Hey there! Let's talk about the 1940s and the Welfare State Functionalism style. Here are some cool things about the style:
Picture taken from hemfast.se
Exterior:
The facade often had vertical wooden board and batten siding, painted in fun colors like yellow, pale gray, or green. Plaster was also used.
The roof had a gable shape with a 20-degree pitch.
Double casement windows with wooden frames were common, as well as paneled outside doors with a single pane of glass.
You could also spot balconies with visible floor panels and wooden frontages.
Picture taken from hemfast.se
Interior:
The floors were made of spruce, oak, or beech parquet, or you might find linoleum or vinyl tiles in a fun chessboard pattern or all one color.
Interior doors were flush doors, and door handles were often steel with white plastic or hardwood handles and a chrome backplate with a keyhole.
Muted nature motifs in pale pastel colors were popular for wallpaper.
Furniture followed the Swedish Modern style, featuring pale-colored bentwood furniture with webbing seats. Materials like molded plywood, fiberglass, elm, and birch were used, and colors were muted.
Bathrooms had white porcelain fixtures, with the bath often freestanding but starting to be built-in. Glazed tiles were used on the walls, and a Gustavsberg mixer tap was used instead of separate hot and cold taps.
Kitchens saw a move towards more economical standardized units, with angled or straight cupboards featuring Masonite sliding doors or doors hung on barrel hinges. Homes were designed with more ergonomics in mind, with kitchen dimensions and equipment being more standardized to improve the height of work surfaces and seating.
So there you have it, some fun facts about the 1940s and the Welfare State Functionalism style.