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97 Design Photos From The 1970s And 1980s That Show Just How Special Those Decades Were (New Pics)
While some people are only focused on looking forward, it’s nice to look back every now and then too. And if you’re in need of ideas on how to spruce up your home, you might just want to look to the 1970s and 1980s for inspiration.
We visited the ’70s Design and ’80s Design subreddits and gathered some of their best posts below. From fabulous interior design to gorgeous retro gadgets, these pics will give you a serious blast from the past. Enjoy scrolling through this nostalgic list, and be sure to upvote the photos that make you want to pull out your old record player and blast some Queen!
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#1
Epic New Score
RELATED:
#2
Uncovered Today!
Glen Ellyn 3 months ago
Back when floors had some character! This might not be to your taste, but I get tired of seeing that boring gray "wood-grain" flooring in so many homes. Yes, I pop onto real estate sites from time to time.
#3
The ‘Sky Room’ In Architect Preston T. Phillips’ Bridgehampton Home, 1988 🌿✨”
#4
Bernstein House, Malibu, CA, USA | Harry Gesner | 1975
#5
Stephen's Green Shopping Center, Dublin Ireland. Opened In 1988 And It Hasn't Changed Since (Current Photo). It's Still Very Much Alive, Which Is Nice To See 🎄
Jay Scales 3 months ago
Off-topic, but the lower fifth of the photo, the bit with the people, looks like it was painted by LS Lowry!
#6
Conversation Put
#7
Thought You Guys Might Appreciate My Kitchen And Tiles
#8
Finished The Mural On The Entry Wall
#9
My 1970’s Sears Hanging Mixer
#10
From 📚 'The Indoor Garden: The Houseplant Lovers Guide' ©1977 By Cynthia Wickham
#11
Stonehill Residence, Poway, CA, USA | Robert Thiele | 1979
#12
1985 Ferrari Mondial That I Saved And Brought Back To Life
#13
A Fotomat Kiosk In Massachusetts In 1987
Happy Onion 3 months ago
One of these buildings is still standing in a parking lot near my friend's place. It's been converted into a storage shed.
#14
Robert G. Becker Lake House, Sammamish, Wa, USA, 1974
#15
Everyone Had One 😊
#16
Early-Mid 1970s Proctor Silex Percolator In Harvest Gold
#17
The Morgan House In Atlantic Beach, Florida 🏖️ 1973
Melody Kannas 3 months ago
Not for me, but lightning storm would be great seen through those windows!
#18
Laguna Beach By Hisao Kawada
Glen Ellyn 3 months ago
I owned a Ford Maverick back in the day and I loved it. Mine was white and a couple of years newer than this yellow one. A close friend of mine owned a yellow one. My senior year of high school, she and I took a road trip in hers from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota) to Seattle, Washington state and back. We had a lot of fun.
#19
Patio Furniture From The Sears Catalog, 1974
Melody Kannas 3 months ago
I remember loving this stuff as a kid in the 70s. Flower power layover from the 60s.
#20
Architectural Digest • March, 1984
#21
Mcdonalds Moon Man Mac Tonight Poster Artwork
#22
The Instrument Panel In My 1985 Chrysler Laser
Ty Thornburg 3 months ago
My '87 Lebaron Premium and my grandad's '89 New Yorker had similar offerings back in the late '80s. They talked, too. Nothing like a ding, ding... "Your door is ajar"! Lol!
#23
Wicker Furniture From The Sears Fall-Winter Catalog, 1974
#24
The Twin Towers Trident Arch Design
#25
The Scheininger Clinic In Jacksonville, Florida ||| 1982
#26
Vintage IKEA Catalog (I Especially Love The Lamps, Anybody Know What They're Called?)
#27
The Lobby Of The Now Abandoned Nevele Grande Hotel In Ellenville NY, C 1978
#28
The 80s Memphis-Style Zooble Couch
#29
Did Your Neighborhood Have Any Houses With A Sunken Family Area Or Den?
Multa Nocte (she/her/86 47) 3 months ago
No, but we had that wall where the fireplace is but without the TV.
