Take a leap in the past by giving a retro atmosphere to your interior! Between antique furniture and decorative objects found in the attic, the vintage style is more fashionable than ever. Follow our decoration shopping to the letter to give your living room an old-fashioned impression.
1. Pastel colors in a retro living room
For a decoration from the past, pastel colors are to be preferred. They come in different tones. Touches of chick yellow or sea green soften the decoration. These colors are reminiscent of retro living rooms and bring softness to them. To create a color scheme that is both authentic and harmonious, opt for powder pink and charcoal gray. The latter mix classic and modernity.
Other shades such as periwinkle , off-white , topaz yellow or beigeare also possible. All these pastel shades can be combined with each other or with others. The main thing is to create a graceful whole.
2. Revive the decor of a retro living room
For those who want a retro living room full of liveliness, it is possible to adopt bright colors , such as red , petrol blue or purple . They give a chic touch to the decoration. On noble materials, such as velvet or peach-skin type textiles, they look very elegant. To warm up the decoration, opt for mustard yellow and orange . They bring light to the room, and recall sunny days.
To achieve retro decor, you have to dare to use unusual associations, but always in harmony. However, bright, warm colors should be used in moderation. Too invasive, they risk overwhelming the decoration. The secret is to limit yourself to a set of three different colors. For a good staging, opt for glossy finishes.
3. Focus on lighting
No matter the style of the room, lighting plays an important role in the decor. In a retro living room, they are an integral part of the layout. The choice depends on the desired mood. For a chic and elegant living room, chandeliers are highly recommended. Big or small, they give an elegant character to the living room, especially associated with sofas or velvet armchairs. On the fireplace, or on a table, it is possible to place steel or wrought iron candlesticks .
To put it simply, hanging bulbs , arched lamps , or floor lamps do the trick. Although they are practical, recessed spots and LEDs are to be avoided in a retro living room. They risk spoiling the period decoration.
4. Furnish a retro living room
To furnish a retro living room without breaking the bank in the purchase of overpriced collector’s furniture, it is advisable to bet on recycling. Garage sales and flea markets are full of vintage furniture to adopt without hesitation. All you have to do is give them a wipe of the rag for them to resume their place in the living room. A few strokes of paint if necessary, and voila! Design furniture with clean lines is to be banned from the decoration.
However, for those who cannot take advantage of this recycled idea, it is still feasible to furnish the retro living room with something new, provided you customize, to give a look that suits the decoration. Be careful, you must ensure that the furniture is presentable and in good condition to avoid falling into neglected decoration.
5. Vintage wallpaper
No retro interior can do without wallpaper . For a convivial living room, this multifaceted covering is a wise choice. It exists in several colors and with different patterns. For an aesthetic result, it is advisable to cover only one section of the wall. Floral designs are welcome.
However, it is possible to choose wallpapers with geometric and graphic patterns to boost the decor.
6. A leather bench sofa
In a retro living room, there is no question of betting on a traditional sofa. We prefer a padded leather bench on small wooden feet. For the color, go for black to create a very chic vintage atmosphere.
7. A bean coffee table
The dynamic lines of this bean-shaped coffee table fit perfectly into a retro universe. Its original, space-saving shape makes it an ally for small spaces.
8. 1950s ceramics
To dress up a coffee table or a slightly sad sideboard in an original way, think of the ceramics signed Vallauris. Install several in the same tones to create a decor in total harmony.
9. A carved mirror
In the middle of a wall of frames, we dare this large wooden mirror carved with a shell and volutes. You can hang it horizontally to bring a sense of grandeur to the wall and depth to the room.
10. A wooden sideboard
For a very 50s atmosphere, bet on a small wooden sideboard. Opt for a model with two-tone sliding doors mounted on Scandinavian- style oblique legs that sets the tone for your living room.
11. Cushions with retro patterns
To decorate the living room, we use cushions with very trendy graphic prints. Black patterns on one side, yellow on the other, you can turn this cushion over to suit your mood of the day.
12. An umbrella stand
To create a difference in your decor, bet on atypical objects such as this tripod floor lamp with two shades which also acts as an umbrella stand. A piece that brings a real touch of originality to the room.
13. A lounge chair
This creation by famous designers Charles and Ray Eames is still an essential piece of vintage design today. Opt for a black model if you prefer the sober side and choose a more colorful model such as duck blue to create a very kitsch atmosphere.
14. A brass pendant light
Do not hesitate to accessorize the living room with bare bulbs which bring a real decorative touch as well suspended as posed. Their little retro touch: a switch made of brass beads strung on a cotton thread with a 50s feel.
15. A penchant for retro and past centuries
As its name suggests, vintage decor is characterized by furniture and accessories from the past. Flea markets and garage sales are the perfect places to find vintage-inspired furniture for your interior. This style breaks free from the laws of time and combines objects from the 20s with chic and sober furniture, with more pop and flashy furniture from the 80s , or even with wooden furniture from the 70s.
