Changing the interior design in your home is a project that takes some time. Trends may come and go, but retro is one look that always bounces right back. Whatever the decade, whatever the fashion era, you can swing your home right back to the 60s, 70s or 80s with only a few small changes. I like to call it shabby chic.
The 80s were all about florals, bright coloured prints and sheepskin shag pile carpets (one of my favourites). I’m sure everyone remembers that part of the 80s with fondness. If you want to make your home go retro, you only need follow a few small instructions to make it happen.
How to Go Retro, Shabby Chic at Home
Throwback furnishings and accessories
Think throwback furnishings and accessories. Think novelty lighting and nostalgic cartoons. Adding a bit of fun to your home can make it look very different in the best way. It doesn’t have to be a pricey venture and if you know some trustworthy pawn shops around you’ll be able to swap out some old jewellery for seed money! Retro furniture is one of the easiest ways you can throwback to your chosen era. You can really feel the vibe with carefully selected pieces.
Check out thrift shops
Now you have your budget, head out to thrift shops and charity stores. You can find some fantastically retro furniture and accessories such as black light photos and bold coloured wooden end tables that will make your living room pop. Swap out your static coloured ceilings for Artex. It used to be the done thing that every house had a swirly Artex design. It was the last thing you saw before sleep and the first thing you saw upon waking. Add that to the old avocado coloured bathrooms and you’ll feel like you’re a part of the Seventies in no time!
Don’t be afraid of carpet
Carpeted bathrooms aren’t usually a thing these days but way back when, carpets were all the rage in the bathroom. If you don’t want to replace your flooring, add a larger-than-life bathroom mat in a bright colour to make it look that way. Find the right accessories in a house phone. Remember standing for hours chatting to friends after school? Go a little old school and get a house phone fixed to the wall. This time though, pop a bowl chair right underneath so you don’t have to sit on the floor!
Change something small
If you want to invite a little presence to the bedrooms in the home, go and grab some lava lamps! They began as a Sixties trend but lived in the bedrooms of kids right up until the Nineties. We wouldn’t recommend going back to the days of dial up internet, but you can still use your laptop in a huge inflatable chair instead. Going retro isn’t just for the sideboard in the living room or the swirly orange throw in the lounge so be creative. Decorate with florals and frills and embrace the visual sensation of the retro decades.
Your home can be as retro & shabby chic as you choose and with the right furnishings and accessories, you can turn back time to a decade you love.
