Washstands

A century ago, many American bedrooms still contained a washstand — a piece of furniture designed to hold a water pitcher, washbasin, towels, and other grooming supplies. The washstand itself was the cabinet or table, while the basin was the bowl used for washing. For generations, these pieces were standard fixtures in American bedrooms, and they remained a familiar sight in many homes during the mid-1920s, even as indoor plumbing gradually became more common in cities and newer homes.

The transition to fully plumbed homes was slow and uneven. In 1940 — the earliest year for which comprehensive census data is available — only 55% of American homes had “complete plumbing facilities,” defined as hot and cold running water, a bathtub or shower, and a flush toilet. The figure would have been even lower in the mid-1920s. As a result, washstands continued to serve a practical purpose in older homes and rural households. Even in some homes with indoor plumbing, they remained in use out of habit or convenience, especially when a single bathroom served an entire family.

Tiny Closets 

One of the biggest differences in the bedrooms of a century ago was the lack of closet space. Built-in closets had become increasingly common in American homes by the early 20th century, but they were usually small by modern standards, and many older houses had none at all. The spacious walk-in closet, now considered a staple of many primary bedrooms, did not become a common feature of American home design until the late 20th century. Without much built-in storage, more of the bedroom’s floor space was devoted to freestanding furniture.

Large dressers and chests of drawers were used to store folded clothing, while wardrobes and armoires provided space for garments that needed hanging. Trunks and cedar chests held seasonal items, extra blankets, and clothing for special occasions. Americans generally owned fewer clothes than they do today, and garments were expected to be worn for years, repaired when necessary, stored between seasons, and saved to be passed down to younger siblings or other family members.

Separate Beds

Separate beds for married couples had been promoted since the late 19th century, but the arrangement reached the height of its popularity during the 1920s and 1930s. Furniture manufacturers, doctors, and home design magazines often praised twin beds as cleaner, healthier, and more practical than a shared mattress. Sleeping apart was said to improve sleep, reduce disturbances from a restless partner, and even limit the spread of colds and other illnesses within the household.

Not every family embraced the idea, and many working-class couples continued sharing a bed simply because buying two was impractical or unnecessary. But among middle-class Americans, twin beds became common enough to define the look of many bedrooms for decades. The arrangement remained widely accepted through the 1940s and 1950s, but larger shared beds gradually regained popularity in the postwar years and eventually became the norm in American homes once again.

Matching Furniture

Walk into a typical American bedroom in the 1920s, and one of the first things you’d notice was how closely the furniture matched. Rather than assembling a room piece by piece, many families aspired to own a coordinated bedroom suite of several matching pieces, including a bed, dresser, and chest of drawers. Furniture manufacturers had been heavily promoting these matching sets since the 1880s, and by the mid-1920s furniture companies were offering dozens of different bedroom suite designs to consumers.

Not every family could afford a complete suite, especially in rural areas or working-class households, but the trend was widespread enough to shape bedroom design across the country. At the same time, furniture styles were evolving. The dark, heavily carved pieces that had dominated many late-19th-century homes were gradually giving way to lighter designs, decorative veneers, mirrored vanities, and furniture influenced by fashionable styles such as art deco.

Vanities 

Vanity tables, or dressing tables, had long been used in some form in households dating back centuries, particularly in wealthier homes where dedicated spaces for grooming were common. By the 1920s, however, the bedroom vanity had become a familiar feature in many middle-class American homes, too, as furniture manufacturers began producing them more widely and including them in coordinated bedroom suites. Typically consisting of a small table or desk with an attached mirror and matching bench or stool, the vanity provided a dedicated space for grooming and dressing.

The popularity of vanities also reflected broader cultural changes during the decade. The 1920s saw booming sales of cosmetics, perfumes, and other beauty products, as more women spent time in public life and were increasingly expected to maintain a polished appearance. New beauty standards — such as shorter hairstyles and more involved grooming routines — also made daily upkeep more routine and visible than in earlier decades. 

While not every household could afford a dedicated dressing table, particularly in rural and working-class homes, the vanity became a common feature in many urban and middle-class bedrooms, and its popularity only began to decline in the mid-20th century as home design evolved and built-in bathroom storage became more common.