1970s Voted Worst Decade for Home Decor

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 1970s are not looked back on too fondly when it comes to interior design.

In a recent poll by Nationwide Credit Cards, 43% of respondents chose the Seventies as the era of home decor they’d least like to repeat. Let’s be honest, there was plenty to dislike – orange and brown colour schemes, shag carpets, lava lamps, woodchip walls, and of course those ghastly avocado bathroom suites. Looking back it’s hard to comprehend their popularity.

 

 

Runner-up with 16% of the vote was the 1980s. This was the decade brought with it frilly, floral patterns, and textured artex ceilings – so prevalent that home-owners are still having to live with them to this day.

The least hated decade? The 1990s, with only 3% of the 2000 polled choosing it as their worst. DIY shows like Changing Rooms inspired the nation to have a go at interior design. Rag-rolling and stencilling were frequently the techniques of choice for the expert designers, and easily mimicked by the viewers at home. These TV programmes showed us that updating your interiors needn’t be difficult or expensive; although we do remember some complete disasters when the final makeovers were revealed.

The 1990s were also a time for minimalism to hit the mainstream – a refreshing change from the the busy patterns and garish colours of the previous two decades.

 

 

Who knows how we will view our current decade in years to come? Will the shabby chic fashion of the early 2010s be scoffed at? And will the more recent metallic trend still have it’s admirers? The dramatic difference between the styles of each era shows the importance of keeping up with home decor trends and avoiding your home looking stuck in a time-warp.

 

Worst home decor decades:

1970s – Avocado bathrooms, lava lamps, orange upholstery – 43%

1980s – Pink florals, artex ceilings – 16%

1960s – Vivid patterns, space age furniture – 12%

1950s – Pastel colours, new kitchen appliances – 6%

2000s – Clean lines, upcycling – 6%

1990s – Farmhouse kitchens, minimalism – 3%

(none of the above, 14%)