Do not hesitate to mix eras and trends to create a vintage interior in your image. Do you have a turntable in your cupboards? It’s time to take it out to showcase it in your living room! The same goes for old furniture such as dressing tables or retro pastel household appliances, straight out of the past, characteristic of vintage decor.
16. Dare to use color for a successful vintage decor!
If there is one style in which you can dare to combine colors in the same room, it is vintage decor. And starting with the sofa: for a living room inspired by the 70s, a velvet model with a retro design will be perfect. Mustard yellow, turquoise blue or even salmon, be original! If your room is large enough, you can combine a colored sofa with other tones for the armchairs or the carpet.
To stay in a vintage decor spirit, do not forget to choose antique furniture to arrange around the sofa, such as an aperitif service on mottled wheels or an art deco style coffee table . The ideal is to associate these multicolored colors with wooden furniture elements, so as not to overload the room. When choosing the colors, keep in mind that the opposite colors on the chromatic circle tend to combine well: duck blue and mustard yellow for example, or even orange and green .
17. Furniture in wood, leather … or formica!
Who says furniture from the 70s and 80s necessarily says formica! This essential material for interiors of the time and which reminds us of the emotions of past years. You probably know these matching chairs and tables, typical of kitchens with vintage decor. Very colorful, they bring a dynamic touch to the room, in a perfect retro spirit.
Another material found in vintage decor: leather! In the living room, the Chesterfield-style antiqued leather armchairs and sofas add character to the room. It is also quite possible to mix the materials with each other, and associate leather with velvet for example. To complete the whole, large steel and brass floor lamps of industrial inspiration illuminate the sofa area.
In the living room, entrance or bedroom, wood is king! The furniture of Scandinavian-inspired wooden can also fit well in a vintage decor. The low wooden sideboards, to store books or dishes in the living room, are the perfect example! The same goes for desks, bookcases, shelves and consoles: old antique wood furniture 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 for an even more vintage look!
18. Rugs, essential accessories for vintage decor
Do you want to furnish your interior with a vintage decor? Impossible to ignore the old rugs. Young or old, they can be found in the bedroom, at the foot of the bed, in the hallway along a corridor or even in a library, to give it a retro feel. Persian rugs, or Berber rugs, will give exoticism to your interior: they evoke travel and memories. More original: in a bathroom, the old carpet brings a bohemian and quirky touch to your vintage decor, combined with a matching raw wood vanity unit.
19. Old mirrors, patterns and frames on the walls
Vintage decor is a fairly busy style, unlike industrial decor, for example. In fact, the walls are often decorated, either with wallpaper or with frames. If you plan to hang wallpaper at home , this is the opportunity to dare the original prints! Liberty, birds, large art deco-style flowers, even downright geometric and psychedelic patterns typical of the 70s come into every room!
Another option: dress your walls with frames or large old mirrors, which are often found in vintage decor. 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 decor, you can mix different sizes and shapes of frames together. This can create a wall of frames , old illustrations or old drawings that will be personalized, eclectic and colorful … just like your interior!
20. Make the right choice of colors and materials
The materials and colors set the tone in terms of style and for a vintage decor, some choices will be obvious. Also, rattan, velvet, formica, leather, copper, brass or cement tiles , are great accustomed to interiors that have adopted a vintage decor. On the color side, pastel or mustard yellow are tones that are particularly suitable for a vintage decor. Without forgetting the famous vintage wallpaper, a real object of envy, to be disseminated here and there.
21. Find vintage pieces
Vintage objects accentuate the character of a vintage decor and can change the environment as you wish. The typewriter, vinyl turntable, vintage sign, filament bulb , bakelite switch, Chaty Vallauris mirror , botanical poster or school map of France are, among many others, so many objects to obtain to punctuate your visit. vintage decor.
22. Opt for second hand furniture
The furniture is undoubtedly the centerpiece of a vintage decor and it must be said that the choice is more than rich in the matter. The essentials of the genre are the school desk, the tubular chair, the Scandinavian sideboard or the rattan armchair. Not to mention the famous Smeg fridge with 50′ lines which reconciles us with household appliances!
23. The vintage decoration of an apartment
I now offer you an immersion in an apartment that has adopted a vintage interior decoration. You will be able to discover a most surprising melting pot, between curiosities, emblematic pieces of design and works of art.
24. A loft with an industrial vintage style decor
For you loft does not rhyme with retro? Think again ! Because the visit that will follow is likely to leave fans of industrial and vintage style stunned. This is a superb duplex furnished in a loft style located in Madrid, which will show you at first glance that this combination is more than possible. Superb volumes, exposed beams , exceptional pieces and breathtaking vintage finds, all the elements come together to make this apartment an atypical and charming place.
25. The retro decor of an elegant interior
his single storey house is located in the Camberwell residential area of Melbourne. Its design with clean lines makes it an elegant interior. A retro side also emerges from this place due to the associations of colors and materials.
