The Modern Day Obsession with 1970s Interior Design
Words by Edsard Driessen
Giving birth to cultural icons such as The Rolling Stones, The God Father and who could forget, the Mohawk. When we think of the 1970s, interior design does not often come to mind. Derided as vulgar and tacky by most modern day designers, the 1970s was to be branded as a designer’s living nightmare. With a deep experimentation of shape, size and material, the interior of the 1970s was seen to be too eclectic to ever be regarded as respectful. After years of living under the influence of Swedish minimalism as championed by Ikea, and its sleek, utility-focused design, why is it that notable staples of 1970s interior design such as the Verner Panton sofa are slowly returning back to our living rooms?
The style of the 1970s is undergoing a revival within our collective memories, once the decade which taste seemed to forget, the style staples of the 1970s are slowly creeping back into high culture. The era was a time of uncensored self-expression, and led us away from the quiet restraint of the 1950s and 60s towards a culture of excess: too much carpet, too much colour, too many shapes, too much going on. Think of conversation pits and orange wallpaper, mirror walls and phosphorescent lamps. The interior space of the 1970s showed personal expression on an unrestrained scale. For the past two decades, the aesthetic of mid-century modernism has reigned supreme, but now the battered Eames chairs and Florence Knoll sofas that seemed so revolutionary in the late 90s and early 2000s, appear lacklustre and commonplace. As with most things, we eventually get bored and the sleek minimalism of modern interior design is certainly no different. While no one disputes the helpful nature of modern interior design there is something that leaves us longing for a little bit more excitement.
Conversation Pit designed by Eero Saarinen, 1952
Perhaps the cycle of revival is at play here, with many in the modern day appearing disillusioned and unsatisfied with the offers of yet another white, sleek sofa or grey countertop. We will always be plagued with hindsight and the 1970s impressed with the decade’s sense of decadent freedom. In contrast to the modern interior space, the 70s were unafraid of risk and excess, choosing to embrace a culture of relaxation and tranquillity. The furniture was designed specifically for hanging out, capturing the essence of the hedonistic party scene which emerged as a result of the post war era – interior spaces were no longer seen for utility, but rather as artistic canvases, redesigned by architects to fill whole spaces with abstract pieces of furniture. We really should’ve seen it coming, the modern day revival of the 1970s aesthetic has predominated everywhere, not just within the interior design space. With fashion, often two steps ahead, embracing the style of the 1970s for a while, as seen through Alessandro Michele championing the androgynous styles of the bell bottom jeans in his recent Gucci collections. The elements of the 70s have slowly been trickling into our homes, one piece of furniture at a time.
1974 Bedroom featured in Terence Conran's ''The House Book''
The sectional sofa has crept back into our living room, with flat screen TVs and shaggy rugs slipped underfoot. Anna Castelli Ferrieri’s Componibili stackable plastic cylinders returned to our bathrooms, and Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s floor lamp has returned to light the corners of our rooms. The modern day consumer, I feel, has grown tired of the lack of personality in modern interior design and seeks a more personal space, where elements of design are personalised and one’s house no longer looks exactly identical to the neighbour’s. More so the cultural unrest of the past two years has also led to a revival of old school radicalism within cultural artistic expression. Especially given the recent isolation due to the CoronaVirus pandemic, the interior has become our entire reality, and I am sure that no one wants to spend 24/7 in a surgical minimalist dream. The pandemic does leave a lot to answer for, with excitement at the forefront of 1970s design, it does not surprise me that the modern day interior has looked back towards a more engaging approach. One only has to look at the interior dreamscapes of Verner Panton’s showroom to realise that the 1970s were about larger-than-life experiences; magical spaces which allowed the owner to exist within a reality which did not seem quite real, a place to remove oneself from the limitations of the outside world. After years of hotel-room beige, the reappearance of risk in interior design and elements that might shock is heartening. There is something comforting about returning to a decade which embodied the freedom of self-expression after years of experiencing restraint and measured approaches to interior space. No longer should we be forced to endure the stifling surgical precision of the minimalist interior. As said by Verner Panton, pioneer of the Vitra chair: ‘you don’t realise that you sit better on a colour that you like’.
Verner Panton's interior showroom
