ranch in the 60's. To this day I can not stand avacado green. We also had a large bathroom (we had 5 girls) and the sink, tub and toliet were pink! I will never buy anything other white appliances, they age your home.
Judy

I look back at the 60's with dread as far as furnishings and over all style...I never went the shag carpet route like all the neighbors who had to "rake" their rugs,. I insisted on oak floors and I'll bet the people who have lived there since, thank me everyday. However, that said..I had red brick kitchen floor, and dark cupboards and avocado appliances and textured formica!!!!!My contrast, I now have an off white kitchen w/ soapstone counters and butcherblock topped island..I was a hippie in the 60's and absolutely LOVED the decade for it's music and it's passion , but I'd never want to live with it. But if you never have I guess it would be a novelty..Go for what you like..

The good thing about buying an older home is that there is usually plenty to keep you & your pocketbook busy before you get to hardcore decor. (walls, insulations, potty, as you say!)

I think you're going to find plenty to love enough to live with if you do a bit of kitsch research.

Do you have any original lighting? I notice Rejuvenation is now up to 1960 with period reproduction lighting! By the time you've decided whether to go with carpeting-you-can-rake, there should be plenty of businesses treating your "period" house with respect!

A few years back our home was on a historical tour and a woman stopped by who was the granddaughter of the woman who built the house. "Ms. Manners" was beside herself going from room to room and finally threw her hands up in the inglenook squawking "I can't believe you even have that horrible ugly furniture!" referring to the original mission pieces we'd lucked into at that point. Well, I'm sure the woman had no idea why we bought the home, let alone why 1500 people plunked down hard cash that weekend to take off their shoes and tiptoe about, but I learned that sometimes a little distance helps with the appreciation!

So I guess this is a longwinded way of saying "Gee, I don't know how to get there, but I hope you'll send me postcards along the way!" I entered adolescence in the 60s and my mind was evidently not on domestic decor...