Ever wondered what it took to be the “perfect” homemaker in the 1950s? Girl, same. According to The Art of Homemaking by Daryl V. Hoole, the ideal homemaker was as “multifaceted as a diamond”, with 20 distinct qualities that made her shine in her role. While some of the ideas may feel just a tad dated, many of these principles remain timeless and hold these little nuggets of wisdom that I totally believe we modern-day homemakers can adapt to fit our lives.
SO, today I’m doing a deep-dive into these 20 facets! Grab your favorite coffee or tea, and let’s get into it!
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Homemaking, Then and Now
Homemaking for 1950s housewives was more than a role; it was an art form, and a profession. No seriously, it was very much viewed and treated as a vocation with training and respect given to it. It called for devotion, skill, and effort. For many women at the time, it was a full-time job. Daryl started out her book with this…
“Grandmother, on a winter’s day, milked the cows and fed them hay, slopped the hogs, saddled the mule, then got the children off to school, did a washing, mopped the floors, washed the windows, and did some chores; cooked a dish of home-dried fruit, pressed her husband’s Sunday suit.
Swept the parlor, made the bed, baked a dozen loaves of bread, split some firewood, and then lugged in enough to fill the kitchen bin; cleaned the lamps and put in oil, stewed some apples she thought would spoil; churned the butter, baked a cake, then ex-claimed, “For heaven’s sake, the calves have got out of the pen!” – went out and chased them in again.
Gathered the eggs and locked the stable, back to the house and set the table, cooked a supper that was delicious, and afterward washed up all the dishes, fed the cat and sprinkled the clothes, mended a basketful of hose; then opened the organ and began to play, “When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day.”
– Author Unknown
This grandmother knew the art of homemaking! Although today the demands and activities of a homemaker have changed somewhat, the abilities and attitudes required have remained the same. We modern homemakers want to be like this grandmother, able to perform each day the tasks required of us and feel happy about doing so.
Of course it is normal for every homemaker to have bad days when little is accomplished and when she doesn’t feel like it has been a perfect day at all. In fact, at times she might be completely discouraged and depressed with her role in life. It is the purpose of this book to help you with those bad days”
While we aren’t wrangling livestock these days, homemaking is no less important. The principles behind the work, like creating an intentional home and cultivating joy, haven’t changed. With that said, let’s take a closer look at the qualities of an ideal homemaker, according to Mrs. Hoole!
The 20 Facets of the Ideal Homemaker
1. Be Lovely Inside and Out
“She is lovely to look at and lovely to be around. She has a wholesome attitude and a pleasing appearance.”
This facet emphasizes maintaining a positive attitude and a presentable appearance. While the wording might feel outdated (being “lovely to look at” makes some of us feel defensive AF for some reason these days), the message behind it is still relevant today.
When we take care of ourselves inside and out, we’re able to show up for our families with kindness and grace. Personally, I have a few hacks for this to help me feel beautiful when homemaking!
- Overnight Curlers. (I use this one). Putting my hair in curlers before bed, and waking up to beautiful hair is such a confidence booster for me! And it makes me feel so much prettier and happier throughout my day, which actually makes me more patient with my family! Some days I’ll just leave my hair in the curler so it’s out of my face, and then take it down right before leaving the house or my husband coming home. (Whichever happens first)
- A Mom Uniform. Whether it’s cute active dresses, overalls with cute tops, or jeans and a cute blouse or sweater (I’ve even worn scrubs as my mom uniform before!) having a mom uniform you feel confident in makes all the difference. 1950s housewives had what were called “house dresses” they were comfortable dresses with pockets made from lightweight fabric. You can find some of my fave sewing patterns for these here, and here! But I also included a video below of a house dress.
- Light Makeup. Using a tinted moisturizer, a swipe of mascara, and a lipstick that can double as blush is all I need to feel so much better during the day! And it only takes 5 minutes!
2. Cultivate Ambition and Enthusiasm
“She is ambitious and enthusiastic through application of the law that how one feels emotionally greatly determines how she feels physically.”
This facet is all about the connection between emotional well-being and physical energy. It’s a great reminder for us to focus on attitudes that inspire productivity and joy. For example, instead of tackling chores with dread, approaching them as opportunities to create a cozy, clean space can completely change the experience. Below is one of my all time favorite videos on mindset and happiness and how it creates out success! In it, they reccommend science backed tasks you can do daily to improve you happiness like…
- Gratitude: Write or talk about three new things you are grateful for.
- Journaling Happy Memories: journaling about a happy memory that has happened over the past 24 hours.
- 15 minutes of exercise you actually enjoy (I love The Fitness Marshall on YouTube and taking walks with my baby while listening to podcasts)
- Meditation (this can be as simple as listening to a guided meditation before bed or doing a 8-10 minute “Navy Seal” nap!
