Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Trends from her 70-year Reign
From post-war innovation to the influence of Scandinavian style, right through to the eclectic mix of contemporary and classic interiors in the homes of today, the 70 years that the Queen has been on the throne have witnessed a true revolution in home décor. As we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, explore some of the most significant and enduring trends from her reign.
The 1950s saw a fashion revolution in all areas of culture – music, clothes, film, and of course, interior design. A new fascination with consumerist American style and a post-war optimism caused a sudden shift toward bolder, brighter use of colour and pattern.
New pigment discoveries added vibrancy to paint and wallpapers, with some of our most joyful shades, such as Pale Lime, Orange Aurora and Canton, originating from this decade. A fun, floral wallpaper design like Florette is typical of the period.
The 1960s and 70s brought another explosion of vivid colour, with iconic designers such as David Hicks being instrumental in this development. Leather, Atomic Red, Phthalo Green and Trumpet are some of our most impactful shades, and all stem from this most audacious, radical era of the Queen’s reign.
The 1990s and 2000s saw a further revolution in home décor style, influenced heavily by the growing popularity of Scandinavian furniture. Minimalist Scandi-style interiors were paired with open-plan living and cool neutrals. While the 90s favoured slightly warmer tones, the early decades of the 21st century almost renounced colour completely, instead opting for crisp, clean white and grey shades. French Grey and Slaked Lime are two of our most popular colour scales which characterise this period in home design.
The homes of today have been inspired by trends spanning the 70 years of the Queen’s reign, as well as being shaped by global fashions and periods before 1950 – from Georgian to Art Deco. At Little Greene, we are proud to be custodians of historic decoration, working with the National Trust to extract beautiful colours and wallpaper designs from the past, and reworking them for modern family homes.
