DISCO DAZZLE
The ’70s are back for interior decor
Don’t panic! Harvest gold-coloured appliances won’t be showing up in your kitchen any time soon. Instead, the decade that style forgot is still sexy and sparkly, but now has a sophistication it could only dream of the first time around.
“There is a huge ’70s influence in both fashion and interior design, but with an added contemporary twist,” says Nancy Riesco, partner in Vancouver interior design company Riesco & Lapres. “Instead of that ’70s sepia palette of mustards and browns, those colours have now been paired with bold hues like peacock blue, fuchsia and emerald green to create a bold saturated palette.”
Benjamin Moore’s colour for 2018, Caliente, fits into this palette perfectly. A deeply saturated bold red is part of a newly launched colour palette that includes Golden Retriever, a muddy yellow that is very reminiscent of the mustards of yesteryear.
Curved ’70s furniture, including swivel chairs and rounded sofas, may bring Austin Powers to mind, but in updated jewel-toned colours like ruby red, they look sensual and sophisticated, says interior designer, Kelly Deck, owner of Kelly Deck Design. A particular favourite is the Vuelta chair, a curved red velvet chair designed by Spaniard Jaime Hayon in collaboration with Austrian company Wittmann.
If this is too much of a pop of colour, Deck suggests pairing saturated hues with pastels.
Retro finishes are also being added to fabric favourites like crushed velvets and sequined pillows, which were both design staples of the disco era. “We’re carrying fabrics like crushed velvet throws and cut velvet chairs, but in an updated palette of blush pinks and golds,” says Stephanie Vogler, co-owner of The Cross Decor and Design.
Ross Bonetti, owner of luxury contemporary store Living space, agrees. “Italian design companies like Molteni have been creating exquisite designs since the 1940s and are using cutting-edge fabrics that give their classic designs the functionality of the 21st century,” he explains. “It’s the perfect marriage of classic and contemporary. Their pieces are soft, comfortable and have a longevity that our clients want.”
Smoked glass, a ’70s stalwart, is making a comeback in the shape of side coffee tables, paired with bronze and gold, as seen in the new Menotti collection of furniture. “It doesn’t feel retro at all,” says Bonetti. “It complements their luxe upholstery line perfectly.”
Marble has always been the go-to luxury material for interiors, but this season, faux marble effects have taken over. “It’s everywhere,” Riesco says. “Wall panels, lampshades, bedding, fabric — it has the look of old Italian handmade marbleized paper. Very ’70s.”
Deck is happy to see a move away from the oak and walnut flooring of the past. “I love these light woods like Douglas fir with a white wash or ash and elm,” she says. “Grey will always be a design staple here as our natural light is so washed out and cool, but adding warmth through light woods works beautifully with it. It’s a restrained look with lots of texture and I love using light hues of a heavy material.”
Brass, which was huge in the ’70s — remember brass rubbings and bud vases? — is the go-to metal this season.
“It’s very popular this season,” says Riesco. “It complements this new rich colour palette and is going to be around for a while.”