1950s Decorative Room Dividers

Pastel Colors

• Pastel colors were popular in fashion and home decor in the fifties, as consumers wanted an antidote to the drab, functional colors of wartime. Typical colors include baby pink, mint green, pale yellow and baby blue. These colors were often used on posters and signs of the period, and give a retro feel. Paint a screen in panels of pastel colors, then use decoupage from vintage magazines -- cutting out and gluing paper images -- onto the screen to decorate it for a fresh and pretty feel.

Modern Colors

• A modern fifties color scheme included bright, clean, vibrant colors such as turquoise, red and deep yellow. The theme reflected the exuberance of the period, and the colors were designed to clash and produce a lively effect. To reproduce a modern fifties color scheme, paint a screen with large blocks of bright color, edging each panel with a contrasting color. Stick to a limited palette or two or three colors mixed with neutrals, to prevent the overall effect from looking too claustrophobic.

Scandinavian Themes

• The Scandinavian look was more natural, and used a color palette of green, gray, brown and neutrals along with natural materials such as wood and stone. The overall effect was clean and uncluttered. Use a screen with a wooden frame, and stain or paint the frame dark brown for contrast. Paint the end panels in cream or gray paint, and upholster the middle panel with fabric. If you can, find vintage fabric in browns or creams. Otherwise, use a heavily textured plain brown fabric such as bark cloth.

Fabrics and Motifs

• Popular 1950s motifs included space age patterns depicting stylized atomic particles and flying saucers, as well as tropical and boomerang patterns. Many online and specialty retailers sell vintage fifties fabric in geometric and abstract patterns. Cover the frame of a screen by stretching fabric over it, or by cutting smaller pieces of fabric and gluing them on. If you have any vintage clothing, cut the motifs out and paste them onto a neutral, painted background. Apply a coat of varnish to prevent the fabric from fraying.