After reeling from the shock of discovering a Duran Duran video that I hadn’t yet seen, I was quickly smitten with the ’80s decor showcased in various scenes. From the chrome and glass coffee and dining tables to the white sofa and ’80s Deco lighting, it was all I could do to keep from whitewashing my living room and filling it with musicians in New Romantic blouses. Top it off with a vase of tulips, and I’m in ’80s design heaven.
1980s Interior Design Resources
We know an ’80s interior design revival is headed our way, but when it comes to decor, ’80s style hasn’t exactly been embraced by large numbers of antique dealers and vintage furniture shop owners. Yet. But have no fear–while you’re waiting for ’80s interior design finds to become readily available, there ARE places to look for your next purchase, as well as many sources of inspiration. Here are some of our favorites!
Mid-Week Match-Up: ’80s-Style IKEA Decor
This week Mirror80 celebrates the world of 1980s interior design. While an ’80s fashion revival hit years ago, the decade of excess has yet to put its “redux” stamp on today’s design world. But an ’80s interior design revival is coming, and when it hits, skeptics may be pleased to discover that there was actually more to the ’80s than excess. In fact, when it came to ’80s Modern decor, less was often more. With vintage furniture vendors hesitant to stock a large number of treasures from our favorite decade, where does one go to bring the 1980s home? Mirror80 took on a design challenge: furnish an entire ’80s-themed living room with finds from IKEA. The results are above!
1980s Interior Design Styles
The world of 1980s interior design is a richly complex one. From metallic accents to striking angles and curves, many ’80s motifs are surprisingly modern–even timeless–making them easy to integrate into today’s design. When I first wrote this post three years ago, the ’80s revival hadn’t officially hit the world of design. Only a handful of images featuring 1980s interiors were available online. Not to mention, many people still cringed when hearing the phrase “’80s furniture.” Oh how times have changed, thanks to phenomena like the Memphis-Milano revival and the ’80s Tumblr! Time to update this post with new images that prove 1980s style is reaching a whole new generation of design enthusiasts. Here’s our breakdown of 1980s interior design styles:
Pic Fix: 1980s Interior Design
This week Mirror80 celebrates 1980s interior design in all of its glossy, bold glory. We’ll take a look at key ’80s design styles and movements, provide suggestions on ways to incorporate ’80s decor into your home on both a large and small scale, and point you to the best 1980s interior design resources currently available. Whet your appetite with today’s Pic Fix, a collection of spectacular images from the book Decoration and Design for the 80’s by Pamela Ferguson, available at Amazon.com. Speaking of amazing 1980s design resources, this one is a personal favorite!
Friday Video Pick: “We Can Change It” by Jem
For a “Halloween weekend” Friday Video Pick, we bring you this seasonal piece by Jem, the unbelievably stylish ’80s cartoon series we’ve profiled all week. See Jem and the Holograms in costume, singing about making positive changes while fending off a giant cat, bat, and Frankenstein-esque monster. At the very least, the video will tempt you to consider adding hot pink and lavender as accent colors to your witch costume…
’80s Glam-Punk Picks
This week Mirror80 spotlights the style we call Glam-Punk, that striking combination of formality and rebelliousness that only the ’80s could pull off. The beauty of the look is in the way decadent fabrics were brought down to Earth by geometric accessories, jagged edges and playful motifs.
Mid-Week Match-Up: Jem’s Cartoon Bedroom Becomes an Interior Design Reality
One look at the bedroom of cartoon character Jerrica Benton (a.k.a. Jem), and you get the sense that she singlehandedly forecast the Hollywood Regency revival of today. I mean, come on… an upholstered headboard, a lattice-print rug, and a cabriole-leg chair painted white and recovered in eggplant fabric?! It doesn’t get any better than this. We think Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler would agree. So Mirror80 took on the challenge of recreating Jem’s bedroom using today’s furniture and flourishes. We hope you like the result!
The World of Jem: So Glam, So Punk
Today Mirror80 profiles the world of Jem, a Hasbro/Marvel Productions/Sunbow Productions cartoon series that ran from 1985-1988. Japanese animation studio Toei Doga contributed the animation, while advertising agency Griffin-Bacall Advertising (who founded Sunbow Productions) created the series’ 65 episodes. And boy did they put their stamp on the look of the show!
Pic Fix: Jem and the Holograms
I remember the childhood Halloween I dressed up as a punk rocker. I had colorful plastic bracelets, black netted accents, and of course, purple hairspray from an aerosol can. It’s in this very spirit that Mirror80 takes a week to reflect on ’80s glam-punk. No, we’re not referring to the music genre also known as glitter punk. We’re talking about that ’80s visual/fashion-forward style that combines elements of punk style with ’80s glitz. It’s the reason why characters from the hit cartoon series Jem can wear ripped clothing and Kiss-reminiscent face paint while lounging in interior spaces that channel the set of Dynasty.
