The Return of the '80s

[tarheels]

Class, please open your April House Beautiful to page 78 and follow along.

Lol, have yall noticed?  Are you seeing it elsewhere?

First, 2-3 years ago, grasscloth first started trickling back.  I remember shrieking in horror bc it still reminded me of dated doctors' offices.  Then all those painted trellis blogger accent walls turned into full-blown wallpaper acceptance of every pattern and color.  Then brass and pinch-pleat drapes.

And now, oh my, HB, oh my.  TEAL AND PEACH FLORAL CHINTZ.  Pleated lampshades.  UPHOLSTERED BUN FEET!  Meandering quilted drapes!  Ethnic-print sofas with contrast piping (was: Aztec; now: ikat).

In one article, the decorator specifically says she was inspired by "Sister Parish 30 years ago."  So yeah, 1983.  Is 30 years a magic time frame for designers?  That doesn't feel long enough for me.  In the real world, these details didn't disappear until the mid-to-late '90s; it hasn't been long enough IMO for these things to feel fresh and new instead of dated-dated-dated. You're still finding this stuff in its original incarnation at thrift shops.

WDYT?

I'm not saying I dislike all of it. I like the detail of the pinch pleated drapes, and I love the dull brass, but some details will forever be linked to the '80s for me.

[IIOY]

Teal and peach? Dear lord.

When we were looking for a house, we encountered one that was straight out of the 80s. We called it the Miami Vice house. It was actually pretty high on our list but not because of the decor. Lots of stark whites, turquoise, and pink.

If you want a hilarious reminder of the excesses of 80s decor, watch the movie Ruthless People.

[finally]

House decor is turning back to the 80's, just as clothing is as well.  I was in a dept store last week and couldn't help but notice that so much was flourescent and many of the accessories reminded me of the 80's too.

Having spent my entire teenage years in the 80's, I am not welcoming any of it back.  If you ask me, it was the worst era for style ever (followed closely by the 70's) and although my teenage years were great, I do not wish any of the styles back at all!

[munkii]

I went on a house tour last summer that featured a house with pickled cabinets, peach counters, white walls, gold fixtures, and teal accents. There was also glass block in a corner. I felt like I stepped onto a set of the Golden Girls.

That this would become popular again makes me shiver.

[auntie]

Mar 17, 2013 10:52:17 GMT -5 tarheels said:

In one article, the decorator specifically says she was inspired by "Sister Parish 30 years ago."  So yeah, 1983.  Is 30 years a magic time frame for designers?  That doesn't feel long enough for me.  In the real world, these details didn't disappear until the mid-to-late '90s; it hasn't been long enough IMO for these things to feel fresh and new instead of dated-dated-dated. You're still finding this stuff in its original incarnation at thrift shops.

WDYT?

Yes. 30 Years is a magical number. It is the accepted length of a generation. It is also the length of the cycle typically seen in womens fashion. 

I think part of this is the length of time it takes for something to seem new and fresh again to both older and younger consumers. A lot of design is a reaction to what went before- classic rusticity of craftsman after the frou-frou Victorian era, mid-century modern reasserting itself in the wake of the more opulent and traditional styles of the 80's and 90's.

[heygrey]

I'm so loving teal/mint and peach/coral right now. Clothes, decor, all of it. But being born in '86, I didn't experience it the first time around. im not a huge fan of pleats or wallpaper, but that's because it reminds me of the south and generally I reject southern decor. (Who hates me now?!)

Ironically, since teal and peach were mentioned, I found this ah-mazing vintage china tea set at work - mint, grey, and peachy coral dots, starbursts, and gold trim. Produced between 1949-1954. It is so in right now its ridiculous.

And I wonder if in the 80s they said, "1950? Isn't it too soon to relive that?" ;-)

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[emoflamingo]

I don't want to fathom that 1983 was 30 years ago.

Just.. I'm not ready for that.

[tarheels]

Mar 17, 2013 15:52:23 GMT -5 heygrey said:

I'm so loving teal/mint and peach/coral right now. Clothes, decor, all of it. But being born in '86, I didn't experience it the first time around. im not a huge fan of pleats or wallpaper, but that's because it reminds me of the south and generally I reject southern decor. (Who hates me now?!)

Ironically, since teal and peach were mentioned, I found this ah-mazing vintage china tea set at work - mint, grey, and peachy coral dots, starbursts, and gold trim. Produced between 1949-1954. It is so in right now its ridiculous.

And I wonder if in the 80s they said, "1950? Isn't it too soon to relive that?" ;-)

I'm giving you this face lol:



How are those two things connected for you?  What's "southern decor" to you?  (PIPs are good.) 

