Retro Home and Bedroom Furnishings: A Look at the 70's and 80's

by: Ben Weissman

Every twenty to thirty years, it seems that fashion tends to come full circle, with trends simply being recycled and updated. It could just be the vicious circle of history repeating itself, but it seems that even home design is doing the same thing. If you take a gander at the home furnishing offerings today, you'll find that many of the decorations and designs are "retro"', imitating the wave of the late 1970's through the 1980's. In case you weren't around for the original styles, or have chosen to block out most of than span of time from your memory, let's take a trip back and look at the blast from the past that is piled on store shelves today.

Tie-Dyed Clothes. Remember when bright, tie-dyed colors were all the rave? In the early eighties, everything was a starburst of six and seven different colors that didn't really match and could make your eyes water with the brightness of the design. Home furnishings have begun to incorporate this design again, with wall hangings of tie-dyed starbursts, throw rugs in the pattern, bedspreads full of tie-dyed spots, and even some couches artfully designed in such a manner. If you like the bright, anything goes style, this may be for you!

Psychedelic. Okay, so in the sixties and seventies, there were reasons for glow in the dark, psychedelic paint and black lights, though these excuses were usually less than savory and not entirely legal. Today, though, the bright T-shirts and posters have returned, with many individuals covering walls with glow in the dark designs and even painting whole walls in psychedelic paint, installing black lights in their recreation rooms or game rooms for entertainment purposes. This retro design option, coupled with disco lights that are more reminiscent of the late seventies, can really take you back to "the day"', especially if you put in the right music!

Lava Lamps, Most lamps are made to assist with lighting a room and giving you something to read by. On the other hand, in retro times, the lava lamp was more about putting on a show when it was dark in the room. Lava lamps have begun to grace the shelves of not only specialty and gag gift stores but also typical home decor departments in other stores, including superstores and department stores. Add to this the fact that the "lightning ball"' has also made a comeback from its loss of popularity in the mid-80s, and you've just jumped back in time.

Shag Carpets and Bean Bags. Rather than sitting on real furniture, designers are now suggesting a return to the basics. In the seventies, everyone had thick, shag carpeting, and now it's become popular again (as opposed to Berber, the thinnest possible carpet around), only this time it's not in mixed blue and green colors (thank goodness!). And, with the modification of the original bean bag chair that was so popular in the 80s to seat more than one comfortably on plush material or even leather rather than sticky vinyl, you can have your whole home outfitted retro style!