The success of these efforts could be assisted by awareness of trends, but also depended on innate design sense. In the 20th century, for example, status symbols such as a gramophone, radio and, later, a television or expensive sound system prominently situated in a living room showed that the inhabitants were upwardly mobile.Įven if the homeowner was not wealthy, home decorating provided an opportunity to exercise judgement in colours and arrangement of furnishings. The presence of expensive items in living rooms indicated that the owners were well-off, or hoping to be. The presence of books suggested the inhabitants were educated, original artworks hinted that they were cultured, and curios and souvenirs showed they were well-travelled. People could subtly reveal their status, or the status they aspired to, through the quality of materials used and the types of ornaments displayed. Social class was reflected in home décor.
Women’s handcrafts, incorporating both ingenuity and creativity, were often a significant aspect of home décor.
Interior decorating was, and still is, generally a female interest and is promoted in women’s magazines. In 1904 Malcolm Mason, the head of the Health Department, suggested that an attractive home was morally improving: ‘Pride of domicile is one of the most powerful factors in family life, and absence of it is accompanied by much that is antagonistic to the physical weal of the State.’ 1Īlso from the 19th century, home was seen as the domain of women, who were expected to create a cosy domestic environment for their families.
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