Groovy Examples of 70s Home Decor You Forgot Existed

Floral Patterned Everything

Floral patterned furniture was seriously in during the 70s. The love of floral prints during this era came partly from the hippie movement, where tie-dye and psychedelic prints reigned supreme. But floral patterns were also popularized by the start of the save the earth movement. The very first Earth Day protests took place in April 1970 and led to the development of a massive eco-activism culture. Bringing floral patterns and earthy tones into the home was a way for people in the 70s to have their home decor reflect their passion for the environment.

Radio Alarm Clocks

The 70s were a time of musical experimentation and discovery for many. Jazz rose in popularity during this decade, and many people were obsessed with different rock forms, including soft, psychedelic, and glam rock. Popular musicians during this era included Elton John, Pink Floyd, and The Who, and homeowners loved using their radio alarm clocks to wake up to one of their groovy jams. These alarm clocks look very different from the ones we use today, which are often an app on our smartphones, but they hold a certain retro appeal.

Radios in the Living Room

Speaking of radios, these nifty little devices were often the star of the living room or sitting room whenever people had company over in the 70s. While many television shows were popular during this time, many people still relied on their AM/FM radios as their primary source of entertainment. These radios only provided those two settings, and you certainly couldn’t play your own playlist through them like you can today! There’s something to be said for listening to the radio the old-fashioned way and feeling happy when your favorite song plays. That nostalgia is why the 70s is such a positively remembered time.

8-Track Tapes

While we’re on the subject of music, does anyone remember these bulky 8-track tapes? These tapes often held people’s favorite songs from their favorite musicians, allowing them to listen to the songs they loved most. 8-track home players were introduced in 1966 and were wildly popular throughout the 70s. No more waiting on the radio to play your favorite song when you have these bad boys lying around! 8-tracks changed the way people listened to music in the 70s, though all our music is easily available online these days.

Conversation Pits

Sunken living rooms were hugely popular during the 70s. Conversation pits like the one featured in this image were the star of many dialogue packed scenes in the Mary Tyler Moore and the Brady Bunch tv series, which were massively popular during this era. Having a conversation pit like this allowed people to come together and focus on each other in a dedicated space. Friends and family would sit on the floral patterned couches or sit on shag rugs and discuss the goings-on in the world and their dreams for the future.

Artex Ceilings and Walls

Artex ceilings and walls were a major design feature of most homes in the 70s. Having patterns and textures gave the home a more earthy and psychedelic feel, which was a huge selling point during this time. Many people referred to the most common type of Artex ceilings as popcorn ceilings because of their uneven bumpiness. Before the late 70s, asbestos was used to create those bumps, which is why many homeowners had to redo their ceilings! Asbestos can lead to serious illnesses, which is why most Artex ceilings and walls use styrofoam to create the texture and patterns these days.

Animal Print Rugs

Not only were earthy tones and textures popular during the 70s, but animal prints also grew in popularity. Many people wore cheetah-inspired pants or zebra-stripped tops during this time, but they also used these prints in their homes. Animal print rugs were seen in most homes and were sometimes stretched out like the one in this image to vaguely resemble the shape of an animal. Of course, since everyone during this time was very earth conscious, these were all faux fur prints or rugs made of simple materials with animal patterns. No zebras were harmed in the making of this picture!

Avocado Bathrooms

Earth tones were popular in every room of the home during the 70s, including the bathroom! Avocado-colored bathrooms were a common feature in many homes, and the design didn’t age well with time. These days people prefer clean, streamlined bathrooms with shiny finishes. White, black, and blue are the most popular bathroom colors now, but back then, it was all about this shade of green! It certainly matched their desire to bring more earthy influences into the home, but it’s not an appealing color for a bathroom in our opinion. We think it’s probably a good thing this trend fell out of favor, but it’s groovy to look back on.

Bean Bag Chairs

Bean bag chairs are mostly used for children these days, but every family member enjoyed these chairs in the 70s. Bean bags chairs were often bright, vivid colors like orange and green and were super comfy! These fun chairs were filled with pillow-soft polystyrene beads, which provided plenty of comfort and a bit of support. You could move these chairs to any room of the home whenever you needed to, and they often lasted for years. There are good reasons why bean bag chairs continue to be a fun and popular choice around the home today!

