Sheffield School of Interior Design Distance Education

At Sheffield we teach our students a simple Three-Step Method for designing every room they create:

A successful room is functional.
A successful room expresses a mood.
A successful room exhibits a sense of harmony.

This simple Three-Step Method is the secret of every Interior ever designed. We teach our students to consider these three steps every time they look at a room.

When our students mail in their design project for analysis by their instructor, the instructor starts by commenting on these three Guidelines. Of course, the instructor analyzes other elements of the project too - decor, layout, furniture, style etc. But the key to every good room - and the essential element of every great Interior design - is adherence to these three Guidelines.

How do they work? How can you apply them? It's beyond the scope of this Web site to teach you every nuance, but you will get an inkling from the Room-of-the-Month Analysis that follows.

"1950's Kitchen"

While nearly everyone appreciates the modern conveniences of e-mail, cell phones, and microwave ovens, sometimes it's tempting to go back in time, to an era that seems a little simpler, a little slower, and a whole lot easier to manage. An era that perhaps allowed for more time sitting around the dining room table discussing the day's events, instead of rushing to the living room to switch on the high-definition TV.

This month, we bring the three Sheffield Guidelines of Interior Design – function, mood, and harmony – to a classically retro kitchen.

The first element to jump out at us here is mood. We tend to think of the mood of the 1950s in America as cheerful, and in many ways, it was. The war had just ended, the economy was doing well, and everybody was happily moving to the suburbs, buying cars with giant tail fins and making babies. Now, we realize there were plenty of problems during this era, but in terms of home decor, the look of the 1950s still gives a room a decidedly cheerful look.

For one thing, the colors of the 1950s provide a lift. What could be sunnier than these bright yellow cabinets, with the multi-colored pots hanging above the stove and sink? The old 50s print of the smiling woman dishing up ice cream would cheer up even the surliest denizen of the 21st century. The bright white walls contribute both to the mood of cheer and to the 50s look, as do the curtains and the bright plants by the window.

Harmony, the third of the Sheffield Guidelines, is particularly important when you're trying to achieve a period look in a room. You don't want anything jumping out and screaming "modern," and yet you want to have some of the conveniences of our own age.

Here, we see that everything does fit in with the 50s look. Not only do the bigger pieces of the period, such as the cabinets, fit in but also most of the smaller pieces which were found at yard sales and specialty shops, so nothing seems out of place.

The canisters, recipe box, ice crusher, and trivet are all clearly from the 50s period. The turquoise canisters and salt and pepper shakers are made of Lustro Ware, a popular material for kitchen goods in the 50s. Note in particular the pink aluminum flour sifter and the egg beater with the turquoise handle hanging from under the cabinets in the front left of the photo.

As for function, this room proves that indeed you can have a room that functions well while maintaining the appearance of another era. Look at the clock, for example: the genuine Jadite clocks from the 1950s were electric, but today we know that having a battery-operated clock is much more convenient. Here, the owner of this kitchen has opted for a high-quality replica, which gives the look of the 50s without the inconvenience of the 50s.

The yellow table, original 50s, serves a great function in holding a few of the smaller kitchen necessities. But a toaster oven wouldn't fit in with the 50s look, so it's covered with a floral-print cover from the early 1960s.

The knife block, serving an important function here, is new, but now is covered with decals from the 50s to make it harmonize more with the rest of the look. Kitchen cabinet shelves are covered with 1950's shelf paper.

In order to achieve a period look, you don't have to only fill the room with genuine antiques; you just have to be careful about the new items you choose to include. The paper towel holder, for example, looks old, but was actually bought new a few years ago at a kitchen supply store. The white chest on which the plants sit is from an unknown period, but painted and sporting green glass drawer-pulls, it looks as if it just walked out of June Cleaver's house.

Sometimes looking backward can be the best way of looking forward. If you can come home to a kitchen that has all the cheer and charm of the 1950s with none of the difficulties of that era, how much better you'll be able to face the worries of the modern world the next day.

–Sarah Van Arsdale

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