Mid-century design for contemporary living
The clean lines of furniture designed during the middle of the last century has made a comeback in recent years and can be used in contemporary style homes to great effect. Use teak solid wood furniture such as sideboards in your dining rooms, leather chairs in your study and minimalist style sofas in plain fabric in your living rooms.
Modern Retro Style
Modern retro is all about bringing a touch of the past into your home but adding contemporary twists as well. For example, you could use a neutral colour on your walls and floors but add a 'pop' of retro styling by using a retro fabric for cushions. This will add colour and personality to your room. You could visit local second hand/antique shops for accessories from the period, they are still quite reasonably priced and easy to find. Look for glass ornaments, kitchen paraphernalia and genuine items of furniture from the period.
Pretty pastels and kitsch accessories
Although the 60’s and 70’s were all about bright colours, the 50’s also featured ice cream pastels such as strawberry pink, pistachio green and lemon yellow so if bright colours are not your thing go for a 50’s look and introduce some pretty pastel coloured crockery into your kitchen. This was also the era for kitsch accessories which have also made a comeback recently so look out for pink flamingos!
How can I bring retro style into my home
The best way to bring a touch of retro-chic into your home is to introduce some items from the period but not try and create an exact copy of the décor of the period, for example you could use retro style tiles in your bathroom, by teaming these with a white bathroom suite rather than an avocado one you will be bang on trend!
Patterns, Designs and Colours
Geometric patterns are a main feature of retro fabric and still look great in a modern home, try using in a study or child's bedroom as a curtain fabric or for a smart roman blind.
Bright colours such as lime green, turquoise, orange and purple were used widely in the 70's and used to paint complete rooms. I wouldn't suggest this look for today but you could paint a feature wall in one of these bright colours, perhaps in a kitchen or playroom. There are also retro style wallpapers around which would look stylish used for a feature wall.
