Sixties Decor

Are you a fan of sixties decor? If you’re enticed by the shapes and colors of this time and want to know how to nail the decor for your home, keep reading our post today!

Sixties-inspired decor

Decor trends are tied to the period that they blossomed in. Everything around us, whether it’s the economy or popular ideologies, influences the materials, shapes, and colors that we use in home decor and fashion.

As for the sixties, two major things left a big, artistic influence – the space race and the hippie movement.

Futurism

When man reached the moon, humanity started envisioning the future and furniture started to reflect the changes. Two clear examples are Eero Aarnio’s Bubble and Ball Chairs, and Verner Panton’s Panton Chair. Even today, people consider these chairs as classic futuristic pieces and sixties icons.

Love and peace

Hippie decor reached its peak in the sixties and contrasted the futuristic trend with a revival of art nouveau and art deco. Hippies started a new ecological philosophy that celebrated nature and organic materials.

Pop art and the eccentricities of new artists had a psychedelic kick with the use of strong primary colors.

Materials in sixties decor

Until the sixties, wood was the primary decor material. But futurism pushed industrial design towards new materials like latex, vinyl fabrics, acrylic, etc. Then, plastic, along with other metal details, took over the decor world. As for textile materials, velvet was a solid favorite for stools and chairs.

The use of color in the sixties

At the beginning of the sixties, gentle colors like blue and green starred in decor. However as the end of the decade neared, the colors intensified, bringing yellow, orange and fuchsia onto the scene as well.

Another color trend during this period was creating monochromatic spaces with metallic colors, like silver or white.

Sixties patterns

The hottest patterns featured geometric motifs and animal prints. The patterns took over walls thanks to wallpaper and textiles. Also, optical illusions were all the rage.

Decor key – functional furniture

The sixties were a key turning point in history. Modernity entered homes, transforming them into more convenient and comfortable places. In the sixties, multi-functional furniture, such as bunk beds or sofa-beds, appeared for the first time.

Using sixties decor today

Most of the trends we talk about in our blog come back. If you know how to use certain pieces together, you can use the sixties decor to your home.

• Use white walls and create some contrast with a rug that has gray geometric patterns.
• Cover your main walls with wallpaper.
• Add a classic pop art element with primary colors or using decorative pieces that feature everyday objects.
• Set up plastic chairs at your dining table. We love the Panton Chair that we previously mentioned or Philippe Starck’s Ghost Chair. While the Ghost Chair isn’t technically from the sixties, the plastic material is perfect for the decor.
• Go for gentle colors for backdrops and add in pops of brighter colors with your decor accessories. But make sure not to overwhelm your spaces.
• Use a vintage furniture piece from the sixties, such as a television set.

Sixties decor is full of fun objects and colors. Have fun with your decor and bring your home back to a time when hippies and the space race ran pop culture.