6 min readTrends may come and go, and our bedrooms reflect every shift in style along the way.
Shaped by our personal tastes, cultural moments, popular design trends, and beloved color palettes, the American bedroom has long served as an ever-evolving expression of the times. While it’s impossible to fully recreate the look and feel of a specific decade or era, vintage snapshots allow us to revisit and appreciate the styles that once defined them.
Step back in time with these images capturing the most personal room in the home across the last seven decades.
1940–1942
The early 1940s embraced minimalism in textiles, preferring to have patterns displayed on walls rather than on furniture.
1943
In 1943, we see patterns becoming a focal point in design, with plaid and tartan being among the most popular. Home decor is entering an era where it becomes more expressive, with textures, patterns, and shapes becoming more varied.
1944–1945
Twin bedrooms are becoming more popular, as are floral motifs. Frills are one design detail that’s here to stay, adorning the curtains, vanities, and bed skirts. Even as decor becomes more expressive, there is a call for cohesion.
1946
In 1946, we see a stark contrast between the almost maximalist designs of ‘44 and a shift toward a more sleek, modern concept. Gathered edges are replaced by blunt cuts while a cohesive color palette is still encouraged.
1947–1949
A shift back to the past, floral and frills become popular again, along with patterned wallpaper to add extra flair. We also now see the four-poster bed design growing in popularity.
1950
The designs of the ‘50s set out to combine ideas of sleek modernism with the personality of what we now call “vintage” style. This bedroom marries sleek bedding design with bold, floor-length floral curtains to add character.
1951
Sofa beds were all the rage in the early ‘50s. Here, actress Marilyn Monroe lounges on one fitted with delicate pintuck detailing.
1952–1953
The early 1950s brought textured headboards to the mainstream, as well as figural lamps, a stride toward more modular design without abandoning the art of finely placed details.
1954
As we approach the mid-50s, we begin to embrace monochrome. Design color drenches in soft hues, not yet in the era of neon, with the same figural work incorporated for both variation and detail, as well as the emergence of pintuck.
1955–1956
A very literal take on the sofa bed, the mid ‘50s experimented with leisure in a way we never had before, combining form and functionality in new ways.
1957–1959
The late ‘50s brought back the four-poster bed and the love for a more maximalist approach. This bedroom pulls accents from European designs into the decor, incorporating a canopy and shades of French blue.
1960
Not quite color-drenched, but well on our way. The 1960s challenged classic design ideals, incorporating bolder colors into home design.
1961–1963
European influences kept their stronghold on design trends. Pictured in RFK’s guest house above, we see the powdery French blue hue coupled with floral armchairs and gold gilded furniture alongside a Louis XV armoire.
1964
In the guest bedroom in Washington, D.C.’s Blair House, we see florals migrate from the bedspread into wall art. The four-poster bed makes a return, alongside rich drapery carried throughout the bed skirt, canopy, and curtains. The room is tied together by a running thread of muted lilac.
1965
Lucille Ball brings back the twin-bed trend in her mid-60s’ New York City apartment while embracing the running themes of the decade, drapery, and using textiles to create a backdrop for her patterned headboard.
1966–1967
The queen’s stateside bedroom in the White House embraces floral and jacquard fabrics and a posh pink color scheme.
1968–1969
A plush upholstered headboard and floral fabrics take center stage in this bedroom, creating an air of continuity and setting the stage for color-drenching and pattern blocking.
1970–1972
The ‘70s brought about a bold new era of color. Abandoning the monochrome wash of the ‘60s, bright color combinations like the one pictured above became all the more common in and outside of the bedroom.
1973–1974
As the dedication to colorful designs continued, contrasting colors became more commonly paired, as seen in this bedroom, which incorporates pops of purple to offset the yellow-washed palette.
1975
Modernism didn’t entirely disappear, even as design sought a more expressive form. This bedroom features futuristic underlighting, leather-like textiles, and even a TV!
