30 January 1955 “Educational Color Decorating the 1950’s Way and Using the Color Wheel”

I have been busy trying to update and coordinate the blog. Trying to ‘keep up with the times’ as far as interactive and layout of the ever changing blog and its subsequent social media can be fun but is also rather tricky and a bit of a headache.

I spent a large portion of yesterday trying to get a simple feature to work on my Facebook page. There is meant to be a button on the right of posts that shows an ‘embed’ button. This allows the ability to cross share things on your blog and Facebok. My main Facebook does not have it. After hours of exhaustive searching for help, asking Facebook (no answer) and messing about. I found out that my Apron Revolution page on Facebook will allow it. So, that is going to simply become my new main blog Facebook page. So, I hope any of you that follow me on the facebook will simply like and move over to that. It is continuing process today.

Thus working on how to integrate Pinterest, Twitter et al into the blog (as I said a somewhat quickly changing experience on the internet) it made me think of planning ones home for decorating. Another aspect of my life that changed with the 1950s. Having been a always of the ‘artistic’ temperament I have always decorated with a sense of my own inclinations, buying and arranging as I find. I like our home and feel it represents my own taste of antiquity and the past (Probably much more 1895 than 1955 with the exception of my kitchen). But, as with most of the learning of the 1950’s, I find that with thought, planning and careful consideration, even decorating can be a science. It allows one to plan and thus save money. Having an organized plan in any way makes for an organized budget. One will spend less overall if you have a plan. You will know you want or need a sofa in this shade and two chairs and a picture here. Things won’t be bought on a whim throwing a plan off.

I, myself, learned this the hard way. And am still now suffering from this. Having bought things at yard sales, auctions and when the fancy struck, I still have furniture and accessories stored in a barn building I have. This building is now slated for a specific purpose and remodel and sorting through the detritus to prepare for that shows how one is better served with a plan.

Therefore as I work away today trying to manage the new look of the blog and the correlation of the other social media, I will leave you with another instructional film. This one was most assuredly put out by a paint company. It is obviously commercial like in that sense, but there are some great images of vintage materials. It also shows the use of the color wheel in a very helpful way. It made me think how we could possibly make our own to help us decide how to approach a room in our home before we commit to buying paint, paper, rugs, accessories, and furniture. Here is how I think we could make one similar to the handy one you see being used in the video.

First here is a color wheel. This gives you the general layout of the colors.

This one devoid of color but more simply descriptive gives you a good layout of colors.

What I would propose is take a copy of these on paper with you to your local paint store. And then by your choice of what you are drawn to, pick pain samples, the type wiht the three or four color variations on them from darkest to lightest, that meet all the color. Even if you think, Well I am not a big red/peach fan, still pick some samples in that color range that you are MOST responsive to as you look through them. Then when you have collected at least on sample corresponding to the colors in the color wheel, make your own wheel at home. Using the more simple layout as a guide. Now you have a wheel of color to work with. And I think you could see by the video how the three sections are cut out to coordinate with the wheel. This could be made easily with scissors and a sheet of opaque Mylar paper found at any craft store.

This would be such a helpful tool as you tackle the scheme for any room. Start with your wheel and work from there.  It is much cheaper to find your colors this way, then cut out images from magazines or downloaded images printed in color and pasted to paper than to buy first and think about it later. You can endless change color schemes and design choices this way quite inexpensively before you make the final purchases. And think how wonderful and powerful you would feel when it is all planned out and you know when you head to buy that sofa EXACTLY what you want.

Here, then , is the film and I am off to try and tackle the decorating of the blog and the coordinating of the Social media. Wish me luck. And a wonderful vintage day to you all.