Home décor is a very personal thing. So much so that some homeowners just cannot deal with modern design preferences. They want old. In some cases, they want retro. For one twenty-something woman living in the UK, a retro 60s-70s look was the cat’s meow. She didn’t just add a few accents here and there, she went all the way to completely transform her apartment.
Croydon’s Emily Brinkley has been obsessed with the 1960s and 70s since she was a teenager. Her love of that era was inspired by her favorite band: the Beatles. So when she bought her very first flat in early 2021, she knew what she wanted. She set about turning it into a virtual museum of 1960s and 70s home décor.
A Ton of Color
If you know anything about the 60s and 70s, you know that big and bold colors were the thing. Interior and fashion designers alike obsessed over bright lemon yellow, lime green, strawberry red, and sky-blue. The brighter, the better. Brinkley had no trouble with that. She ran with it in every possible way.
Before and after pictures of her flat are amazing. What was a very neutral space is now as bright as any 1960s apartment in Southern California. Brinkley has even gone to great lengths to ensure her furniture and decorations fit with the theme. About the only things in the flat that do not look like they are from that era are the kitchen appliances.
The kitchen sports a bright yellow floral wallpaper. In the living room is a throw rug with bright yellow, pink, and earth tones. On the wall is a piece of full-length gold/yellow psychedelic art. Furniture pieces are in yellow and rose.
Go All-In with an Era
If you ever choose to go retro, you might just as well do what Brinkley did. Pick your favorite era and dive in. The more complete you can make the picture, the more your home will come alive with the look and vibe you are trying to achieve.
Turning your home into the 1960s-70s flower power pad is just one option. You could also go with the 1950s postwar era. If that is not your thing, keep going back. The Art Deco movement of the 1930s and 40s has a lot to offer. Even the industrial 1920s look has its fans.
According to Jami Ray Vintage, a Utah company that specializes in modern farmhouse décor and interior design, the turn-of-the-century farmhouse look is big with millennials right now. Going all in with modern farmhouse means a return to neutral colors like whites and grays. It also means wood – lots and lots of wood in every room of the house.
The wonderful thing about a modern farmhouses is that you get to mix things. Vintage furniture and decorations are mixed with modern appliances, windows, etc. You can make your home look like it started out as a farmhouse that you updated.
Make It What You Want
Home décor magazines and TV shows featuring frantic buyers looking for that perfect home do not offer much variety. Everything looks the same. That’s okay if you are buying or selling. But if you are actually planning to live in your home long-term, make it what you want.
If you are going to go retro, you might as well go all the way. Pick an era and make everything from your wall treatments to your furniture match. Otherwise, what’s the fun in dabbling? Going all in is better than a few pieces here and a few more there.