Wardrobes Around the Bed

We could get on board with this trend if it made a comeback! Having a built-in wardrobe around the bed was a huge selling point for homes in the 70s and created a space where the bed was the focal point of the bedroom. With this set-up, all your clothes and most needed belongings were right within arms reach, making getting ready in the mornings that much easier! This style is practical, convenient, and super fun. It definitely reflects well on the 70s’ unique focus on practicality and fun.

Corduroy Upholstery and Furniture

Corduroy furniture was a staple in living rooms all around the country in the 70s. You’ll feel a huge rush of nostalgia if you grew up in the 70s when you look at this image or if you remember visiting your grandmother’s house and seeing this couch! They’re casual-cool, super comfortable, and relatively easy to keep clean. Most corduroy furniture and upholstery either came in muted earth tones or extravagant psychedelic colors like orange and yellow. Either way, it was a massively popular choice that’s faded over the decades. Most couches are made of faux leather or polyester today.

Clashing Colors and Patterns

The style of the 70s could be described as earthy, psychedelic, and clashing. People loved mixing crazy patterns with mix-matched colors, and the result is definitely attention-grabbing! Your eye wouldn’t know where to look when you walk into a 70s kitchen with an orange and white linoleum floor, rattan chairs with patterned cushions, and textured walls. The 70s were a time for self-expression, and people certainly expressed themselves through their unique home decor choices.

Crocheted Blankets

Crocheted blankets were all the rage during this era. You’d often see these blankets lying over the back of a couch or spread over someone’s lap while they sat and grooved to the radio. While crocheting was typically used for smaller items like hats and scarves, this craft took off during the 70s. Women could find any piece of clothing crocheted during the 70s, and these blankets became a staple in every home. If you ask anyone who remembers the 70s about these blankets, you’ll see a flash of nostalgia so powerful that you’ll want to run out and get one yourself!

Age of Disco

Disco reached peak popularity in the 70s, and many adults enjoyed nights out at the discotheque. This style of uptempo dance music suited the atmosphere of excitement and expression that filled the 70s and allowed people to boogie all night on the dance floor. Lovers of disco often brought disco balls into their homes for parties with friends and family. The little specks of light thrown off by disco balls create a psychedelic feel to any dance party, which was the theme of most parties in the 70s. While disco isn’t super popular anymore, it’s still a common theme for parties, and we don’t see this trend disappearing anytime soon.

Exposed Brick Walls

The beauty of exposed brick walls in homes falls in and out of favor every decade or so, and it was incredibly popular in the 70s. Many people find the raw authenticity of exposed brick to be appealing, and it was a huge selling point for homes in this era. The exposed brick trend actually started as a call back to starving artists who squatted in abandoned warehouses and homes. Artistic expression was huge in the 70s, so it makes sense why this trend was so well-loved.

Floating Stairs

Floating staircases were all the rage in the 70s and featured prominently on many of the hit tv series of that time, including Brady Bunch! Floating staircases had a futuristic appeal to them and created a focal point of the point in homes that connected both levels. It gave homes a more modern look and allowed light to penetrate through the home better. Floating staircases are still a popular trend today, and it’s interesting to remember how long this trend has been in practice!

Big Box TVs

Televisions today are very different than they were in the 70s! Back in the day, these big box televisions set on a little stand in the corner of the living room were very modern and hip. They were an excellent place for the family to gather around, eat a tv dinner, and catch up on what the Brady Bunch was up to. Today, we have massive flat screens mounted to our walls that connect to the internet and various streaming apps! Back in the 70s, you’d need to turn a dial on the television just to change the channels! It’s amazing to see how far technology has come.

Fondue Pots

You couldn’t host a proper house party in the 70s without one of these. Fondue pots keep cheese or chocolate all gooey and warm so you can dip your favorite foods into it. These pots featured in every home in the 70s and created a delightful serve-yourself atmosphere that allowed party-goers to indulge in their favorite foods while mingling with other guests. These pots were often the focal point of house parties and are still popular today.

Fringe Everything

Fringe elements featured on a variety of housewares in the 70s. Purses and clothing often featured tons of fringe, but it was equally common to see fringe elements on lamps, curtains, and blankets. The fringe came from the hippie era of the 60s and remained popular throughout the 70s. Eventually, people’s love of fringe shifted slightly to a love of fringe rock clothing in the 80s that featured darker colors and mostly appeared on denim jackets.

