Set Inspiration—Mad Men 1960s Interiors — The Draper House
Amy Wells’ set design for the Mad Men show is historically accurate—taking in to consideration the different styles of interiors from the era. A deep contrast to the sleek furniture and artwork at Sterling Cooper (the ad agency where Don Draper works), the Draper home is much more traditional and layered.
After 4 seasons of airing on Sunday nights, Mad Men still inspires interest in the interiors, fashion and advertising of the 1960s. With the 5th season starting, I wanted to share some of the changes in the home of Don and Betty Draper over the years, and share ways to get the look.
Antique coffee table from 1st Dibs.
Here, Betty works with an interior designer to redecorate her living room. . .and then goes against her by adding this chinoiserie fainting couch:
photo source for 1, 2, 3.
photo source
I prefer this sofa below, with hand-carved legs
Chair from Restoration Hardware
Certainly, some elements of the Draper home are timeless, others are quite dated—like the ornate marble-topped side table and the over-the-top chinoiserie. I have seen coffee tables, like the one in the photo with the wrap-around sofa, but I wouldn’t suggest anyone go out and find it—unless you really like that look?! I appreciate the deep baseboards, and the crisp off-white coloured mantel on the fireplace, and think that the colour choices in the redecoration (top photo) are spot-on for the new spring pastel trend. I really like the pattern in the chairs in that photo, but imagine it would be a custom fabric choice. Painting the inside of the built-in bookcase a coordinating colour with the sofa and curtain trim really ties in the look of the room.
What do you think of this look and what inspiration can you take from it?