And that teapot is really fun vintage.

[heygrey]

Oh, I totally deserve the face as I doubt there is much logic to my thoughts. In my head I picture my grandparents' houses. They had one in PA that had lots of creams and other soft colours, clean lines in furniture, no bold prints, very muted.. Their house in southern South Carolina was very floral/printed and colorful and fluffy with an abundance of wallpaper. Their friends' houses there were very similar.

So really, I reject my grandmothers version of southern decor, lol.

[heygrey]

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This is what I picture when I think "southern decor" -patterned, fluffy bedding, fluffy couch, just a lot happening in one space.

but after flipping through southern living to find these photos, I see a lot more rooms that aren't bad at all. Some almost exactly as I described my grandparents northern house, lol. I'm not saying its inherently awful, its just not my style at all. 

[TBM]

Does that mean that my massive VHS collection will be cool and collectable?


I uncovered a massive collection today while packing. I didn't have time to go through them, so I am afraid that many are moving with us. In our defense, we have a lot of ballet performance tapes that need to be transferred so that we can get them to our daughter in Japan, in a format that works for her there. She is teaching ballet, and wanted some of her old stuff for reference.

The rest are still around because I had a tv with a built in vcr in the studio. It worked, and there was no cable in that room, so we just kept the videos so that I could watch/listen to movies while I worked up there. I got rid of a ton today, but I didn't want to take the time to look through every single one. If I happened to see what it was and knew that we we wouldn't want whatever we had taped, I tossed it, but for the most part I just cleared the shelves and filled the boxes. I'll get rid of the rest of them in Florida. ;p

[tarheels]

The first photo's a bit dated, but you could no doubt find many rooms like it. The second photo's pretty accurate - we do like color and pattern and texture here I think life's boring without it

[heygrey]

You would positively die of boredom in my house :-) I really like white. And grey. My pops of colour are mostly red and navy blue and a rich medium wood tone, if wood can be a considered a colour. The most pattern I have is a chevron rug under my kitchen table and that took a while for me to commit.

[auntie]

Mar 17, 2013 17:18:26 GMT -5 TBM said:

Does that mean that my massive VHS collection will be cool and collectable?

Highly collectible. LOL, my 32 year old niece bought a console hifi and a box full of vinyl last summer. She's sold some of the LPs and offset her investment.

[auntie]

Mar 17, 2013 16:54:47 GMT -5 heygrey said:

This is what I picture when I think "southern decor" -patterned, fluffy bedding, fluffy couch, just a lot happening in one space.

but after flipping through southern living to find these photos, I see a lot more rooms that aren't bad at all. Some almost exactly as I described my grandparents northern house, lol. I'm not saying its inherently awful, its just not my style at all. 

These look very Like Laura Ashley's work in the 1980's. 

[aimeedyan]

My bedroom, circa 1987, was like Laura Ashley had thrown up everywhere. But I luuuurved it.

I noticed that color denim was back and that was popular back when I was in middle school/late elementary. Not quite 30 years ago but maybe we were behind the times

I love the teal and coral stuff but can't go towards the peach.

[IIOY]

Mar 17, 2013 15:58:46 GMT -5 emoflamingo said:

I don't want to fathom that 1983 was 30 years ago.

Just.. I'm not ready for that.

An empathetic thumbs up, my friend.

[mrspez07]

Sweet! My 1987 rental property will be in high demand without renovation! It has peach countertops in kitchen and bath, peach tile in the shower and the fabulous cream laminate cabinets with oak trim.

[jhawks482]

Mar 17, 2013 15:58:46 GMT -5 emoflamingo said:

I don't want to fathom that 1983 was 30 years ago.

Just.. I'm not ready for that.

This is where I'm at! But, that's because I was born in 83, lol.

[kellikans]

Guess this means I don't need to renovate our teal and coral bathroom!

[statlerwaldorf]

Does this mean that my dad's teal and peach floral couch doesn't need replaced?

[teeah22]

I just painted a bathroom teal, am I trendy or 80s?  Or trendy because it's 80s?

[simpsongal]

I think there's a big difference between the reboot and the set of Miami Vice.

[teeah22]

Thanks @crackhabit!  I'm still working on some other stuff for the walls.  I was afraid it was going to be too dark but it doesn't feel dark at all in there.

[HeyGrrrl]

Blanche loved it, why don't you?    *Set of the Golden Girls*

[prazenjc]

i had a similar thought when i was paging through my ballard design catalog and saw blonde/whitewashed or pickled white-like furniture finishes. the strange grey finish that RH brought on the scene seems to have transitioned into that throw-back finish.