Retro Decorations

Reminders of the past make retro decorating enjoyable.

Whether you want to revive the nostalgia of childhood or select another favorite decade from your past, decorating with a retro look is both enjoyable and interesting. Start with one inspirational item, and take your cue from its colors for the color scheme of your project. Add a few more pieces to create retro flair for a theme party or to transform an ordinary room in your home for a daily blast from the past. Use retro decorating to recapture the glamour of late 1940s Hollywood, the mid-century modern look of the 1950s or the fast-changing moods of the 1960s or '70s.

Lamps and Light Fixtures

Retro lighting immediately identifies the decade and sets the tone of your decorating.

The right lamp or light fixture can immediately identify the decade and set the tone of your retro decor. Retro lamps are fairly easy to find at flea markets and shops that carry period furnishings. Look for designs portraying human or animal figures from the 1940s or '50s and sleek modern designs from the 1950s or '60s. Lamps of many designs in bright colors came from the 60s, and gold or avocado green glass and black iron prevailed in the '70s. Manufacturers also have begun to produce replicas of these types of lamps.

Textiles

Draperies and rugs provide large areas of color to carry your color scheme across a room. Look for draperies with geometric or space travel themes for the 1950s look. If you don't find a genuine 1970s shag rug, such rugs are being manufactured again in contemporary and retro colors. Don't forget about throw pillows, which changed with the times too -- from solid-color square, round and triangle shapes in the 1950s and early '60s to flowers in print or embroidery in the late 1960s and '70s.

Wall Decorations

Advertising signs for products from the period not only establish the decade but also add color and interest. Game boards mounted to the wall also have aesthetic and nostalgic appeal. Photos of cars from decades past, sheet music covers and magazine ads can be framed and featured. Just about anything from the period that is stored in the attic, garage or closet that can be brought out and hung on a wall may make a pleasing decoration.

Accents and Tabletop Accessories

Telephones that represent each decade are available for retro tabletop accessories.

Everyone associates a large red and chrome jukebox with the 1950s, but small utilitarian items also do a lot to replicate the decade from which they came. Crystal ashtrays from the 1940s or '50s, period telephones, ceramic vases and wood boxes speak of their time and add authentic details. Also include any available travel souvenirs from the time to complete your retro look.

References

• Flea Market Style; Emily Chalmers, et al.; 2005
• Bazaar Style: Decorating with Vintage and Market Finds; Selina Lake, et al.; 2008
• Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style; Neil Bingham, et al.; 2000