Lava Lamps

Who doesn’t remember lava lamps? These groovy lights represented all things counter-culture and psychedelic, which is why they were so popular during the 70s. These lamps were the perfect accent light in any room and provided people with an excellent light to zone out and watch when things were quiet. Lava lamps slumped in popularity during the late 70s, but experienced a resurgence of popularity during the 90s after the Austin Powers movies were released. You can still find these lights for sale, although they aren’t nearly as popular as they once were.

Every Kitchen Had Linoleum Floors

Every kitchen in the 70s looked exactly like this image! Well, not exactly, but there are several things in this image that scream the 70s. The wood paneling on the cabinets and walls, the wallpaper trim, and, of course, the patterned linoleum, make this kitchen a stylistic emblem of the 70s. Linoleum kitchen floors were a huge trend in the 70s because of their durability. Cleaning up everyday spills is easy with linoleum floors, and it’s easy to find this flooring in a variety of groovy colors and patterns, making this the perfect choice for 70s-era kitchens.

Macrame Everything

Along with fringe elements on everything in the home, there was also a ton of macrame! Macrame refers to using knots to create a shape or form, and it’s a type of crafting that became very popular in the 70s, just like crocheting. Macrame elements gave homes a funky, fun appeal and blended in well with this era’s earthy and psychedelic atmosphere. While this craft isn’t nearly as popular today as it was back then, it’s still a great choice for home decor. We feel this gorgeous trend deserves a comeback.

Mustard Yellow Kitchens

Along with avocado bathrooms and earth-toned living rooms, mustard yellow kitchens were a staple in the 70s. Some people just had a handful of appliances in this color, like their phone and refrigerator, while others went all out and painted the majority of their kitchens in a vivid mustard yellow. The flooring would often be a deeper, more earthy tone to offset the yellow, just like shown in this picture. The 70s was a fascinating time for combining colors and patterns that we would dare do today.

Pod Chairs

Pod chairs, also known as globe or egg chairs, gained a ton of popularity during the 70s. These cute seats were originally enjoyed for their futuristic appeal and made appearances on several futuristic movies and television shows. However, this also became a spot for teenagers to indulge in classic adolescent experimentation, as shown in the hit movie Dazed and Confused. Regardless, pod chairs had several years of fame. The trend fizzled out pretty quickly, and we haven’t looked back on it since!

Rattan Furniture

Rattan furniture made a huge comeback during the 70s and could be found in most people’s homes or on their patios. Many people love rattan furniture because it’s durable, lightweight, and fits in easily with any decor. During the 70s, rattan furniture became associated with the bohemian lifestyle, which is partially why it became so popular! Rattan furniture is an excellent style choice for any era, in our humble opinion!

Big Coffee Makers

Coffee makers looked very different in the 70s than they look today. These machines were large, loud, and took a while to brew you a perfect cup of joe. Today, we have a wide range of home coffee makers that can brew single cups, full pots, or espressos whenever we want! Back in the 70s, you had to rely on this coffee maker and wait until the entire pot was brewed before enjoying your first cup of the day. How did they manage to wait so long for their caffeine?

Shag Carpets

When most people reminisce about the 70s, they’ll think about these shag carpets! Often in vibrant shades of red, yellow, orange, or purple, these carpets covered the floors of bedrooms and living rooms throughout the country. Shag carpets became associated with the free-love hippie era of the 60s, and their popularity bled into the 70s as people continued to enjoy expressing themselves in abundance. Shag carpets have gone out of style due to their endless shedding and the difficulty required to keep them clean, but it’s good to look back on them!

Stereo Systems and Record Players

Stereo systems, record players, and 8-tracks, oh my! Listening to music in the 70s was a whole different process than listening to music today. While we enjoy endless options for radio stations and Bluetooth devices that will play our playlists in our cars or in our homes, there were much fewer options in the 70s. Using these devices to listen to the hottest tunes of the decade was simply the way to be in the 70s.

Stone Fireplaces

Stone fireplaces were all the rage in the 70s, and it’s easy to see why. The aesthetic of these fireplaces fits in seamlessly with the desire to bring more earthy elements into the home many people experienced during the 70s. Most fireplaces like this created an excellent space to gather around with friends and have deep conversations while an AM/FM radio played in the background. They still hold an appeal today, and stone fireplaces are still a popular choice for homeowners.

