Of all places to be as a child growing up in the 70s, curled up on the fireside rug watching Blue Peter with my guinea-pig has to be my favourite. Once I’d got in from a tough day at school, this was my sanctuary, my secure, warm place where I could bask and snooze in front of the gas fire until I was called for tea.
Being the fashion for décor of the 70s, I remember it was a long pile, shaggy rug with a distinct geometric pattern in varying hues of orange, yellow and brown. It always had a distinctive ‘new carpet’ smell, despite the family dog sharing its comforts with me. A replacement rug was required every three or four years simply because the dog and I had worn down a patch of pile in the middle!
The modern colour palette of today’s decor is much more muted and neutral – although large patterned wallpaper, a throwback to the 70s, is making a comeback. Home décor of the 70s era included dramatic and bright shades of oranges, yellows, browns, avocado and lime green. Who doesn’t remember the popularity of the avocado bathroom suite with towels and bathmat to match?
Some designer rugs from the 70s were very stylish and individual; they were almost works of art which wouldn’t have looked out of place as a wall hanging! The 1970s were the Space Age and rug designs often reflected this, using geometric and atomic patterns. Gaudy psychedelic, abstract and pop art designs were also very popular, making the rug the main focal point of any room.
Furniture In The 1970s
With such an imposing splash of colour on the floor, the surrounding furnishings of the 70s were often, by contrast, very streamlined, simplistic and minimal. Materials such as leather, glass and chrome were very popular in the furniture design of the era.
Popular too was teak furniture, which started appearing in household during the 60s – G-Plan being one of the makes I remember from my childhood. Pine and cane furniture became more popular towards the end of the decade.
The three piece suite was a must for any living room, the designs were usually chunky and square shaped, very padded and comfortable – usually covered in either leather or boucle fabric, often with bold stripes in the autumnal colours of the day.
For those of us who grew up during the 1970s, the memories of our childhood home will always be jogged by the mere mention of an avocado bathroom!
Sheen Styles looks back through her childhood memories to home decor of the 1970s, writing here for The Rug Retailer