All Mod Cons

The post-war years led to a boom in home ownership and consequently a generation of fanatical do-it-yourself home improvers. How DIY transformed the interiors of British homes.

In the 1950s, walls were knocked down, windows enlarged, and open-plan living rooms built as an antidote to post-war gloom. The colour, light, and space of this 'contemporary look' changed the way that British people lived forever.

After rationing ended, the consumer society was born. Britons were able to fill their homes with a variety of electrical goods.

In the 1960s, a whole generation let their imaginations run wild to break all the rules of interior design, liberating themselves from the formality of their parents' lifestyles. The accent was on fun, with revolutionary ideas such as paper chairs, inflatable furniture, and waterbeds. Towards the end of the decade, psychedelia and the hippie movement heralded the arrival of ethnic influences and a softer, textual look in homes.

The end of World War Two marked a shift away from the practical nature of horticulture stressed by the Dig for Victory campaign, and once again flowers bloomed in Britain's domestic gardens. As gardens became more decorative, magazines and radio programmes turned their attention to the new hobby, while labour-saving devices and garden centres helped make the garden a place to relax in and enjoy.

In the 1950s, people were desperate to be modern, and old attitudes were bulldozed away; in the '60s, objects thrown out as junk by previous generations were suddenly in demand for the young and fashionable. Now the rage for nostalgia has spread to homes located all over the country. Why we became obsessed with furniture and architecture from the past.