#30
From 📚 'The Practical Encyclopedia Of Good Decorating & Home Improvement' ©1970
#31
California Mansion From The 80s
#32
A Sea Of Glass Blocks
#33
My 80s Living Room
#34
From 📚 'The Complete Guide To Designing Your Home' ©1976 By Corinne Benicka
#36
Having Family Time In The 1970s
shg stewart 3 months ago
Not shown: The absolute fog of cigarette smoke turning the air blue and carcinogenic.
#37
Mushroom House, Perinton, NY, USA | James H. Johnson | 1972
#38
Hoog Catharijne Shopping Center, Utrecht, Netherlands In 1981
Laszlo Larthlanc 3 months ago
Carved graffiti on one of the seat backs and cigarette butts on the floor? Not what I think of when I imagine the Netherlands.
#40
‘70s Bathroom Splendor
#41
That’s A Lot Of ‘70s In 1 Pic!
shg stewart 3 months ago
My parents had a couch rather like that, except the wood parts were painted white, and the upholstery was red corduroy. It went with the red s**g carpet in the living room. It was also very comfortable.
#42
Scored This Couch For A Few Hundred Bucks Today. Couldn’t Be Happier
Verity Stewart 3 months ago
I like it. I have a 1950s apartment so that would fit. What matters is you love it.
#43
Where To Buy 70s/Preferably Sculpted Shag Carpet....?
Glen Ellyn 3 months ago
"What color carpet would you like, Ma'am?" "How about grass green?" "I've got just what you're looking for!"
#44
“Barrels For Fun And Entertaining”- Jc Penney, 1970s
#45
From 📚 'Beyond The Bath: A Dreamer's Guide' ©1983 By Thomas Cowan
#46
Moorestown Mall, Moorestown, New Jersey (1986)
Ty Thornburg 3 months ago
Back when malls were the go-to shopping destination. It saddens me that so many have closed or have limited store offerings. Shopping at the Huntington Mall in WV was a right of passage for my generation in the 80s.
#47
70s Koehler Toilet
#48
From 📚 'House & Garden's Complete Guide To Interior Decoration' ©1970
#49
From 📚 'Better Homes & Gardens: Storage' ©1984
#50
1980’s Interior Design
#51
‘70s Kitchen Design Awesomeness
#52
Architectural Digest • December, 1978
Laszlo Larthlanc 3 months ago
Interesting, but I think I might wind up seeing myself naked way too often, and I'd wind up doing things like sucking in my gut even when I was the only person around. Also, if I still had my dog the bottom of those mirrors would be covered in her nose-prints.
#53
The Home Of Designer William L. Chidester In Los Angeles, California ⛲1971
#54
From 📚 'Decoration Tradition Et Renouveau' ©1973 By Claude Regnat
#55
Back To The Future (1985) Has One Of The Most Perfectly Mid-80s Living Rooms Ever Put On Screen
2WheelTravlr 3 months ago
Those low backed overstuffed chairs and sofas were so uncomfortable. The top hits you below the shoulder blades and doesn't offer any support for your upper body.
#56
My Living Room Inspired By 1980s Interior Design Photography
Spittnimage 3 months ago
Don't like the chair - would be hard to get out of, probably make your tailbone sore.
#57
From 📚 'Metropolitan Home: Renovation Style' ©1986
#58
My Mom's Kitchen
Glen Ellyn 3 months ago (edited)
Similar to what my mom did to our kitchen except the green would have been on the upper walls, and below a chair rail would have been a darker blue. What completes the picture is a turquoise wall oven, a coppertone stovetop, and a white refrigerator. But hey, in those days, in my family, you hung on to appliances that still worked.
#59
The Only Thing Missing Is The Wine Bottle With A Candle And Wax Dripped All Over It…
#61
Mccarran International Airport Central Terminal - Las Vegas, 1986
#62
The Palladium Nightclub In Manhattan, NYC In 1985, The Year It Opened. Designed By Arata Isozaki. Mural Artwork By Keith Haring
#63
Orange Formica Gives Me Joy!
