Horrible home decor of the 1970s - Page 1

Site Notices

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Horrible home decor of the 1970s (Page 1 of 11)

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:29:15 AM EDT

I was going through some old family pictures and it just dawned on me how horrible some of the 70s decor was. My family may or not have had one or two of these.

Feel free to add some. This thread best served with Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd

Conquistador wall sculptures/armor/swords. No clue why these were popular. My family was not Spanish, and had no disdain for Mesoamericans yet some of these were known to grace the homestead.

Macramé owls. They were truly authentic 70's if they had the wooden beads for eyes. I don't know if macramé owls spawned macramé curtains or vice-versa.

Giant wooden utensils in the kitchen or dining room.

Mustard colored appliances. To go with your giant utensils.

Fruit magnets. Snooger optional.

Formica dining room table with aluminum trim.

Molded plastic cup chairs. To sit in your mustard kitchen under your giant utensils at your formica table.

The standing colored fireplace.

The sphere or egg chair. To enjoy your fireplace or a joint, or both.

The giant terrarium on a pedestal. Preferably with a cactus and small porcelain animals. Ugh.

The rain lamp. Weird oily substance sliding down filaments around a statue or bird. Bonus points for adding colored lighting.

Melted plastic popcorn window decorations.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:31:15 AM EDT

[#1]

My grandma still has the owl. She has all kinds of owl art though including taxidermy. its her thing?

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:33:59 AM EDT

[#2]

This is my contribution. My family has this 5' framed picture of Tricky Dick. Thats my 1st LT buddy passed out underneath it.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:34:42 AM EDT

[#3]

The conquistador stuff is pretty cool.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:35:02 AM EDT

[#4]

You forgot the green and orange lamps made out of dribbled plastic. (We called them "snot lamps")

Don't forget the shag carpeting you had to rake. Mustard kitchens were so passe, ours was avacado.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:35:19 AM EDT

[#5]

I remember all of those. Though I think the avacado appliances were worse.

How about the woman with the big crocheted dress that you put over the spare toilet paper roll?

(I must admit, I'd like one of those old egg chairs.)

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:35:48 AM EDT

[#6]

My parents have (or had) this furniture in our basement. Four chairs and a whiskey barrel table.

Come to think of it, maybe I'll call and see if they still have it, and if they want it anymore.

ETA: They GAVE it away.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:37:06 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
This is my contribution. My family has this 5' framed picture of Tricky Dick. Thats my 1st LT buddy passed out underneath it.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l262/wesmerc/G-lachandPresidentNixon-1.jpg

You've made a sacrifice to richard nixon!

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:37:21 AM EDT

[#8]

Shag carpet. One of my chores was to use the plastic leaf rake to rake the carpet.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:37:33 AM EDT

[#9]

I recognize the owl, but I think that was at my neighbor's house. We did have the giant wooden spoon and fork though.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:38:04 AM EDT

[#10]

We had the owl and the Spanish stuff.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:38:13 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
This is my contribution. My family has this 5' framed picture of Tricky Dick. Thats my 1st LT buddy passed out underneath it.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l262/wesmerc/G-lachandPresidentNixon-1.jpg

I'll buy it from you

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:38:51 AM EDT

[#12]

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:39:41 AM EDT

[#13]

SIL in Santa Barbara still has the lime-green shag carpet in her house from early 1970s. Pristine condition too...and allegedly back in style.

She also has avocado-colored kitchen...even the painted cabinets. It's actually kind of cool in a time-warp sort of way.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:40:01 AM EDT

[#14]

Genitals had sideburns

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:41:05 AM EDT

[#15]

Anyone have the Big Glass Grapes?

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:41:14 AM EDT

[#16]

You forgot the wall to wall wood paneling.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:41:28 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Anyone have the Big Glass Grapes?

http://www.chicbydesign.com/Vintage%20Glass%20Grapes.jpg

Yeah, we had those.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:41:41 AM EDT

[#18]

Grandma was guilty of the Macrame owl and the giant utensils.

