Indeed, kitchens are among the most important corners of a home being veritable nerve centres. The evolution of kitchen décor especially in terms of colours from the 1950s to the 70s has been amazing so let’s travel down the memory lane and have a look at exclusive colours back then.

From the 1950s: Pretty pastel
1950s, the post-war time were of peace, prosperity and optimism. During World War II, women got a taste of working outdoors but once again dominated their home kitchens in the 1950s. Most of the homes reflect modernism with exclusive designs, decorations and colours; the time depicts birth of suburbia.

Pink dominated most of the kitchen décor from the 1950s. While red represented raw emotion and passion, it complements to pink when mixed with white becoming the shade of nurturing. In fact, psychology of colours says soft pink shade at that time ushered the women back into the home and encouraged them to serve their spouse and families through homemade delights.

Turquoise was another important shade back in the 1950s that’s often associated to spiritual healing. Kitchens shaded in turquoise encouraged optimistic family relationships. Yellow represents intellectuality and egoism with light and buttery yellow often linked to the period driven by one’s need to self-evolve for improvement.

From the 1960s: Change & transition
The conventional 1950s paved way for the offbeat of the 1960s. Opposing to the rebellion of the 1950s, women of the 1960s were often getting out of the kitchen. Colour schemes echoed anxiety and revolution linked to the 60s. The biggest trend in kitchen décor colour was such that it reflected issues and concerns associated to society as a whole instead of just the women.

Complimentary shades were merged, introducing wild combinations whereas mainstreaming of the drug and psychedelic culture brought bright patterns that crawled from typical floors and appliances to curtains, tablecloths and backsplash.

Red was at the pole position of these festive times that represented emotional cataclysm and rebellion. In short, red is often designated a passion, agitation and restlessness; red is a call to action!

Lime green is often created by combination of green and yellow being popular in the 60s. Green is often associated to peace, fostering optimistic relationships and often related to a soft heart. Its combination with yellow revives a sense of renewal and evolution.

Orange was another important shade that reflected transition and change whereas pink still had that typical nurturing quality. Bright and intensive shades such as graphic black-and-white with dark red undertones further intensify the colours around them.

What’s more interesting is blue that was actually missing in the colour palette of the 1960s. Blue represents honesty, calmness, optimistic communication and relationships. From here, kitchen décor further evolved in the 1970s!

From the 1970s: To harvest gold & beyond
Another transition from the 1960s into 70s was all about harmony! The end of Vietnam War spread the message of peace with women who felt that they can bring an optimistic change to the world. With time as things further settles, the chaotic shades of the previous era paved way for subdued tones.

Earthly shades specifically brown stirred a sense of calm and grounded energy. Opposing to the 1960s, shades in the 70s complemented each other instead of being against. Avocado Green was another important colour of the 70s. While lime green ruled the 60s with green and yellow tints, avocado green of the 70s represented green stained with black.

The egoism and rebellion of the 60s was replaced by 70s modesty and humbleness. Harvest gold with a muted shade of yellow offered the same peacefulness as other earthly tones.

Conclusion
Before summing up, a word of thanks to one kitchen designer, مطابخ خشب مودرن , for giving wonderful advice during the write up. Colour schemes with the kitchen décor go hand-in-hand and their evolution till date has been quite fascinating.