#64
Architectural Digest • June, 1978
#65
From 📚 'Lifespace: Designs For Today's Living' ©1977 By Spiros Zaka & Margaret Miner
Gingersnap In Iowa 3 months ago
As an 8 year old girl in 1977 I would have loved a room like this.
#66
A Florida Living Room From 📚 'The Use Of Color In Interiors' ©1978 By Albert O. Halse
#67
Thought I Would Share A Few Updated Pictures Of My Sunroom ✨
#68
Bedroom Interior Design From The Media Design Book, 1984
#69
Our Basement
#70
Two More Rolls Of This Vinyl In The Basement In Case The Floors And Wall Aren’t Enough
#71
From 📚 'Living For Today' ©1972 By Karen Fisher
#72
My Vintage 80s Home
Ty Thornburg 3 months ago
🎶🎵🎶... Thank you for bein' a friend. Traveled down that road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and... 🎶🎵
#73
Got A Caboodle And An 80’s Bedspread For My Birthday! 🩵
#74
"Why Is The Floor Wet, Todd?"
#75
From 📚 'Better Homes & Gardens: Storage' ©1984
Melody Kannas 3 months ago
I'd have loved this back then. Right down to the gold tone mirror frames.
#76
Futuristic Interior Design Of A California Office, 1983. Image By Russell Abraham Architectural Photographers
#77
IKEA • 1986
#78
Architectural Digest • 1979
#79
Interior Photograph Of The Bank Of America Data Center, 1455 Market Street, San Francisco, California, 1979 August
#80
Christmas, South Bay Galleria, Redondo Beach, CA [1988]
#81
I've Never Seen A Kitchen With A Staircase Before
Happy Onion 3 months ago
Always a good idea to carry your dishes down tile stairs immediately after you've cooked them. What could possibly go wrong?
#82
Jack Maguire, (1987)
FlamingZombies 3 months ago
That doesn't look like the metal version of Lion Force Voltron. I'm not sure what version of Voltron that is.
#83
The Normandy Plaza Hotel
#84
A 1986 Kitchen
#85
Avacado Goes With Everything!
#86
American Home Magazine (1976)
#87
Mauve And Glass Blocks = Winning Combo
#88
I’m Back! Some Pics Of My Bedroom!
#89
More Than 500 Ways To Make A House Or Apartment A Home By Thomas Cowan, (1986)
#90
What’s This Design Called
#91
Kitty!!!!😺 From 📚 'Your Bedrooms' ©1984 By Better Homes & Gardens Books
#92
Found This In Roadside Trash
#93
From 📚 'Houses Architects Live In' ©1977 By Barbara Plumb
#94
Page From The IKEA Catalogue 1989 Swedish Edition
Spittnimage 3 months ago
Take out that entertainment stuff on the left, none of that is made anymore, it's all on your phone.
#95
From 📚 'House & Garden's Complete Guide To Interior Decoration' ©1970
#96
“How To Solve Your Interior Design Problems” By Jill Blake, (1986)
#97
From 📚 'Art Plastic: Designed For Living' ©1984 By Andrea Denoto
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T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
The only people who think '70s decor was cool are people who weren't alive in the '70s. It was the most hideous era! My parents had curtains with green block patterns on them and brown couches and it hurt to look at them. The kitchen floor was covered with yellow novilon. The only thing I liked about '80s decor was the coloured bathroom fixtures. I still dream of having a pink toilet, basin and bath.
Auntriarch 3 months ago
Ahem... I was there (not quite 3000 years ago) and I still love the 70s. 80s on the other hand did and do nothing for me.
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T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
The only people who think '70s decor was cool are people who weren't alive in the '70s. It was the most hideous era! My parents had curtains with green block patterns on them and brown couches and it hurt to look at them. The kitchen floor was covered with yellow novilon. The only thing I liked about '80s decor was the coloured bathroom fixtures. I still dream of having a pink toilet, basin and bath.
Auntriarch 3 months ago
Ahem... I was there (not quite 3000 years ago) and I still love the 70s. 80s on the other hand did and do nothing for me.
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