70s Decor Ideas: A Retro Style Guide
70s decor is warm, earthy and a little playful: mustard, burnt orange and chocolate brown, curved furniture, rattan, velvet and plenty of plants. To make it work in a modern home, keep the walls calm and let one bold retro print and a few textiles carry the colour.
Below: the key features of 70s style, the art that suits it, how to make it look current, and ideas for each room.
Prints for this look
The colour palette
What 70s style is
The 1970s took the clean shapes of mid century design and made them softer, warmer and more relaxed, with influences from craft, travel and the disco era. The key features:
- An earthy palette. Mustard, burnt orange, chocolate brown, olive and cream.
- Curves everywhere. Low curved sofas, round mirrors, arches and globe lamps.
- Natural textures. Rattan, cane, cork, jute and macramé.
- Soft upholstery. Velvet, corduroy and bouclé in warm colours.
- Graphic pattern. Sunbursts, rainbows, wavy stripes and big florals.
- Lots of plants, often hanging or in woven baskets.
Choosing art for a 70s room
70s art is warm and graphic. Good choices include sunbursts and rainbows, wavy lines, retro sunsets and desert landscapes, bold florals, groovy lettering, and vintage music and travel posters.
Let the art carry the strongest colour, so the walls and big furniture can stay in cream, wood and soft neutrals. Wood or thin brass frames suit the era. Avoid neon pop art and stark black and white minimalism, which pull the room in a different direction.
Browse our retro art prints and burnt orange wall art, and see our post on retro wall decor for more ideas.
How to make 70s style look modern
- Limit the palette. Pick two or three 70s colours, not all of them. Mustard and burnt orange on cream is plenty.
- Choose one or two hero pieces, such as a curved sofa or a rattan chair, and keep everything else simple.
- Keep walls and floors calm. Warm white walls and plain wood floors stop the look tipping into fancy dress.
- Use the colour in art and textiles: a print, cushions, a throw. They are easy to change later.
Mixing 70s and mid century: the two share wood, low furniture and graphic shapes, so they blend easily. Mid century is cleaner and more angular; 70s is softer and earthier. A teak sideboard, a velvet curved sofa and a sunburst print, as in the room above, is the classic combination.
Ideas by room
Living room. Above a curved sofa, plan art about two thirds its width: one A1, or a pair of A2 prints with a 5 to 8 cm gap. Leave 15 to 25 cm between the sofa back and the frame. A rattan chair and a shaggy rug finish the look.
Bedroom. A cane or rattan headboard, mustard or rust bedding and a globe lamp. Choose one A1 above a double, or a pair of A2 prints above a king size.
Kitchen and dining. Retro food, drink and travel posters at A3 suit a dining wall or the space above an open shelf.
Sizes at a glance
| Size | Centimetres | Inches | Works for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 | 8.3 x 11.7 | Shelves, desks, small gaps, sets of 3 |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 | 11.7 x 16.5 | Hallways, side walls, pairs |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 | 16.5 x 23.4 | Above a sideboard or small sofa, the anchor of a gallery wall |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 | 23.4 x 33.1 | Above a standard sofa or bed |
| A0 | 84.1 x 118.9 | 33.1 x 46.8 | Large walls, open-plan rooms, statement pieces |
All our A sizes fit standard off-the-shelf frames, and every print is made to order on museum-grade matte paper.