ETA: I still think they were both awesome.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:42:43 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This is my contribution. My family has this 5' framed picture of Tricky Dick. Thats my 1st LT buddy passed out underneath it.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l262/wesmerc/G-lachandPresidentNixon-1.jpg

I'll buy it from you

100 million dollars!

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:42:46 AM EDT

[#20]

Rain lamp is always at the top of my 70s decor list, but you already covered that.

So my entry = Bean Bag Chairs

(Though they really never went out of style.)

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:43:44 AM EDT

[#21]

Macrame... the horror

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:43:59 AM EDT

[#22]

What about carpeted covers all over the toilet seat, tanklid, etc? Was that dumb idea spawned in the 70's? Nothing like stepping on piss-laden carpet.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:44:18 AM EDT

[#23]

My in laws even had the clear plastic "couch protectors" too when I started dating my wife as well as
all the other stuff in this thread.

They even had the 1/2 wall by the front door and bead curtains going into the den.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:45:17 AM EDT

[#24]

Someone in my family owned every one of those except the egg chair.

Some day people will have this conversation about granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:45:31 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:

Shag carpet. One of my chores was to use the plastic leaf rake to rake the carpet.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:46:15 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
You forgot the wall to wall wood paneling.

And the multicolored faux brick by the fireplace.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:46:19 AM EDT

[#27]

Never could stand the mustard yellow carpet.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:46:43 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Anyone have the Big Glass Grapes?

My grandma did, and I have some at home that the dead lady left at my house. They're hanging from the corner of the carport for some reason.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:47:06 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z234/mditt8671/FKUIFPV6DW4Q.jpg

My parents have (or had) this furniture in our basement. Four chairs and a whiskey barrel table.

Come to think of it, maybe I'll call and see if they still have it, and if they want it anymore.

ETA: They GAVE it away.

Nice, my uncle had one like that IIRC.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:48:26 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
SIL in Santa Barbara still has the lime-green shag carpet in her house from early 1970s. Pristine condition too...and allegedly back in style.

She also has avocado-colored kitchen...even the painted cabinets. It's actually kind of cool in a time-warp sort of way.

Dammit you beat me to it....

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:50:08 AM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
Never could stand the mustard yellow carpet.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2561/5759019779_60f69bf0c9_b.jpg

is it just me?? or does the 2nd from the right on top look like she has a handful of Bewbie???

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:50:24 AM EDT

[#32]

Ahh, googie interior decor.

Nothing screams 70s to me as much as rough shale masonry and white grout with thin black window frames. Yeccch.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:51:39 AM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:

Mustard colored appliances. To go with your giant utensils.

Ugh, don't forget the avocado colored kitchen cabinets. I am having my kitchen gutted because the previous owners were enamored with the 1970s retro look.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:52:33 AM EDT

[#34]

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:52:44 AM EDT

[#35]

Amber Lamps.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:53:18 AM EDT

[#36]

Avocado was a very popular color for everything; appliances, furniture, cars, kitchen and bathroom sinks and tubs. If it came in color, avocado was one of them.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:53:56 AM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/5365032094_2a2a8f5700.jpg

I remember bathrooms that looked like that

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:54:27 AM EDT

[#38]

I kinda want the egg chair.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:54:59 AM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:
Never could stand the mustard yellow carpet.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2561/5759019779_60f69bf0c9_b.jpg

wtf?! Where are the arfcom sized women?! I see no muffintops and spare tires!

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:55:24 AM EDT

[#40]

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:56:21 AM EDT

[#41]

In the late 1990s I worked at an underground facility that had VIP quarters set up in case it was needed to shelter certain VIPs.

The quarters had been decorated during the time Jimmy Carter was President and never updated. It had soaps and shampoos from the era, carpet, furniture, lights, and wall colorings were all from the 70s.

It was like stepping into an episode of the Brady Bunch.

Posted: 12/7/2011 9:56:47 AM EDT

[#42]

Actually, the "in" color was pea soup green. Or avacado or whatever they called it back then.

Yes, there were some tacky furnishings. Americans have always been mocking the decorations and building styles of past years.

Some day we'll be mocking stainless steel appliances, work islands in the kitchen, etc.