- A random act of kindness OR sending a text message appreciating someone or acknowledging someone for the good they do.
3. Be Devoted to Your Role
“She is a professional in her field by being a homemaker every day and letting her devotion and sense of duty, rather than her moods, dominate her.”
This is about showing up fully for your role as a homemaker, whether you’re full-time or balancing work and family. Today, devotion looks different for everyone. It can mean finding pride in keeping a tidy home, savoring family meals, or celebrating the little wins like organizing your pantry or helping with homework. Really, it just means VALUING your efforts in the home (and those of your family too!). Modern culture has put down a lot of homemaking tasks and housewives as “lesser work.” But it’s NOT! Treating our work in our homes with the respect we would our work in our careers can make a huge difference!
4. Master Domestic Skills
“She keeps her house neat and attractive; she prepares tasty meals and serves them on time; she is able to turn out a gleaming white wash; and she keeps family members’ clothes well-mended and pressed.”
While modern technology has lightened the load (hello, washing machines and meal delivery kits), it’s still highly rewarding to pick up homemaking skills and learn how to do the daily tasks that keep our homes running, well! Cooking a comforting meal (or learning to cook a new style of cuisine!), learning to sew and mend things that help belongings last longer or add beauty to your life, or creating an organized space brings a sense of accomplishment and care to our homes. Here’s some ideas for how to master domestic skills!
- Work your way through a cookbook one at a time! Kind of like on Julie and Julia (AKA one of my fave movies ever!) You can start with a mexican, italian, asian, etc. cookbook that covers CLASSIC homecooked meals from that culture. Then you can move onto cookbooks teaching you to make your own pasta, cheese, sourdough breads etc. You can find my fave cookbooks here!
- Pick up a handicraft via YouTube! Some of my faves are hand piecing or sewing quilt squares using piecing paper, embroidery, etc.
- Get onto a routine/system for household tasks. You can find my cleaning routine system here, and my podcast cleaning routines here! Systemizing things like laundry (click here), meal planning (click here), and deep cleaning (click here) makes all the difference in the world!
- Institute a “Just for Fun” Homemaking Day! Save homemaking ideas you see on Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest and pick a day a month or a day a week to try something new!
5. Make the Most of Your Time
“She makes the best use of her time and energy by being efficient so that she is able, not only to keep up with her housework, but to be a companion to her husband and a friend and teacher to her children.”
Efficiency was a hallmark of 1950s homemaking, and while life is busier now, this principle is still relevant. Tools like Google Calendars, chore charts, and meal prep hacks can help simplify your workload. But there’s a lot of time-saving hacks 50’s homemakers used like crock pots or “dump meals” as we’d call meals made with canned goods today. Using a rolling cart to put items away around the house. And even habit stacking!
6. See Work as an Opportunity
“She accepts work as a challenge and an opportunity rather than a burden.”
Chores can easily feel like just “one more thing.” But reframing homemaking as a creative outlet, a creative challenge for your mind, and even a small act of love for yourself or your family can make all the difference. It’s GREAT to be ambitious about your homemaking, and to get excited about the “work” of homemaking being an opportunity for growth, problem solving, and creative thinking just like you would in a career or vocation. 0This is where the hack of mastering domestic skills comes in! Exploring your creativity, and applying some of our ambition as women and humans to excelling at homemaking skills is a great way to find more joy! We LOVE to grow, we are MADE to grow as people. Taking that into account can reduce so much of the monotony of homemaking!
7. Use a Daily Schedule
“She plans a program or a schedule for each day so that she is the master, rather than the victim, of her work.”
Even in a world of to-do lists and apps, this age-old advice still holds up. Whether it’s a detailed cleaning routine or a simple outline of daily priorities, having a plan can keep chaos at bay. You can find my post on my 30 minute cleaning routine here. OR you can try some of my 1950s radio show cleaning routine podcasts! You press play, and I guide you through a 30 minute cleaning routine while we listen to vintage comedy or true crime radio shows (your choice!) Click here to try some free episodes!
8. Stay Open to Learning
“She is prepared to perpetuate the good things she learned in her own home and is ever alert to new ideas and hints which will make her work more effective.”
Homemaking is an ongoing learning process. Keeping an open mind about new trends, skills, or tools can make a big difference. From zero-waste living to creative organizing tips, there’s always something new to discover!
9. Be Consistent
“She is consistent in applying the best skills and methods she knows.”
Consistency breeds stability. A clutter-free home or regular family meals don’t happen overnight, but with steady effort, new habits will take root. One of my favorite things to tell new homemakers is to simply aim for 1% improvement in your home every single day (instead of trying to be perfect overnight.) Why? Because that little bit of improvement + consistency is what really makes a HUGE difference in a home! Consistently doing a cleaning routine every day, or meal prepping/planning once a week, is what makes things run smooth!
