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Trends are ever-changing. The stylish retro look is back in home interiors. Once again funky patterns, vibrant colour palettes, brassy fit-outs, and objects from the past are finding their way inside modern homes. Every top interior designer in Mumbai or across the globe is taking a trip down nostalgia lane, looking for inspiration from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Social media pages are filled with popular aesthetics calling it ‘retro revival’. So, what is this retro revival in home interiors, and why is it gaining popularity in home interiors?

Meaning of Retro Design in Interior Design

Retro design is a style that is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the historical past, typically for 20–30 years before the current one. The original ‘Retro’ style began around the 1970s. It was a time when designers looked at bright, bold, and lively styles to reflect the global “pivot of change”. In interior design this “nostalgia cycle” is often called “vintage-inspired”.
Retro interior design style is a reimagined aesthetic close to the Mid-century modern décor style. It is characterized by timeless silhouettes and created by mixed styles, artifacts from the past, bold patterns, and materials giving the home a warm yet surreal feel. Designers are using this style by mixing past and present to create eclectic interiors and bespoke designs that tell a story.

Now that you know what is modern retro interior design, it is time to redecorate your home to reflect you – fun and fabulous!

How to create a retro look in your home

Gone are the days of clutter-free, clean lines and minimalism. To integrate an enchanting retro look into your modern home, here is our handy guide to retro interior design style to help you refurbish tastefully without creating clashing spaces.

1. Colours:

While the 70s had hues of avocado green, orange, pink, and mustard yellow, the ’80s became well-known for neon. In the 90s, whites, blacks, and neutrals began to trend. Basically, the retro style spans diverse muted hues from neutrals and earth tones such as creams and browns, to peach, blue, sage green, and teal.

To give your home a touch of modern retro design, use bold colours in various scales. Combine avocado green with mustard yellow, orange with brown, and blue with purple. Paint the walls bright or add colour details to tiles, furniture, furnishings, and accessories. Remember, with retro colours in interior design, you can go simply wild!

2. Lines and Shapes:

Modern retro house designs demonstrate the power of simple shapes. For a glam chic look they mix fluent lines with circles and elliptical shapes. To fill your room, blend different shapes of functional furniture, chests or any vintage piece. Do not scare away from using tables and cupboards with heavy intricate colonial designs. These designs speak for themselves without having to accentuate it with anything else. Opting for strategically placed antique furniture and patterned wall papers for your modern home can lend a retro look. It is time to welcome the return of maximalism!

3. Lighting:

Vintage style lighting draws inspiration from designs and materials that were popular in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Lampshades reminiscent of the Victorian era, period chandeliers, industrial wall lights, metal shades in pastel-colored finishes, glass shades in tinted, milky or prismatic options, and vintage-style bulbs – all deliver vintage-style lighting. Retro-style lighting uses lights that light up a wide area effortlessly. Vintage and retro lighting adds a certain nostalgic charm and character to the home interiors. Add retro-style wooden pendant lights for the right warmth to the kitchen or living room.

4. Layered Textures:

Layering transforms any space from plain to posh. Layering is done with paint/ wallpaper on walls, carpets/boards on floors, cushions/throws on sofas, floral tablecloths/cane mats on the dining table, and much more. It can also include lighting, furniture, photo frames, and décor items. Ensure the fabrics and finish are taken into account individually for each space. Remain focused and add one layer at a time to get a perfect retro look. The 70’s and 80’s are reminiscent of fabrics like velvet and boucle, both of which curate a sense of casual comfort. Hence, play with layering and textures to create a warm and cozy room décor.

5. Antique accents:

Be it real heirloom antique furniture or modern manufactured vintage-looking furniture, they are both conversation starters. Not only do they add personality to a room, but also, tell a beautiful story. It is best to place such vintage/ vintage-inspired pieces of furniture in a place that catches the eye. Be it handmade, be it carved wood, wicker, or leather, antique accents are making a resurgence in modern interiors. Antiques are the best way to create a modern retro design aesthetic in contemporary design. Just as eclectic curios displayed on a mantelpiece in the home add to the retro theme, mismatched furniture gives it that right funky feel!

The interior design industry is replicating retro interior design trends in contemporary homes. The best interior designers are creating visually appealing interiors by mixing the smart-home theme with the retro-theme! From boho and disco to ‘eclectic hippie’, home-style has come full circle. Even if you are not an old-timer, Instagram-worthy retro home designs are here to bring back the nostalgia. Get your modern retro home inspiration ideas to create a beautiful home with a mix of eclectic old styles and new forms.

After all, a house is more than just a space for living – it becomes a home filled with memories of your past!