The relevance of retro style in interior design is undeniable. He, like no other, is able to maintain a special atmosphere of comfort in the house and provide general comfort. A retro-style living room will give new life to antiques and antique pieces of furniture, however, if there are none in your everyday life, they can be completely replaced with the so-called “remake” - modern things stylized as antiques. This branch of retro was dubbed vintage and is also often used in living room decor.
living room interior in retro style
Being engaged in the creation of a vintage interior, the main thing is not to mix the stylistic nuances characteristic of different time periods of the past. For example, a sofa upholstered in leather with a high back characteristic of the 30s will look ridiculous surrounded by plastic furniture from the 70s era, etc.
Come from the past
With the passage of time, household items used by our grandmothers acquire a touch of antiquity and become truly vintage. It is this fact that gives such things a chance to return to the decor of the room again. And in this case, the older the look of the thing, the more stylish it looks in the interior.
In search of vintage items, you need to go to flea markets. With an above-average financial opportunity, it makes sense to visit antique shops. In the end, you can just climb into the attic of your grandmother's house. There may also be a lot of interesting things. Some of them may have to slightly correct the appearance, but the result will be worth the effort.
orange retro living room
You can go the other way and buy furniture for the living room, decorated in a retro style, typical of the setting, but made by modern craftsmen.. It can be especially good if made to order. In this case, experts will work out its exterior down to the smallest detail. Believe me, even the most meticulous historians will not be able to make claims to the retro look of your living room. If you don’t value antiquity so much and don’t have the goal of turning your living room into a museum, you may well be satisfied with things that have only a slight hint of retro.
Accessories are important in reproducing the atmosphere of the past in the living room. Finding them is not easy. You will have to spend quite a lot of time, but the result of such titanic labors will please with the uniqueness of the situation.
open shelves in the living room in retro style
And what is needed in order to get a living room in a retro style, say, 20s? First of all, upholstered furniture with beautiful armrests made of natural wood, standing on high legs. Armchairs, as well as sofas, need to be covered with capes or decorated with lace napkins. The tabletop of a round table should also be hidden under a tablecloth or napkin. It was customary to do this to protect furniture from scratches and dirt.
Typical for the houses of those times were whatnots and simple open shelves, on which porcelain figurines or photographs usually flaunted.
back to index ↑We create a retro interior
“As for furnishing the living room in a retro style, then in its atmosphere there must certainly be a couple of armchairs and an all-consuming soft sofa with its dimensions”
Wallpaper will be the best “clothing” for the walls of a retro-style living room. Ideally, these are fabric versions. They are preferred for naturalness and practicality. It is preferable to choose the background of the walls from the beige spectrum, sometimes you can even play with the overflow of shades of the palette.
retro living room design with fireplace
The floors in such a room should be made of laminate, imitating the pattern of light wood species. It is good to decorate the floor surface with a round-shaped carpet in brown tones, which depicts the gray streets of the old town.
The ceiling of the living room in retro style can be decorated in several ways. The most common two are:
- Drywall.
- Stretch fabric.
Even an image can be applied to the latter, for example, in the same gray tones as the pattern on the carpet discussed above. The final touch to the ceiling finish will be snow-white ceiling plinths.
stretch ceiling with photo printing in the living room in retro style
Modern technologies make it possible to print drawings on linen, which in the interior of the living room can be used in the upholstery of a sofa or made of wall cloths, in accordance with the general interior design. Wall strips are best done in the form of narrow, half a meter wide verticals. The general background of the canvas should be brownish. You need to put gray elements on it, in a theme with the rest of the decor. Even though the drawings will have a variety of themes, the color match will create a harmonious overall atmosphere.
As for furnishing the living room in a retro style, then in its atmosphere there must certainly be a pair of armchairs and an all-consuming, soft sofa. The design of their upholstery should repeat the main line of the decor. In a modern setting, it is difficult to do without household appliances, but they need to be skillfully “masked” in order to fit into a retro interior. A good move would be to place the TV on the wall. Under it, you can have a chest of drawers of light wood on the same characteristic high legs. On the sides of it are placed low cabinets with a single drawer. In the center of the living room should appear in the coffee table, standing on the carpet. Moreover, the proportionality of the forms must be observed here, that is, a table with a round top is placed on the same round carpet, and with a rectangular lid - on a rectangular one.
soft armchairs in retro style
We must not forget about retro decor accessories. In the living room may appear:
- Flowers in glossy pots.
- Round wall clock.
- Photos in simple wooden frames. They are arranged in rows on one of the walls.
Complement the picture with curtains of a pleasant beige tone, which stand out against the background of the walls with a saturation of colors. It is desirable that they do not have a pattern. There are enough pictures in the retro room.
symmetrical arrangement of furniture in the living room in retro style
Living room in retro style: an excursion into the interiors of the second half of the last century
60-70s
The living rooms of the sixties were not cluttered with furniture. There was only a sideboard, armchairs and a sofa in them. Bedspreads for upholstered furniture were often plaid blankets or carpets in general. On a shelf behind the cupboard door were plain, gleaming white utensils. It was not nonsense to install a sewing machine in the living room. Of the accessories, one could sometimes find vases of outlandish Czech crystal. On the walls of works of art there were only paintings executed in the technique of chasing.
The trellis was considered a particularly valuable item in the living room. He talked about a certain prosperity of the owners. In a modern interpretation of the living room in the retro style of those times, this accessory will also be useful.
70s retro living room
The lighting of the room was provided by a floor lamp with a fabric lampshade.
In the seventies, the situation in the living rooms began to undergo significant changes, since such an achievement of the furniture industry as the “wall” appeared in everyday life.
80s
The variegated interiors of the eighties are remembered by many. They were really oversaturated with colors and a variety of shapes. The motto of those times: an abundance of furniture and carpets, so reproducing all this today would be really extreme. All of the above "splendor" was completed by a gigantic chandelier, generously decorated with decorations, which sometimes interfered with walking around the small-sized Khrushchev living room.
70s retro living room
Conclusion
A retro-style living room should not look tasteless, so before you start decorating it and stuffing it with furniture, make a preliminary sketch of what you want, and in several different interpretations, and then you can decide exactly what it should be. Your living room will remain a cozy living space, rather than being transformed into an antique shop.
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