Fun Houzz: 10 Retro Items Ripe for a Revival
Take a trip down memory lane – it’s time to sit back, switch on the Teasmade and embrace a world of innovation from the past
The ceaseless march of progress may have brought smartphones and flatscreen TVs into our lives, but what’s happened to all those technological objects and interiors innovations from the past? It’s time to celebrate some of these retro goodies, from the electric blanket to the happy-tappy typewriter. I urge you to browse these much-loved but frequently forgotten items and gadgets and consider their worth once more.
Rocking chairs
Rocking chairs have soothed many a granny off to sleep as she knits by the fire, but this nostalgic piece of furniture can also look smart and current. This beautiful red model is proof that rocking chairs can still cut it in a contemporary setting.
Rocking chairs have soothed many a granny off to sleep as she knits by the fire, but this nostalgic piece of furniture can also look smart and current. This beautiful red model is proof that rocking chairs can still cut it in a contemporary setting.
Electric blankets
First there were copper warming pans, then stone hot-water bottles, followed by the still-used rubber hottie. But for a brief period in the past, all these were eclipsed by the mother of all bed-warming devices – the electric blanket. Cases of mattresses catching fire and people sweating pints of body fluid in a single, super-heated night dented their popularity, but you can still buy one today. Tempted?
First there were copper warming pans, then stone hot-water bottles, followed by the still-used rubber hottie. But for a brief period in the past, all these were eclipsed by the mother of all bed-warming devices – the electric blanket. Cases of mattresses catching fire and people sweating pints of body fluid in a single, super-heated night dented their popularity, but you can still buy one today. Tempted?
Hostess trolleys
Trolleys were a regular feature of homes a few decades ago. Their most sophisticated incarnation was the hostess trolley, complete with hot plates and warming ovens, so you could wheel an entire four-course meal to the table and serve it at just the right temperature without having to set foot in the kitchen all night.
The precursor of the hip hostess trolley was the humble wooden model. My grandmother would wheel the afternoon tea things into the living room on one, but they also function as drinks trolleys for anyone who likes their booze to be able to cruise.
Discover ways to fit a bar into your home
Trolleys were a regular feature of homes a few decades ago. Their most sophisticated incarnation was the hostess trolley, complete with hot plates and warming ovens, so you could wheel an entire four-course meal to the table and serve it at just the right temperature without having to set foot in the kitchen all night.
The precursor of the hip hostess trolley was the humble wooden model. My grandmother would wheel the afternoon tea things into the living room on one, but they also function as drinks trolleys for anyone who likes their booze to be able to cruise.
Discover ways to fit a bar into your home
Sunken living rooms
Less a retro item, more a retro way of life, the sunken living space brings the 1970s ranch house back to life. Just add sheepskin rugs and, of course, a dramatic fireplace for easy, cheesy lounging.
Less a retro item, more a retro way of life, the sunken living space brings the 1970s ranch house back to life. Just add sheepskin rugs and, of course, a dramatic fireplace for easy, cheesy lounging.
Eiderdowns
Before the advent of the continental quilt, there were sheets, blankets and, best of all, eiderdowns. These proto-duvets were packed with insulating duck down for super warmth, and were often made from soft, satiny floral or paisley fabric.
Before the advent of the continental quilt, there were sheets, blankets and, best of all, eiderdowns. These proto-duvets were packed with insulating duck down for super warmth, and were often made from soft, satiny floral or paisley fabric.
Rotary telephones
As mobile phones become lighter and slimmer, don’t you ever find yourself longing for the satisfying heft of an old-school receiver? A classic, freestanding telephone comes with the added bonus of a flex to twiddle as you chat and the joy of dialling a number with the accompanying whirring sound. If you can also find a dedicated unit to sit it on, so much the better. (There’s space for your Yellow Pages in this one!)
As mobile phones become lighter and slimmer, don’t you ever find yourself longing for the satisfying heft of an old-school receiver? A classic, freestanding telephone comes with the added bonus of a flex to twiddle as you chat and the joy of dialling a number with the accompanying whirring sound. If you can also find a dedicated unit to sit it on, so much the better. (There’s space for your Yellow Pages in this one!)
Hat stands
In decades gone by, hats were essential dress for anyone stepping outside the house, but, once indoors, they came off and hit the hat stand. If you don’t want the real thing in your hallway, consider a sticker silhouette for a retro mood.
In decades gone by, hats were essential dress for anyone stepping outside the house, but, once indoors, they came off and hit the hat stand. If you don’t want the real thing in your hallway, consider a sticker silhouette for a retro mood.
Typewriters
Before word processing, there was typewriting. And before the electric typewriter there was the classic manual model, offering an uplifting ‘ting’ with every carriage return, a satisfying click when you depressed a key – and a nasty pinch when you missed it and jabbed your finger between two letters!
Before word processing, there was typewriting. And before the electric typewriter there was the classic manual model, offering an uplifting ‘ting’ with every carriage return, a satisfying click when you depressed a key – and a nasty pinch when you missed it and jabbed your finger between two letters!
Glass flasks
Oversized glass flasks were quite the thing back in the 1960s and 1970s. This versatile home accessory could be used as a planter for cacti, a vase or, commonly, a repository for loose change. But, unlike horse brasses and carriage clocks, they still look pretty good today. (See also: glass buoys hung in nets; oversized whisky bottles.)
TELL US…
Which retro items would you like to see back in our homes? Share your secrets in the Comments below.
Oversized glass flasks were quite the thing back in the 1960s and 1970s. This versatile home accessory could be used as a planter for cacti, a vase or, commonly, a repository for loose change. But, unlike horse brasses and carriage clocks, they still look pretty good today. (See also: glass buoys hung in nets; oversized whisky bottles.)
TELL US…
Which retro items would you like to see back in our homes? Share your secrets in the Comments below.
Remember carefully cleaning your vinyl, dropping the needle onto it, and listening to the exciting crackle before the music started? Record players are pure nostalgia and make digital music look positively clinical. You get great sound from a record player, too, and if it looks super-retro and funky, like this one on its own space-age stand, so much the better.
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