As our 1959 ranch has begun to take shape in its second year as our home sweet home, I’ve been drawing loads of inspiration from vintage interiors from the same era. The color scheme, the restrained and smart furniture arrangements, and especially the sparse and avant-garde placement of wall art. Check out my most recent round-up of vintage home inspiration, and be sure to check out my INSPIRED BY: Vintage Homes archives!

Everything about these interiors is pretty drool-worthy, if you ask me, but mostly I really love the modern furniture covered in fun colors and patterns. No safe, tan sofas in these homes! And check it out— a pink shag rug? And it somehow doesn’t look tacky. Those are the decorating chances I’d love to take if Phil would let me. It all works with tasteful style and restrained backgrounds. Someone get this women a pink shag rug, will ya? Or better yet— a pink passion pit right smack dab in the middle of my living room! Oh yeah.

vintage magazine images found at these Pinterest links: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Remember the 1970s? Well, I never had the chance to witness it firsthand, but those who lived through the armies of kitschy figurines, forests of macrame hangings, and endless wicker furniture usually loudly groan when they see the bohemian styles of the ’70s resurrected. I’m (proudly) guilty of 1970s revival decorating in our home, and definitely stand by my love for rusty oranges, saturated yellows, and yes, even some avocado green here and there. That’s why I squealed with delight when I ran across this vintage design book from the late ’70s, Houses Architects Live In. (It’s out of print, but still available for purchase on Amazon here.) Leave it to a bunch of architects to do it up right! These homes are moatly minimal in style with  selective use of those bohemian elements that made the ’70s famous. Also, I think I’m having a love affair with built-in seating. Ooo lala!

By now, you’ve probably noticed the trend towards white walls in interiors these days. Especially in the homes of bloggers, eh? But this Scandinavian influence is certainly nothing new. American mid-century homes often used this clean style as a backdrop for simple furniture and bright artwork and textiles. I’m kind of missing the white walls of our apartment, so we’ve been considering brightening up a space or two in our home with a coat of white on the walls. I really love balancing whites with warm neutrals and bold colors, and these vintage homes have done just that. Too bad Phil wouldn’t agree to purple carpet!

Public domain images link directly to where I originally found them.

Beware of watching White Christmas too many times! It might lead you to staying awake at night planning your own version of the beautiful ski lodge in the movie. Ever since I first saw that movie as a little girl, I’ve dreamed of a wide-open mid century style home complete with a sunken living room, built-in seating areas (a la Frank Lloyd Wright), and a grand fireplace to anchor it all.

When I was in design school, I had the opportunity to design my dream home (with certain parameters, like square footage), and funny enough, it kind of resembled the home pictures above. Phil and I just bought our first home almost exactly a year ago, and who knows if or when we will ever move, but for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about my dream home design and floorplan! As in, it actually keeps me up at night. Who knows? Maybe some day I will have the opportunity to design my own home! What about you? What would you want in your dream home? My biggest wish would be for a beautiful wide-open living, dining, and kitchen area. An entertainer’s dream!

Images were found on Flickr and are linked to where I found them.