Yes, 1970s design style has returned and I think we can all agree that the 70s are popular again not just on the home front but elsewhere too – clothing, Netflix shows, movies and a general nostalgia for the era. As a child of the 70s I feel qualified to take on this subject because I’ve lived it (check out that tracksuit and skivvy with sandals, below – not to mention the short shorts on my dad and uncle!) and now I’m seeing it return. FFS, when did I get this old?! Anyway….
My Grandad helping my brother Cam with this brand new tricycle, me on my first 2 wheeler with my Dad helping and my cool 70s uncle in the back watching on!
The Volatility of the 1970s
On the home front, Australia was a pretty volatile place in the 70s with politics with the dismissal of a Prime Minister, mass protests from everyday people protesting the Vietnam war and support of Aboriginal rights. Punk emerged in the UK in the early 70s with teenagers and young adults protesting Thatcher and the lack of employment options and recession in the UK.
Interestingly, a lot of us are still protesting war and trying our best to support our indigenous people here in Australia and there seems like a similar feeling worldwide with a lot of uncertainty on political fronts and the UK on the tipping point of another recession with high unemployment as well. But I’m here to talk design and all things that are hot in the home so without further ado let’s move into the fun stuff!
So What Was 1970s Design About?
In short, 1970s design was about orange and brown and excess. A lot of excess (think the discotheques of the day). Waay too much orange and far too much brown. It was an ugly time in many ways and I can say this because I grew up with an orange and brown kitchen. Mission Brown actually. Hmmm. It wasn’t pretty.
There were also shag carpets and rugs. They’ve made a return with lots featuring the patterns and shapes we saw in the 70s. Reproduction furniture also began to make another comeback in the 70s and there was a distinct ‘space age’ vibe there too with lots of Lucite and plastic décor & furniture being developed. That’s hot in vintage circles again. Hollywood Regency style became a thing – lots of smoky glass, brass and gold and excessive, excess if that makes sense!
IKEA is Hot Again, this Time it’s Vintage!
And so is vintage IKEA. So damn hot. And expensive to buy this time around – the irony is not lost on me as this was all my parents could afford at the time so I grew up surrounded by it and now I have to save to buy any of the vintage stuff!
by Johan Bertil Häggström. 1970s
A$3,800
There was also a fair bit of velour and velvet in both solid colour and patterns. Chrome. Macramé. Wall hangings & woolen embroidery art. Travertine. Rattan. Florals. Wood paneling and a lot of earth tones in all of these things.
A resurgence of 70s style hasn’t hit the mainstream just yet, but mark my words, it’s on the way. I’m seeing a lot of 70s Hollywood Regency style pieces being snapped up; anything chrome is hot; travertine is very popular both on the built in home front and in furniture and we are seeing lots of rattan and wood paneling (although this time around not so much in dark brown or orangey pine) have been back for a while now.
What Materials were Popular in the 70s?
The 1970s was big on teak, chrome and rattan with corduroy and velvet featuring heavily too. Modular furniture was really popular as were curved shapes with curved couches placed in semi circles around a central coffee table being the norm. Space saving was also a premium in the furniture world with drop leaf and fold away furniture making a huge resurgence for some reason too.
A$480
You can still find many 70s pieces of teak furniture – lots of buffets, bars, chairs, tables and chairs in really great condition. Something to note is that most wooden pieces were heavily lacquered in case of nuclear war and wanting ensuring you had a table to eat off after the dust had settled, so to speak – great in theory, crap in practice as you needed to protect the lacquer from heat and water so actually using lacquered tables required coasters, place mats and other protection!
Chrome and tubular steel pieces are harder to come by in good condition but you’ll find rubbing any rust spots with a little aluminium foil can bring them back to life again. Rattan from the 1970s is difficult to find in A+ condition, but you’ll find a number of willing artisans who will take immense pleasure in restoring chairs and dining settings that feature rattan because the furniture frames are usually teak or chrome and still in wonderful condition after all this time.
What type 70s Furniture & Décor is on the way Back?
What 1970s furniture is in style again? Well, most styles seem to be making a return with a modern sensibility to them and you’ll see more modern colourways which bring them into the 21st Century rather than feeling stuck in history.
Look for Original 70s pieces
Finding original 1970s pieces are always your first port of call if you want to make a real statement. If you’re a vintage and retro fan I’ve collected a number of great suppliers that I regularly trawl where you’ll find great quality pieces that you can take home and use again. If you love to hunt your retro furniture alone try:
Some wonderful warehouses and stores I recommend are:
- Luke’s Furniture in Heidelberg, Melbourne
- Danish Red has lots of retro Scandi furniture
- The Bitch is Back is a Melbourne institution
- Fossil Vintage has options in Melbourne & Byron Bay and specialises in European vintage industrial
- Retro Rehab, and
- Grandfather’s Axe
New designers looking back at the 70s
If you’re weird about ‘used’ couches and chairs you may prefer new 70s style furniture – there’s no replica furniture ever promoted here (long story, short moral: Google the Authentic Design Alliance for more info!) that is emerging from well known furniture houses and some indie designers.
Designers like Sara Ellison have a very 70s feel to their furniture; Sage x Clare is pretty much a current look at 70s style; Lounge Lovers feature a lot of late midcentury shapes and styles; The Family Love Tree is one of my very favourite places to shop for 1970s-feeling styles; Castorina feature both vintage and contemporary artists.
Great Places to buy 70s and contemporary 70s style
Modern Times is unusual in that they feature contemporary Australian art and design with vintage European design furniture; RJ Living has up-to-the-minute styles that are well made; House of Orange is always brilliant; Fatshack Vintage is the place to buy vintage and vintage style lighting; Waverley Antique Bazaar is enormous – seriously – you can easily spend hours looking around; and The Vintage Shed is a little way down the coast but, again, take a morning and have some tea and scones there too.
I hope you’ve found some inspiration and new places to search for some amazing 70s furniture and decor. My obsession with 1970s design style is beginning to take over as my main inspiration in much of my recent work and I’m working with restraint to ensure they stay timeless rather than too 2023 looking!
If you’re starting to see what the appeal with the 70s is, get in touch and we can chat about how to bring some 70s style into a room or two or even something more permanent with rounded edges on kitchen benches and the like! Just click through to the contact page and ping, your wish is my command.
Bec x
