Saturday, January 22, 2011

1-22-11 70s Design

I have a fascination with interior design and I think I can trace it back to the days when I would pore over my mother's Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book which bears a striking resemblance to this one:

I don't think it was exactly this edition, but someone else remembers the layouts fondly, since they've got every page scanned with scathing commentary here.

Of all the decades, the 70s is the most wretched, but for me it's a very fond wretchedness. And I am not apparently alone, since I've discovered a Flickr group devoted to it.

Just to share a few of my favorites from the era:

Where to begin? I'm not sure why the first thing that came to mind when I saw this beauty was, "Is that a Heinz ketchup bottle sitting on top of the speaker?" From the cherubs holding up the stereo to the hideous artwork on the walls, I am in awe.

Note the stripped and unvarnished wood floors. After the previous two decades' obsession with futuristic designs, the counter design of the 70s was astonishing. Harking back to the '30s depression era, it embraced all things earthy. And square. Square was very big.

Nothing quite screams comfort like a cube chair, does it?

Brick walls, dark wood cabinets, orange counters, horrible vinyl wallpaper, goldenrod oven vents, but where oh where is the avocado refrigerator to complete the ensemble?

Every time I look at this picture I want chocolate. It's some weird childhood connection to my 70s Great Books series that arrived each month in the mail in matching hardback covers of goldenrod and black. The one I read most often was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. So, see? Chocolate cravings.

Nothing says family togetherness like eating at the thin orange Formica bar. But your food can stay warming on the burners and still within reach!

Great googlymoggly.


And I really can't leave bathrooms out. I seriously need to know what that white box on the wall in the bathtub area is supposed to be.


And how did I miss out on having a shag bedset? Even the hassock is shagadelic.

This would so give me nightmares.


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