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Designers began experimenting with ergonomic designs for the workplace and home office. Interested in reviving 1970s design in your own home—or those of your clients? An easy way to recall the innovation, playfulness, and warmth of this decade without creating waste is by sourcing vintage pieces from the period. Velvet textures, three-dimensional wallpaper, and woven wall hangings added depth and visual interest to interiors. Macrame is a form of textile art commonly produced with knotted yarn or wool. While a lot of funky shapes can be created through macrame, the most 70s-inspired variety is designed in the form of a tapestry designed to hang proudly on the walls in your home.
Wicker chairs
Creative director Gabriella Khalil sought to mimic a 1970s-era Caribbean mansion with the design of this boutique hotel in the Cayman Islands.
"Tiny homes are not the big solution to homelessness that we need"
Combining sleek silhouettes with cozy comfort, several iconic pieces from the mid-century carried over to 1970s interiors. Transparent or semi-transparent furniture made from materials like acrylic (Lucite) was fashionable. These pieces appeared to be weightless and added a sense of transparency and lightness to interiors. The iconic bubble chair—often made of clear acrylic and resembling a futuristic bubble or cocoon—became synonymous with Space Age design. Mirrored and highly reflective surfaces were commonly used in Space Age design to create a sense of space and to mimic the look of spacecraft interiors. Sputnik chandeliers—named after the Soviet satellite—featured a burst of metal rods and light bulbs that radiated from a central sphere.
Bedroom Style
It is essentially weatherproof and is used for both indoor living rooms and outdoor furniture. In fact, these fluffy rugs have cropped up not just in 70s revivalist design but in modern Scandinavian design, too. If you’re leaning towards the Scandi route, consider a more natural material like sheepskin or faux fur. And in order to experience the best that the so-called "decade that taste forgot" has to offer, it helps to see what the fabulously wealthy tastemakers of the time were doing with their interiors. The 1970s is the most influential decade when it comes to furniture design, according to independent furniture retailer, Barker and Stonehouse.
Funky, Fun, & Futuristic: The Return of 70s Interior Design
A circa-1975 Jeanne Claude Dresse metal-inlay coffee table is paired with a groovy mix of contemporary glass and ceramics by Jeff Zimmerman and Cody Hoyt, respectively. The original ‘Tulip’ chair, as it is known, was designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll in 1956. It was originally part of the 'Pedestal' collection, and it revolutionized modernist furniture design. Their sleek and timeless design works well in retro and modern interiors. Make the most of iconic ‘70s motifs by mixing them with the existing decor in your house.
There are endless colors that go with orange, but sometimes the most eye-catching look pairs opposite colors to create a lot of visual interest. Earth tones and pops of red conjure contemporary bohemian vibes, with oversized sliding doors that bring the outdoor greenery in. In a glamorous Monte Carlo apartment, pinkish-beige marble tile flooring—original to the 1970s-built building—is accented with chunky-yet-sculptural furniture that tempers the room's vintage bones. Here are some of the era’s hallmarks, which have returned in modern homes. The architects opted for retro-but-humble materials, such as simple brown tiles in the kitchen and white-painted brickwork for the bar.
Bringing the 70s to life: a groovy makeover in Manchester - The Guardian
Bringing the 70s to life: a groovy makeover in Manchester.
Posted: Sat, 30 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Skinny Japanese house
To create eclectic interiors inspired by the ’70s, start by choosing a single color palette or design motif. Then, bring in furniture and accents from different eras that share these characteristics to create a fun, collected look. Don’t be afraid to experiment and pull together patterns that don’t match – maximalism is also on the rise, which means more is more in interior decor. An era of radical change, the seventies ushered in a new wave of thinking, with brand-new design trends shaking up the old traditions. This transformative decade, marked by a shift towards individual expression, was as vibrant and dynamic in its aesthetics as in its culture. Earthy colors, psychedelic and floral patterns, and rich textures defined 1970s interior design, encapsulating a spirit of freedom and experimentation.
