The Young Decorator
Allen
1975
Ready to decorate your groovy pad? Solid! Here is a book for all your groovy decorating needs. Most of this decor could be characterized as “Brady Bunch” meets the “Jetsons” meets country chic.
This is a textbook for high school, yet I found it in a smallish public library. I don’t think it was there ironically. I can already hear the excuses: “It’s in great shape!” Weeding pro tip: If it is in great shape for a book that old, then probably no one thought it was worthwhile. But those of you looking for some retro decorating ideas, you might find some of these pictures inspiring.
Mary
At least in Minneapolis, there are many people who have taken to the designs of the 50’s through early 70’s. I’m 30 years old and most of the furniture in my house is older than I am. Books like this a great for people like me who are trying to keep Mid-Century Modern design alive, but we’re alive when it was popular 🙂
I think if you have the urge to hang a bird house over the table, its time to buy some new screens.
Hey, it’s the strawberry room again! I wonder how many decorating books from the mid-70s used that stock photo.
I know! I have seen it too!~
So have I! It tends to stick in your memory.
Now I know where. I submitted this one. https://awfullibrarybooks.net/scary-childrens-decor/
And there it is.
I noticed that immediately. “Strawberry”!
I knew I recognized that room from somewhere! That’s actually one of the best 70s rooms, from either this book or the one in Scary Children’s Decor. It looks so airy and spacious compared to some of the more obnoxious, cheesy or just plain weird rooms I’ve seen in books like this.
Is it weird that I really like the aqua room (2nd from bottom)?
Fab! I love the turquoise room second from bottom, which is also handily well stocked with wine! Retro is cool and some of these pieces of furniture look very desirable. Maybe a college running courses on design history could use it?
Yeah Baby, Yeah!
I unashamedly love these. Maybe not the animal print, though. But yeah, I’m all about these. I’m picturing a retro-kitsch B&B with all these rooms in it. I’ll be drooling over my keyboard now.
Do ANY books still identify their photographs as COLORPLATE #?
Why does every kid’s room in decorating books have huge built-in desks like in the boy’s room picture? And usually built-in beds and shelves too. I can’t remember ever seeing a room like that in real life.
Also, the thought of those chairs scraping around on that floor is making me cringe.
I had the built-in desk, but only because my dad liked DIY woodworking. Built-in beds and shelves *would* be nice, but you really have to have literally built the house planning for them, so not very practical for most people. It’s also HUGE for a kid’s room! The thing that stuck me as funny was that I had to do a double-take to realize it wasn’t a shot of the inside of a Naugles( defunct Mexican fast-food chain from about that era that I spent a lot of time in as a child).
I am in love with this book. I’d snap this up at a library sale in two seconds.
So would any set designers tasked with recreating the 1970s, I suppose.
I vote in favor of having a 70s week here at ALB–if not this week, then another week. You seriously have some of your “best” books all from the 70s. 😛
I thin my Barbie Doll may have had a place that looked like the first or second picture
Years ago my family lived in a house with that “brick” patterned linoleum on the floor… in the kitchen. Who in their right mind thought that was a good idea for a kids’ room?
When I first started thinking about what my ideal house would look like, it wasn’t far from these photos. Yes, it’s dated, but at least it’s not seventies fashion. Whenever smock tops or bell bottoms or platform shoes or sweater coats come back into style, I think, “I lived through it once and I don’t need to wear any of it again.”