Pop Culture Watch: 12 Home Trends from the '80s Are Back
Hold on to your hat (over your humongous hair); interior design elements of the 1980s have shot forward to today, in updated fashion
Rev up the DeLorean and set the flux capacitor to 1983 — the decade’s trends are back in a big way, from nighttime soaps to a Top Gun 3-D Imax release; from classic Ray-Bans to brass floor lamps. On TV we have a young Carrie Bradshaw navigating Manhattan in her first pair of Manolos in The Carrie Diaries (8 p.m. Mondays on the CW Television Network) and Russian spies straight out of The Charm School assimilating as D.C. suburbanites during the height of the Cold War in The Americans (10 p.m. Wednesdays on FX).
Lately whenever Hollywood runs out of movie ideas, it gives an old ‘80s TV show a reboot, like Charlie’s Angels, Miami Vice, The A-Team and 21 Jump Street (personally, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Facts of Life movie). While some ‘80s trends — like triangle silhouettes and neon socks — might make us shudder, others — like wood-paneled station wagons and kitchen tables — deserve a second chance. Here’s a look at a dozen ‘80s trends designers have embraced and freshened up for today.
Lately whenever Hollywood runs out of movie ideas, it gives an old ‘80s TV show a reboot, like Charlie’s Angels, Miami Vice, The A-Team and 21 Jump Street (personally, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Facts of Life movie). While some ‘80s trends — like triangle silhouettes and neon socks — might make us shudder, others — like wood-paneled station wagons and kitchen tables — deserve a second chance. Here’s a look at a dozen ‘80s trends designers have embraced and freshened up for today.
Side note: This is actually a fairly recently designed wallpaper by Graham & Brown, called Drama Boheme, and it also showed up in the 1970s period show Swingtown. Yes, I know, I watch way too much TV.
2. A traditional kitchen table. Instead of sidling up to a kitchen island to eat meals, the Americans in The Americans pull up chairs to a kitchen table, eating their cereal and waffles together in their PJs, connecting and planning their days while worrying about the nuclear arms race.
1980s kitchens almost always had room included for the kitchen table, and there was a separate formal dining room. Today we’re more likely to see kitchen island tables, breakfast nooks and open plans in which the kitchen is right next to the dining area, but the kitchen table is starting to make a comeback.
10 Reasons to Bring Back the Humble Kitchen Table
1980s kitchens almost always had room included for the kitchen table, and there was a separate formal dining room. Today we’re more likely to see kitchen island tables, breakfast nooks and open plans in which the kitchen is right next to the dining area, but the kitchen table is starting to make a comeback.
10 Reasons to Bring Back the Humble Kitchen Table
3. Pattern. The flame stitch pattern on this 1980s-style sofa from The Americans has a bit of everything that's been so popular in fabrics for the past few years — it has some chevron, some bargello and a bit of an ikat look. Today we're more likely to mix the flame stitch with other patterns; for example, we wouldn't have yards and yards of matching draperies right behind it.
The Flame Stitch Fires Up Home Interiors
The Flame Stitch Fires Up Home Interiors
4. Brass. Another ‘80s trend seen in the previous picture that’s back is brass. Today’s brass looks are antiqued or burnished, however, whereas ‘80s brass was highly polished.
Browse brass accents
Browse brass accents
5. Warhol. While The Americans takes place in the stoic D.C. suburbs, the more lighthearted Carrie Diaries takes place during the height of the exuberant pop art '80s in Manhattan. High-school-age Carrie meets a fabulous friend who works at Andy Warhol's Interview magazine, and fashion and nightlife adventures ensue.
6. Brights. In this modern-day show house cabana, bold Andy Warhol lithographs are surrounded by fun colors, Palm Beach-y style and ‘80s retro elements arranged in a new way. While the colors are very bright, they stop short of the obnoxious blinding neons of the ‘80s.
Start curating your art gallery today
Start curating your art gallery today
7. Technology. As iPods get tinier, nostalgia for '80s large-component technology is back. I miss boom boxes, and I've never seen one look cooler than in this warm modern den.
8. Record albums. Likewise, these framed record albums on the wall make a cool compostion. I don't know about you, but I've never been able to throw out my albums, even though I haven't had a turntable in at least 20 years. Who could toss out Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Rio, or Big Lizard in My Backyard? Not this girl.
9. Big window treatments. Draperies in the ‘80s had all of the drama of sudsy prime-time soaps like Dallas and Dynasty. This large swoop of fabric creates an entire accent wall.
10. Southwestern style. During the '80s Southwestern style spread across the U.S. faster than Chi-Chis franchises. It was usually a common formula of navajo blanket plus skull plus gratuitous use of apricot paint equals "Southwestern."
Today Southwestern style is as popular as ever, but the kitschy theme-y-ness has been replaced by subtler interpretations of Spanish colonial desert style.
Today Southwestern style is as popular as ever, but the kitschy theme-y-ness has been replaced by subtler interpretations of Spanish colonial desert style.
11. White-hot Miami style. While pastel T-shirts worn under linen suits with pushed-up sleeves are out, but the cool white contemporary glass house style of Miami Vice has proven staying power.
Bonus: Revisit Jan Hammer's rockin' keyboard theme song.
Bonus: Revisit Jan Hammer's rockin' keyboard theme song.
12. Red, black and white. And chrome. This room is the wardrobe of Nicolas Cage's character in Valley Girl turned into interior design. I mean that as the highest compliment.
Tell us: Are there any '80s trends you'd like to see come back? How about those you pray will never return? Let us know in the Comments section!
Tell us: Are there any '80s trends you'd like to see come back? How about those you pray will never return? Let us know in the Comments section!
See small kitchen islands