The 1930s was a time when many working people were able to put down a deposit towards buying their first house. Over 4 million houses were built in the period in between the Wars and it was a time when town development spread out towards the leafy suburbs. If you live in a 1930s semi-detached house with traditional bay fronted windows, you may wish to decorate and furnish your house in the style of the 1930s.

Here are some things to look out for:

The glass panel in the front door and the small windows above the large windows of the bay often contained stained glass. Traditional styles include flowers, sunsets and galleon ships.

Floors would be covered in hard-wearing lino. Some designs were quite colourful and flamboyant while others contained geometric patterns in more muted colours.

Fireplaces were tiled with a stepped profile. The most common colour tile was mottled brown.

Apparently, the three piece suite was a 1930s invention. There are various styles available from large square designs to those with curved dark wood arm rests.

Glass ware and fine china would be displayed in glass fronted display cabinets, many of which would be in a distinctive art deco style.

For a finishing touch, look in reputable antique shops for a bakelite telephone or radio.

The end of the Second World War was followed by some years of continued austerity and hardship but, by the mid 1950s, there was an end to all that as the country started to enjoy steady economic growth and increasing affluence. By the 1960s, even ordinary working class people on modest wages aspired to own their own house. The growth in home ownership has seen many changes over the years from gadgets and furniture in the house to styles and fashions in interior design.

None more so than in our bathrooms. Towards the end of the 60s, the traditional white bathroom suite was being replaced with pastel pink or pretty lemon. Ten years later and everyone was wanting the in-colour of the time – avocado green. Looking back, it seems hard to imagine that this colour, along with dark blue or chocolate brown, was so popular, especially as soap scum and dried on toothpaste showed up so easily against such dark hues!

Since then, our love affair with colourful bathroom suites has declined, but we still have plenty of choice in bathroom décor; from Victorian cast iron tubs and high cisterns with chains to ultra modern styles with state of the art chrome taps, concealed plumbing and subdued lighting.

During the 1960s and 70s, bunk beds were a practical solution for families with 2 or more children where bedroom space was limited. Today, modern houses, although clean and compact, often have a much smaller footprint than the more traditional 1930s semi or the ex-local authority house built 50 years ago. So, although families tend to be smaller than 50 years ago, lack of space can still be a problem.

However, for children’s bedrooms, the use of a loft bed can free up floor space to give more room for play. Loft beds come in a variety of styles and sizes and may be made of chipboard, wood or metal. Some designs can be very inventive.

Mid-height beds for younger children have a ladder attached to the side with an enclosed “tent” underneath, making a secret den for play and a place to hide overflowing toy boxes.

High sleepers often include a wardrobe directly underneath the bed with a small chest of drawers to the side and a ladder in the middle. Other high sleepers may not include a wardrobe but will have a desk or work station underneath, large enough for a computer or a laptop. To the side of the workstation is a chair which can fold out into a single futon bed for when a friend stays the night for a sleepover.

It is worth researching loft beds to get the one that particularly suits your child’s needs and the space available and it is also worth considering whether it will still be suitable in 4 or 5 years time as your child grows up.

1. Well-thought out storage is essential. Consider erecting shelving in awkward corners to store books or having furniture which has a dual purpose – seating with storage underneath cushions, for instance. Use an ottoman to hide duvets and other bed linen. An area which is often underused is above the stairwell. Shelves can often be fitted in this area to store items for display or to to keep belongings which do not need to be accessed all the time.

2. Make sure furniture is in scale with the room. This sounds obvious but do not swamp a small sitting room with a large 3 piece suite. Consider choosing a small 2-seater sofa and maybe 1 or 2 occasional chairs. Buy furniture where you can still see the flooring underneath, this gives the feeling of a room being more spacious than it actually is.

3. Make good use of mirrors. They can appear to make a space feel more roomy and they reflect light into darker corners of a room.

4. Make the most of using white or light colours for paintwork, flooring, walls and furniture.

5. To make the most of storage areas, use wall mounted brackets to hang some items off the floor.

When considering flooring for any other room in your house, carpets or laminate wood flooring and rugs come instantly to mind, but when choosing flooring for the bathroom, you also have to take into account the amount of moisture that bathrooms generate.

There are several options:

1.Ceramic Tiles
A ceramic tile floor looks good; it’s waterproof and relatively inexpensive. Disadvantages are that it can feel cold underfoot and it can be slippery, though if you lay textured smaller tiles, the texture of the tiles and the grouting should make the floor less slippery.
2.Vinyl
This is probably the cheapest flooring option and it is an easy DIY job that most householders will have the confidence to tackle. Sheet vinyl is better than vinyl tiles as individual tiles have a tendency to lift up after time.
3.Stone Flooring
This is a great choice as it can give the bathroom a real luxury feel. However, stone can be cold underfoot and it can also be slippery unless you lay naturally textured stone, like slate, or have the stone stone-blasted. However, stone is an expensive choice.
4.Engineered Wood
Engineered wood flooring is 100% wood flooring which has been pressed into 2 or 3 layers. It is fairly easy to install, is durable and comes in a variety of finishes and it looks great.
5.Laminate Flooring
This is inexpensive and is easy to lay but you will need to take great care to avoid the wood chip base from coming into contact with water. If this does happen, then the flooring will start to bubble up and lift and the only alternative is to rip it out and start again.