Emotional connections, functional flow, and a touch of humor remain central to every interior design scheme. Her work has been published in national and local publications, including The Wall Street Journal, House Beautiful, HGTV Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and Austin Home. In her free time, she loves perusing estate sales and diving into design history. The space race and interest in futuristic design during this period inspired elements like molded plastic furniture, bubble chairs, and sleek, space-age lighting fixtures.
If you've browsed Facebook Marketplace lately you've probably seen endless listings for rattan and wicker furniture. This neutral material offers a breezy, laid-back vibe that really channels the grooviness of the 70s. Lithographs or a mod-inspired curtain work best if other parts of the room feature more modern accents for the perfect balance. "Pattern play and maximalism was everything in the '70s," Dazey says.
New trends are cherry picking elements such as low-slung seating, playful florals, and even wood paneling. These are all seeing a sophisticated resurgence, thanks to the help from brands such as Bode and Green River Project. The nostalgia for warm, earthy tones and materials like rattan feels comforting this time around, if even a little freeing from maximalist color. The 1970s interior design style is making a comeback, characterized by free-spirited, earthy tones, and metallic textures. This revival incorporates rattan, retro lighting with smoked Lucite, shag rugs, and polished chrome accents.
Geometric shapes were a dominant motif in ‘70s design, appearing in everything from wallpaper and art to furniture and floor tiles. They are typically presented as repeating patterns, with circles, triangles, and squares adding symmetry and a sense of dynamism to any home design. Like the clothing of the ‘70s, the era’s furniture designs emphasized comfort and innovation. Modular furniture that could be rearranged to suit individual needs became popular, and the modular sofa rose to prominence. Today, modular furniture is more popular than ever as it allows homeowners to create flexible spaces to accommodate family gatherings and guests.
A great way to add a pop of colour, opt for emerald green, millennial pink or yellows and golds to give a bold nod to the seventies, from your living room to your bedroom. Fifty years ago, these items might have been layered amid wood-paneled walls and psychedelic floral patterns, but today's adaptations of '70s design are more subtle. Though wall-to-wall shag carpet may not be a trend we're ready to bring back, we love shag accessories.
Two years later, Salvador Dalí designed a sofa based on Mae West’s mouth and upholstered the piece in Elsa Schiaparelli’s shocking pink. He kept the original and made two slightly different versions for a patron. This picture light from Amanda Lindroth adds just the right hint of '70s rattan culture with caning added for texture. Gabriella Hearst's Spring '22 collection offers flared legs, crochet details, and colorful patterns that feel very haute boheme this season. According to Dazey, mixing in a few maximalist elements into your home is a great way to get a modern look with a retro vibe.
Space Age design often featured sleek, curvilinear forms and unconventional shapes resembling spacecraft and other futuristic vehicles. Designers used innovative materials like fiberglass, chrome, and stainless steel to create furniture and decor that had a modern and futuristic appearance. Bold and large-scale patterns were a significant part of 1970s design.
Wondering how to integrate 1970s interior design style into your own home? "Those years are fascinating to us – the colours and materials were very glamorous," the studio's Arianna Lelli Mami told Dezeen. The interiors combined graphic shapes, grid patterns, pastel colours and metallic finishes.

Although the term “biophilic design” was not widely used in the 1970s, the concept of incorporating elements of nature into interior spaces aligns with its principles. Animal prints like leopard and zebra were also incorporated into interior design during the 1970s—typically used for textiles and upholstery. Back in the ‘70s, smoked Lucite, with its moody, gray hue, was the epitome of luxe. Terrazzo is a durable composite material made of chips of granite, quartz, and even glass cast in a cement-like binder. The effect is a surface that has the feel of marble with a fun, flecked appearance. A library designed by Alex P. White channels the 1970s with its plush, enveloping sofa and rich color palette.
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