10. Find Balance
“Though she may be noted for a specialty… she doesn’t spend all of her time cooking, cleaning, sewing, or reading. She reaches out to include in her life stimulating projects.”
Balance is the key to preventing burnout. Making time for hobbies, self-care, or just relaxing on the couch is just as crucial as tackling your to-do list. BUT we also shouldn’t spend all our time on the “fun stuff” and neglect the tasks that NEED to get done that maybe we don’t enjoy as much.
11. Create a True Home
“She transforms four walls into a home by creating both spiritual and physical beauty.”
Homemaking is all about transforming our homes into havens for ourselves and those we love. Places where those in our home can grow and learn and explore and REST. It should be fulfilling both in it’s beauty to our eye (though you don’t need a pinterest perfect home), and also feed our soul with good music, books, media, conversation, or whatever it may be that truly feeds your soul!
12. Teach Values at Home
“She is prepared to perpetuate the good things she learned in her own home.”
Homemaking isn’t just about physical chores; it’s about LIFE SKILLS. And about passing those life skills on and teaching them to our children (girls AND boys!!). Teaching our kids life skills like cleaning, laundry, meal planning, handicrafts, cooking, etc. is giving them the skills they need to create havens for themselves when they grow older!
13. Build Traditions
“Instead of her home being just a short-order house, it will be a hallowed place where children learn life’s great lessons.”
Holiday traditions or even a weekly pizza night can create lasting memories. Research shows that children who participate in family rituals feel a stronger sense of identity and security!
14. Stay Patient and Lighthearted
“Take those occasional ‘bad days’ in stride, realizing you need some valleys to appreciate the mountains.”
Life happens, and not every day will run smoothly. And that doesn’t say anything about you or your worth. Even the perfect homemaker (ha! she doesn’t exist) would have days were it all falls to pieces because that’s life. Take comfort in knowing that even the most accomplished homemakers faced their share of chaotic days. Laughter and perspective go a long way.
15. Foster Partnership
“She is the type of companion and wife who merits appreciation and cooperation from her husband.”
Though the gender roles here feel outdated, fostering healthy partnerships and sharing responsibilities still resonates. Teamwork makes the dream work! Putting time, thought, and consideration into your relationship and being a wife/lover is key for YOUR own happiness as well as your spouses! BOTH people in your marriage taking time to focus on your relationship is key.
16. Be Money-Smart
“She is skilled in the handling of money, intelligent shopping, and clever preparation of food.”
Being mindful with finances and finding creative ways to save can have a big impact on your household budget. Meal planning, couponing, or thrifting can all help stretch your dollars further. A lot of people on the internet believe that homemakers were “financially abused” in the 1950s. While that did happen in some households, just as it still does today, many homemakers were given full control and management over the finances since they knew what expenses needed to be managed! Often times husbands would give their checks directly to their wives, and she would make the financial decisions. While it should definitely be a partnership in modern times, being financially literate as not just a homemaker but as a woman and ADULT is crucial.
Here are some of my fave resources on finances!
- Money for Couples by Ramit Sethi (my all time fave!)
- Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap (I don’t always agree with her on every single thing, but her advice is amazing!)
- Caleb Hammer and his YouTube videos (I’m sure you’ve seen some of the clips!)
- The cash envelope system! (see video below)
17. Add Your Special Touch
“She will add a few other special facets of her own to set her apart from all the rest.”
Your home should reflect YOU. Bringing your own unique personality, skills, and passions to your home is crucial. Whether that means decorating with bold colors, growing a garden, or curating a library, your unique personality is what makes your home special.
18. Master General Management
“She doesn’t try to accomplish this thirty years at a time but strives to practice being an artist in management just for today.”
Focus on the present. Trying to do everything at once is a recipe for overwhelm. Manage today’s priorities, then tomorrow’s when it comes.
19. Seek Divine Guidance
“She seeks divine guidance through prayer, so that her home may be an extension of heaven.”
For those who practice faith, prayer or meditation can be grounding rituals. For others, reflection or gratitude journaling can serve a similar purpose.
20. Take Pride in Your Work
“She takes pride in her noble calling and the great work she is doing.”
Taking pride in your role as a homemaker doesn’t mean every task has to be perfect. It’s about celebrating the small wins and acknowledging the importance of your work in building a loving home.
Wrapping It All Up
The 1950s homemaking ideal outlined in The Art of Homemaking may seem like a different world, but the essence of many principles remains timeless. Ultimately, homemaking is an art of intentionality, and what matters most is creating a space where love and happiness thrive.
Pick the facets that resonate with you, and remember that you’re the architect of your own homemaking style! Also, if you’d like to add a little 1950s housewife charm to your cleaning, give my podcast cleaning routines a try here!