1915-1950 Designing for the Modern Consumer
During the mid-twentieth century, American consumers - in contrast to the taste-makers who championed Modernism - continued to want to choose from a variety of wallpaper styles. American wallpaper manufacturers created designs which responded to various popular decorating styles-- including Colonial Revival -- by producing wallpapers to compliment the interiors of Cape Cod, bungalow, Dutch colonial, or Spanish colonial homes. An oatmeal paper from the I. Lappin wallpaper sample book of 1925 features a plain red sidewall paper with a pre-cut floral border enhanced with metallic gold glitter. The simple tonal paper and narrow border would have complimented the sturdy furnishings and functional layout of an Arts and Crafts bungalow.
For those homeowners who preferred the plain walls of the modern interior, wallpaper manufacturers produced subtly textured papers that provided visual interest without the use of ornamentation. Introduced in 1937 by Hickey, this imitation grass cloth wallpaper is shown in a muted tan color and serves as a neutral backdrop to accent the modern lines and bright hues of the furniture. This page froma sample book advertises wallpaper as an alternative to decorating with paint and, priced at 66 cents per roll, suggests textured wallpaper could introduce an affordable richness and warmth to a room unmatched by painted walls.
During World War II, the wallpaper industry was dealt a serious setback. The War Production Board classified wallpaper as a non-essential commodity and greatly reduced the number of allowable styles, new patterns and sample books, and prohibited the use of metallic bronze and aluminum powders. Manufacturers were required to use a lighter weight stock of paper which affected the overall quality of the wallpaper. Full production resumed in 1945 when the limits were removed and manufacturers increased production to keep pace with sky-rocketing consumer spending.
The years immediately following the war were a booming period for wallpaper sales - in the 1946-1947 season manufacturers sold more than 400,000,000 rolls. The jump in sales can also be attributed to postwar consumers who purchased wallpaper as relief from the plain walls of the stark modern interior. The stylized sailboats and abstract seagulls of this "Vogue" paper produced by the Allen-Higgins Company, Worcester, Massachusetts, are decidedly contemporary. Its modern sensibility is reinforced by the use of machine-age colors – red, black, white and metallic silver. Used to paper an entire room, or accentuate a single wall, this paper would have served as a colorful and cheerful accent to brighten a modern interior.
Mid-twentieth century consumers had a wide variety of wallpaper styles from which to choose. They could select from historic patterns designed specifically to suit the architectural style of their homes, or if they sought a modern look, wallpaper provided the solution with plain textured papers, or "contemporary" papers with stylized motifs. As the century progressed, wallpaper patterns became increasingly geometric and abstract, new materials were introduced, and vinyl papers gained an important place in commercial and industrial settings.
Selected for its durability and ease in cleaning, vinyl wallpaper expanded the wallpaper market beyond the traditional residential consumer to the contract buyer who selected vinyl wallpaper for use in hospitals, hotels and restaurants. Introduced in 1947 by United Wallpaper, vinyl wallcoverings would become a leading product of the wallpaper industry by the mid-1960s and account for nearly fifty percent of all wallpaper sales.
The interest in historic patterns that began more than one hundred years ago gained a resurgence in the 1980s and has not abated as manufacturers continue to develop and produce high-quality reproductions to suit many architectural styles and historical periods. Each year the wallpaper industry produces thousands of new patterns and a visit to any home decorating center proves that wallpaper still enjoys considerable popularity for the visual interest, richness and sense of history it brings to the interior of a home.
