Ideas for Decorating in 1970’s Style

The 1970’s were a unique time in design history. While still embracing the pop-art and graphical elements dominant in 1960’s design, the 70’s style is a hybrid of bold colors and patterns, rich textures and geometric influences. Many of us who experienced the 70’s first hand may remember shag carpeting, plastic furniture and avocado green/harvest gold appliances, but design in the seventies was much more than the kitschy, mass produced interiors most of us remember. Decorating your home with a nod to the seventies doesn’t have to be an ironic homage to all things tacky; picking and choosing a few key elements, such as a large wall art with 70’s detailing, can go a long way in defining your retro style.

Color

The most popular color palettes in the seventies were based in nature – dark woods, mossy greens, bright pumpkin orange, daffodil yellow and the ubiquitous harvest gold dominated the interiors of suburban seventies homes. These colors are so closely aligned with the seventies; in fact, it’s difficult to use them without seeming dated. The trick is to use old color in new ways – while you may remember your grandma’s dingy green refrigerator as a bit homely, that same color of green in a silk pillow or woven placemat would be stunning. Shiny plastic end tables the color of orange juice are too much, but a small plastic vase with a great curve in the same shade can be an attractive splash of color. Using traditionally seventies colors as accents in a neutral or black/white space can be stylish and nostalgic, without actually going over the top.

Texture

Texture in the seventies was all about contrast and the unexpected. Rough, nubby woolen upholstery; fuzzy and unruly patches of thick shag carpeting; dark, rough hewn wooden wall paneling and smooth, popsicle colored plastic are all very tactile textures. The seventies were a somewhat hedonistic decade – the rich, tactile qualities of the fabrics reinforce the live-in-the-moment, anything goes attitude of the times. While all the elements technically work together, it would be difficult to integrate any element of this design into a modern space unless it was being designed with a sense of humor. As with color, using elements of these textures in your design can keep your overall look modern while still paying tribute to the earlier style. Consider a shag fabric throw pillow or a bright orange wool blanket on the sofa or stretch pieces of vintage textured fabrics on a frame to create instant art.

Images from army_arch.

Line and Shape

Curves dominate seventies design. As Luigi Colani, one of the most renowned designers of the era, said “Straight lines do not exist in nature.” Much of seventies design, from furnishings to graphic elements to accessory shapes, is based on shapes and lines found in nature. This idea is one that is very easy to integrate with today’s attention to environmentally friendly, natural design. Elements from seventies design can be interpreted and updated to create a modern, hip space which feels fresh and fun. Orange and the curves echo from the floral shapes might not look dated in the slightest.

Modern Interpretations

Hotel Sax features rooms re-imagined in styles from the fifties to the seventies, with each guest room featuring elements of retro style. You can always use photos to find ideas for your own retro space. It’s not hard to create a seventies inspired room which can still be a twentieth century design “do” instead of an outdated design “don’t.”

Again, you may add list of modernized seventies elements in a way that it works. Updated avocado green, pumpkin orange and harvest gold might be set against a backdrop of stark black and white, and all these should be unified using the same pattern in order to look balanced. A little less attention to detail and your room would feel chaotic and busy, instead you have the option to put it sharply together and look totally contemporary.

Now that you know the secrets of using seventies design, dare to be a design “do”!