1976
Floral patterns are a hallmark of this design era, inspired by the overwhelming demand for environmental causes. This bold red bedroom features plant life in the bedding and curtains, with a potted plant tucked into the corner. They weren't called “flower children” for nothing!
1977–1978
Colorful, cohesive chaos was also a norm in bedroom designs, incorporating varying patterns and textures and tying them together through shared color palettes.
1979
Color wash is out, and pattern wash is in. Trendy designs often featured a single dominant pattern that was the center focal point of the entire room. Cosmopolitan editor in chief Helen Gurley Brown, pictured above, lounges in a late-’70s bedroom of this exact style.
1980–1982
Jumpstarting the ‘80s, ruffles, pastels, and brass headboards became the aesthetic du jour.
1983
The show Reggie was meant to capture the realities of midlife in the (nearly) mid-’80s. While the show had a short six-episode run, its set captured the quintessential American home at the time. Here we can see the metal, sculptural headboard accented with hints of gold against a bold teal wall and magenta bedding, reflecting a shift to bolder colors in home decor and styling based on preference rather than cohesion.
1984–1985
Gloria Vanderbilt’s bedroom, pictured above, showcases the cutting-edge trends of mid-’80s decor. Here we see the return of the four-poster bed, now adorned by fringe instead of ruffles, and the transition of bedrooms from functional to personal spaces, as photos and books begin to make their way from mantels to nightstands.
1986
The set of Growing Pains was one of the most popular in the late ‘80s as the show progressed through its six-season run. Here we can see the typical American teen bedroom featuring a desk, tiered drapes, and word art with a more neutral color palette.
1987
The Bangles staged a pillow fight in a trendy L.A. bedroom in 1987 for their single, "Walking Down Your Street.” The girl group is widely regarded as one of the most successful pop-rock bands of the decade.
1988–1989
This bedroom was pulled straight from the set of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, hosted by Kathleen Turner and Billy Joel on October 21, 1989. The set was meant to emulate that of the modern American teenager.
1990–1992
The 1990s revived a love of color, this time in the neon palette. Furniture take a futuristic form, with inflatable chairs being one of the most popular design details in every teen’s dream room.
1993–1995
In a stark contrast, the mid-’90s take on an air of minimalism. Clean, milky white color palettes begin to reign supreme, taking us to neutral ground. Above, actress and ‘90s It Girl Winona Ryder poses in her NYC apartment.
1997–1999
Soft pastels make a return, as does drapery, creating a dreamy, Renaissance-inspired aesthetic.
2000–2003
The 2000s bring back bold hues, but in a much more controlled manner. Color palettes are complementary and cohesive, while furniture and decor take on a theme, dabbling in surrealism.
2004–2006
In the middle of the decade, we shift back to drawing inspiration from nature with woven and bamboo-like design elements taking up larger roles in decor schemes.
2007
Around 2007, we fully embrace monochrome, often opting to coat entire rooms in powdery pinks, yellows, and blues. Patterns are no longer limited to walls and bedspreads. Bedroom seating, headboards, and bed skirts can all be coordinated, embracing thematic rather than color-centric decor.
2008–2009
By the end of the decade, decor begins to favor a clean slate aesthetic. Mirrored furnishings become popular, and the cozy, plush, bedroom armchair is replaced by ottomans. Bedroom lighting evolves as well, and the humble bedside lamp is now accompanied by larger statement ceiling fixtures.
2010–2011
The statement wall debuts as patterns become the backdrop to our bedrooms.
2012
Forget color drenching. In 2012, decor was all about creating spaces drenched in pattern and personality, which prompted a love for the character associated with vintage-style furniture.
2013–2014
Soft contrast is a running theme through the 2010s. Muted hues on opposite sides of the color wheel often find themselves frequenting the same spaces. The subtle contrast was meant to create spaces that felt more visually interesting.
2015
2015 brings the love of floral patterns full circle with the reemergence of heavily floral-patterned drapes. Monochromatic palettes also make a return as rooms become seas of varying, but related hues.