Super 8’s

Before the days of GoPros, phone cameras, and even disposal cameras, people used Super 8’s to record the most significant moments of their lives. Families took these on vacation, used them at weddings, and gifted them to newlyweds, so they could record their new lives together. Super 8’s used a specific type of film that’s no longer being manufactured, so these retro cameras are considered a vintage collection item these days.

Terrazzo Everything

People loved bringing elements of certain styles into the home. You’d see it with fringe blankets and macrame plant holders, and you’d see it with terrazzo backsplash in the kitchen! Terrazzo is a composite made of chips of granite, marble, quartz, and other stones. It looks gorgeous, earthy, and just funky enough to suit the vibe of the 70s. This was a popular choice for kitchens, living rooms, and even bathrooms during the 70s, and many people still use terrazzo throughout their homes today.

Textured Wallpaper

We discussed the love homeowners had for textured ceilings and walls during the 70s, but achieving that style could be costly. Textured wallpaper was an affordable alternative that would still provide homeowners with the style and pattern they craved while providing them with a less permanent solution. You could find textured wallpaper in many colors and patterns back in the day, though this style has largely gone out of style since the late 1980s.

TV Trays and Dinners

The 70s were a busy time. Men and women worked full-time while trying to raise their families, and sometimes dinner was served on a tray in front of the television. The use of tv trays skyrocketed during the 70s, as did the serving of TV dinners! These pre-packaged nutritious meals saved families precious time after a hard day at work and school and allowed families to spend more time together while still enjoying a delicious meal.

Typewriters

Does anyone remember typewriters? Typing on these machines was so much harder than typing on our laptops. You had to use precision to type on these because accuracy was non-negotiable. If you made a mistake, you’d have to take out the entire page and start over unless you had one of those fancy typewriters with a white-out button. We definitely prefer our modern-day laptops with the backspace bar and a variety of other convenient options.

Velvet Furniture

We’ve discussed many furniture trends from the 70s, like corduroy and floral patterns, but velvet furniture was also a popular choice during this period. Velvet furniture was loved for its smooth, soft feel and clean appearance. It’s also an inexpensive material, which makes it an excellent choice for most homeowners. This is another trend from the 70s that continues to go in and out of style every decade or so. The love for velvet furniture will never truly die!

Wall Phones

Long before the days of cell phones, people had to use landlines for everything. This image shows a classic snapshot of a 70s living room. There’s an avocado-colored carpet, a floral patterned couch, and a mustard yellow wall phone! These phones were the only way for you to call and catch up with friends. Teenagers of this era will remember the struggle of stretching the cord far enough for you to sit in another room and have some privacy. This is a trend that’s definitely never coming back!

Crazy Patterned Wallpapers

Along with textured wallpaper and crazy patterns on carpets and furniture, we couldn’t complete this list without mentioning the wild wallpaper patterns of the 70s. During this decade, the style of choice was vibrant, psychedelic, and fun! Geometric shapes filled wallpaper along with different colors and images. The wallpaper would often clash with the other decor in the room, but this only added to the groovy feelings of self-expression and suited the bohemian aesthetic that dominated this time period.

Waterbeds

Waterbeds were invented in 1968, but they didn’t really hit the mainstream until the early to mid-70s. People loved water beds for their ability to naturally support the body through hydraulics and because they were fun! There’s nothing more exciting than sliding onto your water bed at the end of the night and feeling the water slosh around underneath you until it settles! Water beds were massively popular for children and teens, and whoever had one was the most popular of their friend group, especially during sleepovers! Waterbeds fell out of fashion in the late 1980s, partly because many people experienced seasickness after sleeping on them! They were also pretty expensive and not the easiest to care for.

Wood Panelling

We touched on this earlier, but the love for wood paneling homeowners had during the 70s deserves its own section! Wood paneling was the ultimate way to bring an earthy aesthetic into your home and often gave your room a reprieve from the clashing colors and patterns covering every other surface in the home. Like many other trends from the 70s, wood paneling has never truly gone out of style. Rather, it’s transformed over the years, so people use different types of wood and rely more on particular finishes to keep the wood looking authentic for many years despite normal wear and tear.

We hope you enjoyed our list of 40 groovy examples of 70s home decor you forgot existed. The 70s was a beautiful time filled with self-expression influenced by counter-culture and hippie culture. Vibrant patterns, colors, and textures filled homes, along with plenty of earthy elements like animal print rugs and floral patterned couches. Which of these trends was your favorite?