Retrocon 2024

How to Create an Interior Design With '80s Style

The décor of the '80s does not bother with discretion or simplicity. It is full of humor, eccentricity and color - a trend that allows you to bring to life all your decorating desires! Let’s take a look at what exactly makes an interior design resemble the look of those ol’ times!

Flashy colors but full of sweetness

The '80s are often synonymous with cheerfulness and celebration. In order to get that look, you only have to pay attention to the lively colors of the decade and be convinced! The '80s imply a veritable explosion of blue, red, yellow or anything that is colorful. Primary colors are featured in all furniture and decorative items. This way, embellished with a few pastel shades, you can get a real décor of the colorful '80s.

Expensive and durable materials

Furniture from the '80s is still popular nowadays and can be found in various outlet catalogs, such as Nyfurnitureoutlets. At the time, designers tried new styles such as mixing materials like leather and wood or glass and metal. Expensive and durable, these materials have led to the success of this type of vintage furniture.

For an '80s design in the living room, bet on noble materials, such as:
  • Black marble
  • Leather
  • Solid wood
  • Bronze or copper items and shades

An '80s kitchen is easily recognized by its wooden furniture. To keep up with the fashion of the decade, add colorful mosaic plaques to the walls or acquire cherry high chairs. In this way, your kitchen will take you back to the decade where eccentricity was the order of the day! And for some vintage inspiration, discover the 3 Iconic Homes from 1980s Film and Television.

Iconic geometric shapes

The fashion of the '80s décor focuses, above all, on repetitive geometric shapes. Thanks to this unique trend, the Memphis group made a name throughout the world at the time with its totemic and original style. Let yourself be tempted to decorate your interior with simple but quirky geometric patterns. You can easily place them on a rug, table or small cushions.


Dare to be extravagant

In the décor of the '80s, we can let our fears go! Don't hesitate to be eccentric and completely offbeat. We are talking about pink carpets, big stereo speakers and glass brick walls - you have immense decorative possibilities, each as original as the next. The key is not to stay in a moody and boring style. This era is synonymous with daring, at the risk of not appealing to everyone!

Very "Eighties" accessories

The extravagant décor of the '80s goes hand-in-hand with pop culture and its huge posters of iconic stars or crazy cartoons. You can therefore multiply the references to this universe. And to complete it all, bet on accessories such as the "ghetto blaster", vinyl records, mirror balls or any other disco effect. In this way, you will really get a unique atmosphere and give yourself a genuine journey through time.

Retro lighting

The style of '80s décor is full of glitter and light. So take a look at your lighting and make it right! And remember those famous geometric shapes. Choose attentively from the large number of different hanging lamps that will suit apartments for rent in Chicago. Dare for chandeliers or lamps made of a mixture of materials, for example - steel+copper, iron+glass.

Italian quirky postmodernism

As we’ve mentioned before, it is, the Memphis Group led by Ettore Sottsass which took off in the '80s to freely and uninhibitedly create original objects and furniture like the famous Carlton shelf, released in 1981. The colors were fluorescent, with angular lines, new and unstructured shapes.

This is the period of glory for Studio Alchimia which, although born in the 1970s, did not survive the 1980s. Too much anchored in its time, with a too marked style and visual delusions not timeless enough? Maybe... Either way, it's a design full of humor and flair, irreverent and postmodern as hell.

Furniture in wood, leather and more!

Who says furniture from the '80s is only made of wood and metal? Formica laminate is another essential material for the 80's period interiors, which reminds one of the emotions of years gone by.

You probably know these matching chairs and tables, typical of kitchens with vintage décor. Very colorful, they bring a dynamic touch to the room, in a perfect retro spirit.

Another material found in vintage décor: leather! In the living room, some antique Chesterfield-style leather armchairs and sofas would add the needed character to the room. It is also quite possible to mix materials, and to associate leather with velvet, for example. To complete it all, large industrial-inspired steel and brass floor lamps could illuminate the sofa area.


In the living room, hallway or bedroom, wood is the king! Scandinavian-inspired wooden furniture can also go well with a vintage décor. The low wooden sideboards used for storing books or dishes in the living room are the perfect example!

The same goes for desks, bookcases, shelves and consoles: old antique wood furniture items are often the pieces that make the difference in a vintage-style interior. All you have to do is accessorize them with a pretty lamp, plants, place frames or travel souvenirs on them for an even more vintage look!

Rugs, essential accessories for vintage décor

Do you want to furnish your interior with '80s items? Then it would be impossible to ignore old rugs. They can be found in the bedroom, at the foot of the bed, in the hallway or even in an office, to give it a retro feel. Rugs can add exoticism to your interior: they evoke travel and memories. More original: in a bathroom, an old rug brings a bohemian and quirky touch to your vintage décor, combined with a matching raw wood unit.

Old mirrors, patterns and frames on the walls

“Eighties” décor is a fairly mixed up style, unlike industrial décor, for example. In fact, the walls are often decorated, either with wallpaper or with frames. If you are thinking of using wallpaper in your home, this is your opportunity to dare the original prints! Liberty, birds, large art deco-style flowers, even downright geometric and psychedelic patterns typical of the 80s can be found in every room!

Another option: dress your walls with frames or large old mirrors, which are often found in vintage décor. Mirrors bring depth to the room: perfect for enlarging a small bedroom or living room!

To polish up your vintage living room or kitchen wall décor, you can also mix different sizes and shapes of frames together. This can generate a wall of frames, old illustrations or old designs that will be personalized, eclectic and colorful, just like your interior!

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