Funky ’70s style is making a comeback in interior design
Whether in the low-slung, desert brown sofa of Harry Styles’ album cover or the brighter colors making a comeback in the wake of an all-neutral-everything craze, no one can deny that funky 1970s style has been seeing a surge in popularity for a while now, particularly in the realm of interior design. Just ask Gary McDaniel of Rogers & McDaniel, who has noticed the ways the decade’s trademarks have reappeared.
“We’re not necessarily looking for Grandma’s attic in these trends,” he says, “but more of a curated translation. It’s about looking at something from a historical perspective and applying it in a new, more subtle way.”
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Earth-inspired textures like rattan (and even those fuzzy shag carpets intrinsic to the decade) speak to a renewed interest in tactile details, for example, but that’s not the only ’70s trend easy to spot in modern-day homes. Take a look around and you may notice a general increase in bohemian style, with less emphasis on strict uniformity between paint color, art and décor. The contemporary go-to of white walls, tasteful metallics and soft-toned details seem to be giving over slowly to oranges and pinks, bold patterns and a mix-and-match mentality.
“One of the biggest resurgences has been the popularity of wallpaper, which has somewhat moved from ’70s geometric patterns to more tropical or botanical prints,” he says. “Organic, natural-looking design was very popular then, and I think we’re seeing a lot more of that these days.”
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What’s encouraging the resurgence of trends from the disco era? According to McDaniel, some of the answer comes simply from observing the way styles have changed in the past.
“Trends are always cyclical,” he says. “Just like the style of the actual ’70s may be seen as a reaction to the midcentury, which was so clean and restrained and somewhat sterile, you can see a parallel here with people using post-pandemic life to search for more warmth, layering, or more details that connect them to nature and the earth. Maybe this turn toward maximalism is helping us return to a sense of normalcy.”
For more on McDaniel’s eclectic design, take a peek at this punchy entryway he created for the 2021 Ivy House Designer Showhome. You can also check out rogersandmcdaniel.com or follow the firm on Instagram @rogersandmcdaniel.
