How To Create The Perfect Retro Home
Celebrate the style of decades past by adding a touch of retro-chic to your interior design. There’s no easier way to inject a bit of personality into your home than by taking inspiration from your favorite moment in time.
Going retro can be anything from the bold monochrome palette and modular furniture of the sixties, the homely feel of a 1940s theme, to the decadence and glamour of the eighties.
You can opt to go the whole hog and redesign your entire room or choose statement pieces to complement a more modern room design. There’s no right or wrong, so just do as much as feels right to suit your taste, space, and budget.
Have fun with it, and let interior design take you on a journey through the decades.
Living room
If you want to make a statement in the living room with a single piece of retro-style furniture, the obvious choice is to go with the sofa.
On-trend right now are the striking designs of 1960s sofas. In shape, fabric, and color, they really broke the mold at the time, and to this day, they are still head-turners.
If the sixties just isn’t your vibe or a new sofa is out of your budget, you can easily add a retro look by scattering a couple of bean bags to your seating arrangements. Check out Fombag, who makes 1970s style hippy foam bags that some refer to as Lovesac knockoffs.
If you’re in need of storage that stands out from the crowd, opt for a mid-century cabinet — designed for practicality yet whose design perfectly describes the look of the era. However, if your budget is tight, check out your local thrift store for vintage soft furnishings or even get some funky fabric and make your own cushion covers for some instant design history.
Kitchen
There are some obvious choices when it comes to a retro-styled kitchen, a 1950s diner, for example, or a vintage country cottage feel. The design you opt for may be dictated by budget or whether or not a fitted kitchen is a deal-breaker.
An iconic AGA stove makes a beautiful and practical centerpiece for a kitchen. Surround with eggshell blue cabinets and solid wood countertops to achieve a rustic retro look. For a sixties influence, choose a bold colored SMEG fridge, and then team it with bright wallpaper and acrylic furniture.
If you can’t afford new cabinets and large appliances, the good news is, there really is no other room so easy to style with retro accessories than the kitchen. Vintage-inspired small appliances such as toasters and kettles are easy to find right now as well as vintage storage and decorative pieces. It’s so on-trend, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding items to match your chosen era.
Another quick win for those on a smaller budget is simply painting cabinet fronts instead of replacing them, swapping out your splashback tiles, or change up the flooring with inexpensive linoleum.
Bedroom
The bedroom offers the perfect opportunity to go wild with sumptuous fabrics and statement wallpapers.
Finding a bed with the wow factor is a good place to start. You can opt for secondhand by picking something up in a thrift store or online marketplaces, or you can buy a new bed based on a vintage design.
Look for chintzy wallpapers and soft floral furnishings for a homely feel. Piling the bed with soft cushions and throws will make bedtime all the more inviting. If you prefer a later 20th Century look, try to find some of the iconic furniture of the time. Brown is back, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding autumnal colors to complement the theme.
As an alternative to wallpaper, wood paneling is another great option and can be used to good effect in Victorian-themed rooms. Plain walls can also be given a more lively twist with minimal cost by hanging some framed posters that fit your theme.
For lighting, pendant lamps work well in a minimalist scheme or go for a chandelier to add impact in elegant, formal styled rooms. When it comes to accessorizing, Etsy is a great place to look for both genuine vintage pieces and retro-inspired handmade items.
Bathroom
If you like to luxuriate in a room with old-world charm, you won’t go far wrong with a roll-top tub. The elegance of these freestanding bathroom classics is complemented by vintage bottles and jars and wooden flooring.
For something more playful, opt for the pastel peaches and avocados of a 1970s bathroom suite. These colorful washrooms are full of personality so can be teamed with white accessories, such as towels and shower curtain.
If you feel like something a bit more recent retro, why not go all out on glamour with an eighties style? Achieve the look with black and white contrasts, gold taps and accessories, and even a flamboyant dried flower arrangement for ultimate theatricals.
Study
Creating a comfortable and stylish study is all in the furniture. For a formal space, dark wood, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves will offer a 1950s elegance, or for something more light and airy, 1960s style curved, monochrome chairs and desks offer a lighthearted take on this sometimes too serious space.
If your home office is little more than a corner of another room, giving it a retro edge will set it apart from the rest of the room, making it feel like a completely separate space too.
Add interest with pops of color using accessories, greenery from a few strategically placed house plants and pull the whole look together with appropriately styled storage options like magazine files, trays, and pen holders.
Whatever look you’re in love with, don’t forget accessories can make a huge difference, so if you rent or you’re low on funds, don’t let that stop you from having some fun with retro interior styling.
Also, don’t feel like you have to stick to just one era per room. An eclectic mix of styles can offer an impactful modern feel to a space, so don’t be afraid to use your imagination and mix it up a bit.
