The Retro Living Room

Sometimes it is fun to take a trip down memory lane and enjoy the nostalgia of the past. Some people even want to live more in the past. One way to do this is to decorate in retro fashion. Decorating your living room in a retro style is a great way to bring back the feel of more innocent times.

 

Wallpaper is a hallmark of retro rooms. There are many options, and the decade you decide to focus on will affect the style of wallpaper you choose. There are some important things to consider when choosing wallpaper. There are various types of wallpaper to choose from, and important things to consider are cost, maintenance, and style. Before you apply the wallpaper, make sure you check the pattern direction several times. It is common for people to put up wallpaper, and realize after the design is going the wrong way. 

 

Another key feature to decorating a retro living room is the type of furniture. There are many styles to choose from, and depending on the size of your living room there are also many types of furniture to decorate with such as sofas, loveseats, sectionals, settees, and chaise lounges. The style and type of fabric you choose will depend on the decade you are decorating. 

 

Flooring is another key feature to focus on when decorating. Some popular retro flooring choices are vinyl, wood, carpet, linoleum and tile. With some many styles to choose from, it’s important to consider cost, maintenance, and style. 

 

Knick Knacks for the 1940’s consider flowery yet simple pieces, also wooden décor, clocks, and sunny pictures. For the 1950’s consider atomic motifs, big lamps. The overall look is clean with Scandinavian style being very popular. In the 1960’s copper and other types of metal were very popular for decorating. A few other popular decorating themes were owls, roosters, Siamese cats, and mushrooms. This was also the age of lava lamps and posters. Lava lamps were also popular in the 1970’s along with globe lamps, arc floor lamps, abstract wall art was also popular along with sculptures. 

 

Each decade had its own popular colors. In the 1940’s one popular color choice was art deco, which included lighter and more neutral shades. The mid-century modern palette was also popular with deep tones and bold colors. The style changed in the 1950’s to pastels, Scandinavian, and modern colors being very popular. In the 1960s colors were inspired by the outdoors. Colors like gold, yellow, green, and orange were very popular. Turquoise, bright green, brown, and sunshine yellow were very popular colors in the 70’s. As you can see, each decade had its own style, and focusing on the popular colors of the era you choose to decorate around will make your living room look more authentic.