The Domestic Design Collection 1870-1960
This collection consists of books and trade and retail catalogues relating to all aspects of home furnishing, household management, cookery, house building, DIY, home crafts and gardening.
It also includes items such as textiles, wallpapers and photographs that relate to the real histories of ordinary homes in the early twentieth century.
This collection is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in domestic furnishings, homecraft or other aspects of domestic life. It is also useful as visual reference for those interested in typography, graphic design, book design and so on.
This collection is particularly strong in material relating to the growth of North London suburbia between around 1900 and 1939. We have posters, brochures and other publicity material produced by property developers, builders and estate agents. This material complements the other items relating to domestic decoration and furnishing from the same period.
Ellen Martin: The Value of the Everyday
Read about some student research into suburban 'ordinary' homes, mass-produced furniture and design.
Deborah Sugg Ryan: the age of affordable suburbia
Deborah Sugg Ryan finds that in the 1930s, semi detached houses in suburbia were within the means of the lower middle classes.
Thirtiestyle: Home decoration and furnishings from the 1930s
Announcing the re-launch of Thirtiestyle