Groovy and glam
It’s that ’70s (and ’80s) show in home decor
You’ve probably noticed it in clothing stores: racks and shelves full of highwaisted flares, rib-knit turtlenecks, acid green sweatshirts and disco ball metallics. It’s that ’70s — and ’80s — show.
These two fashion trends have, as usual, worked their way into home decor as well.
“Right now, in home design, it feels like a total ’70s takeover,” says Apartment Therapy’s Danielle Blundell. “This time period had two pretty distinct things going on — boho hippie vibes and glam, glitzy disco feels. Which means you can probably find a way to work something ’70s into your home no matter your aesthetic.”
Watch for patchwork and peasant prints, fringe and earthy hues. Shaggy, textured woven rugs. Modernist wall art. Rattan etageres and side tables.
One of the hallmarks of the 1980s was Memphis style. Started by Austrian-born but Italian-raised architect Ettore
Sottsass, it was characterized by squiggle and geometric pattern, mixing of pastels with black and brights, and an overall playful, whimsical approach. Sottsass and his team designed for Fiorucci, Alessi and Esprit among others, and Karl Lagerfeld and David Bowie were collectors.
Designer Sasha Bikoff created a buzzworthy Memphis-inspired staircase for the 2018 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in Manhattan. New Yorker Raquel Cayre manages an Instagram account dedicated to all things Sottsass, and even created a temporary space in Soho called “Raquel’s Dream House,” chock-full of Memphisthemed interior decor.
Memphis originals are pricey, but you can find referential decorative items that are affordable. Street brand Supreme offers clothing and skateboard decks; designer Ellen Van Dusen’s Brooklynbased eponymous company makes clothing and home goods featuring her own versions of Memphis pattern.
Imola Ceramica has the pop collection of ceramic tile, with Roy Lichtensteininspired art comics printed on subwaystyle tile. Their Let It Bee collection features groovy, semicircular, tone-on-tone designs in brick red, indigo, apple green and dark yellow.
Designer/architect Luca Andrisani has designed a collection for New York Cement Tile called “Geometrika.” Inspired by midcentury op art, there are retro hues, square and rectangular shapes, and eyecatching optical illusion patterns. Walker Zanger has Australian designer Pietta Donovan’s hip new ’70s-patterned tile collection.
At www.spoonflower.com. you’ll find several peel-and-stick wallpapers and fabric by the yard with Memphis style or leopard prints. Here as well are ’70s-style florals in wallcoverings and fabric.
European bathware designers have been featuring pedestal sinks, toilets and tubs in colors such as cranberry, moss, mustard, teal and pink — colors that would have been destined for the bin a few years ago. Here in North America, eBay and salvage sites such as Retro Renovation are good places to source vintage wares. For new products, Aquatica USA has roomy resin tubs in dark red or moss green with white interior, while Bella Stone’s got a fun one in fire-engine red.
Check out www.roostery.com for whimsical ’70s-style fruit and vegetable prints, geometrics and paisleys in soft goods such as napery and throw pillows.
Sometimes it’s the little things that bring the look home. Atomic starburst knobs, for example, and www.zazzle.com has several patterns. Cabinet and doorknob backplates come in starry shapes at www.rejuvenation.com.
At www.dusendusen.com, find soft furnishings printed with bold check, dot, stripe, cutout and squiggle patterns. There are patterned pet beds, pillows and shower curtains too.
In a collaboration with London-based Soho Home, Anthropologie offers the Adriana chair; in a deep terra cotta velvet, the chubby, channel-seamed silhouette echoes Italian postmodern design. Kardiel’s curvy Miranda gold-velvet
GLAM,