Nostalgic 80s Home Décor Ideas

The 1980s was an era that presented a lot of new things and changes to the world. Technology is arguably the industry that was impacted the most by the 1980s, as it was in the said decade that personal computers, video game consoles, and other gadgets and machines became more common and accessible.

The home décor trends of the 1980s were also interesting, as there were some items from the 60s and 70s that remained popular in the 80s, but there were new and trendy items that were added that paired well with older items. If you want your guests to feel like they returned to the 1980s when they visit your home, here are several nostalgic 80s home décor ideas that you can try.

Acrylic Furniture

There were many homes in the 1980s that had acrylic chairs, tables, and other pieces of furniture, and what’s great about them is that they are relatively more affordable compared to furniture made with other materials. One of the most popular brands of acrylic in the 80s is Lucite, which was introduced by the DuPont Company in the 1930s. Lucite was used for different kinds of items throughout the years, like beads for jewelry, high-heel shoes, and even tobacco pipes. Today, acrylic furniture isn’t as popular as other types of synthetic furniture, but a few acrylic furniture pieces are still available for purchase for those that prefer the look of acrylic for their home.

Here are some cool pieces of acrylic furniture that you can purchase online:

Brass Furniture

For people in the 1980s that had a big budget for furniture, they would often buy pieces or items that are made of brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that has a slightly darker shade than gold. Brass has been used as a material for furniture and decorations since ancient times, and it became a trend in the 1980s because of its sophisticated looks that make pieces of furniture appear elegant.

Check out these three pieces of brass furniture or home décor that can enhance the look of your home:

Palm Tree Pots

Palm tree pots were often paired with brass furniture, as they help elevate the majestic look of the furniture pieces. The palm tree belongs to the “Arecaceae” family of plants, and while most people are familiar with the bigger palm tree today, the palms that were potted and used in the 80s as decorations were smaller. Palm trees can be very difficult to take care of, so you may opt to buy artificial palm tree pots instead.

Check below for three artificial palm tree pots that you can buy online:

Bamboo Furniture

Bamboo furniture also became very popular in the 1980s, thanks to its appearance in The Golden Girls, an American situational comedy or sitcom that first aired on NBC on September 14, 1985. The bamboo furniture, like the bamboo sofas and chairs, were featured prominently in the living room scenes where the main characters of the show, played by Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan, would gather to discuss various issues and topics related to their lives.

Here are three pieces of bamboo furniture that will look great in almost any home:

Heavy Curtains

Heavy curtains were also quite popular in the 1980s, and these curtains are often used to block out the sunlight shining through the window. Heavy curtains in the 80s were usually made from velvet, a woven fabric where the cut threads are evenly distributed, which then creates the fabric’s distinct soft and silky feel. Although velvet is commonly made from silk, manufacturers have used other materials like cotton, wool, linen, and even synthetic fibers to create the fabric.

For reference, here are some great sets of velvet curtains that you can take a look at:

Lace Curtains

Lace curtains were paired with heavy curtains to create a combination of thick and thin curtains on the windows. Lace is an open fabric that has a translucent appearance. A lot of lace curtains would have patterns sewn into them, and these are created through twisting, looping, and knitting the threads. Some people in the 80s use only lace curtains for their windows to let a little bit of sunlight inside the house, while others would place a lace curtain in the middle of a window alongside velvet curtains at each side.

You can check out the lace curtains below if you want an easier time finding the best one to buy:

Bed Curtains

Simple canopy beds were found in a lot of bedrooms in the 1980s. The said decade was a time when bedrooms are heavily decorated with anything, including posters, shelves full of video games, and bed curtains. The canopy beds in the 80s were much simpler than the ones that were used in medieval Europe, as it doesn’t really have a solid canopy made of wood. Instead, the canopy beds in the 80s just have simple bed curtains that cover half of the bed. Because the curtains don’t cover the bed fully, they are usually just tied at the sides of the bed. Lace curtains were the popular option for canopy beds.

Here are three sets of bed curtains or canopies that you can use to decorate your bed:

Floral Bed Covers

Alongside bed curtains, floral bed covers were also used to decorate the beds in the 1980s. Much like canopy beds, floral bed covers can be traced back many decades before the 80s, as many of the elite or rich people during the 18th century would often have beds decorated with flower patterns sewn into the covers or bedsheets. In the 80s, floral bed covers became much more affordable since stitching flower patterns can already be done using a machine. Because of how good floral bed covers look, they are still used by many people today to elevate the appearance of their beds, although these covers aren’t as popular today as they were in the 80s.

Check out these three floral bed sheets or covers that can look nice for your bed:

Lacquer Cabinets

Kitchens in the 1980s were adorned with lacquer cabinets, which were cabinets that have surfaced sealed and protected by lacquer, a coating or finish that is typically applied to wood or metal to enhance its appearance and make it last longer. Lacquer cabinets become popular alongside the rise of bamboo furniture sales, as the wooden cabinets unsurprisingly go well with the different pieces of bamboo furniture.

Macrame Plant Hangers

Pairing well with the “wooden” trend of the 1980s are the macrame plant hangers, which were quite popular since the 1960s. If you don’t know, macrame is a form of textile that is created through various knotting techniques that transform strands into various shapes and patterns. Macrame-style home décor items include wall hangers that enhance the look of walls, dreamcatchers that are typically placed next to a bed, and plant hangers where you can suspend potted plants if you don’t have space on the floor for pots.

If you want to get a few plant hangers for your home, here are three that you should consider buying:

Neon Signs

Neon lights were abundant in the United States and a few countries during the 1980s, and these lights were often used as signs by restaurants, clubs, and other establishments since the lights’ bright and mesmerizing colors can help attract customers. In the 80s, neon signs were relatively pricey, so there were only a few homes in that decade that had neon signs installed. Today, neon signs are much more affordable to manufacture, so homeowners can easily get ones that are safer and more energy-saving.

Here are three neon signs that you can buy for decorating your home:

Those are just a few of the best nostalgic 80s home décor items that you can still buy today. Be sure to check out the link we have provided above so that you will have a faster and easier time deciding on what to buy as decorations for your home.