35+ Retro Interior Designs That Prove Taste Was Optional In The ’70s And ’80s
- 1. 1988 Office
- 2. Better Homes & Gardens, 1972
- 3. It's... blue
- 4. It's... pink
- 5. 1980s
- 6. Love this sofa!
- 7. Architectural Digest, 1975
- 8. Why was everything green in the 70s?
- 9. Designer Zandra Rhodes, 1984
- 10. 1980s pastels
- 11. 1970s bathroom
- 12. 1970s bathroom
- 13. 1972
- 14. 1970s, wow!
- 15. The Rock Home, Moab, UT
- 16. 1974
- 17. Designed by Anthony Machado, 1983
- 18. San Diego, CA, 1979
- 19. Peak 80s
- 20. Peak 70s
- 21. Kohler & Eljer bathroom, 1986
- 22. Snow Queen bedroom designed by Bill Hamilton, 1983
- 23. Home of designer Steve Chase, 1984
- 24. Ladies bedroom designed by Patricia Hixson, 1981
- 25. 1970s kitchen
- 26. 1987
- 27. See? it's green!
- 28. 80s dining room
- 29. Hand painted cabinets, 1970s
- 30. Seventeen magazine, 1970
- 31. Better Homes & Gardens, 1973
- 32. Hmmm. I guess... 70s
- 35. Please stop
- 36. Subtle
- 37. OK perhaps green isn't that bad
- 38. Restaurant Varna, Aarhus, Denmark, 1971
Wall-to-wall carpet? Sure. Carpet on the walls? Even better. If it was shaggy, mirrored, or the color of burnt orange, it was going in the house.
The 70s and 80s were a peak era for loud patterns, bold choices, and architectural features that feel less like design and more like a dare.
This gallery is a tribute to that era—when homes had conversation pits and actual sunken living rooms, and everything somehow matched even when it didn’t.
These aren’t your average Pinterest-perfect homes. They’re chaotic, committed, and endlessly fascinating.
We’ve pulled together some of the most delightfully intense examples for your scrolling pleasure.