Tap to Read ➤

Retro Furniture

Neil Valentine D'Silva
Retro furniture is not about going backwards in time; it is actually about making an effort to be different. Here's how to 'go retro'.

What is It?

To go retro means to go into the past and see how people back then thought the future would be like. That means, you delve into the past and check out the impressions of people living in those times about our living present.
Retro is actually short for retrospect. It is quite interesting as a concept really. And now there is a chance to bring the future of the past in our homes. And the newest big thing going on in most American houses is retro furniture. American, because this fashion is quite big in Uncle Sam's country.
These furnishings look right from the old times, but unmistakably has that attitude of carrying impressions for the future. Basically, those from the times of the sixties through the eighties (the Baby Boomer generation) is hot property.
And that includes gramophones, loveseats and sofas, coffee tables, jukeboxes, entertainment centers, bars and stools and dance floors. The furniture looks as though it has popped right out of the house of our dear Lucille Ball (Lucy for most of us) in those rip-roarious series of hers with her husband.

How Do They Look?

Let us not make a mistake here. Most of these furnishings that you get today in the market is not actually ancient. It is made now, in our times, but is designed just to look like the ones that were popular in Charlie Chaplin's times.
You will have dinner tables and chairs, chaise lounges, fireplaces with mantelpieces, carpets and rugs, grandfather clocks and those pesky but adorable canary clocks, everything that will take our grandparents down Nostalgiaville.
Even the colors are the bright as compared to the placid colors people prefer nowadays. The sixties, seventies, and the eighties, or the 'Shout-Out' generation, had furniture exuding heavy accents. People in those times wanted their furnishings to stand up and be noticed when visitors came in.
Wood is the material of choice in making this furniture, because that was the era of wood. Other materials were virtually unthinkable. They do have futuristic designs for the era they are made, but you must consider that those designs will still be outdated in today's times.

For Entertainment

Of particular mention are the retro entertainment centers and other assorted amusement furniture from those adorable times. These entertainment centers actually come with records (not disks, mind you!) that will play, not Beyoncé, but Rogers and Hammerstein!
Be sure to get your Fred Astaire shoes on, and put up a Grace Kelly (sorry, Princess Grace Kelly) picture up on the salon wall. You can place a jukebox on a side of the room, and put a coffee table with copies of Archie and MAD Magazines strewn about. Every component of the black and white era can be found if you go retro shopping.

For a Whole New Ambience within the Home

People who have big money consider adding a retro room to their houses. Since making the whole home a retro home may not be such a good idea, a single room is what people are doing nowadays. And it works great as a theme room.
Packed with this type of furniture, it is the place you can go to if you break your routine. Or, you can call your friends over and have a party with Elvis goading them on. You can have a retro-themed party with turtlenecks and checkered bellbottoms. And you can even add an arcade center with retro games to really get teleported to those times.
And of course, this furniture does not come cheap. A piece will cost much more than a similar present day option. The price is added greatly because of the concept, and the special labor required in creating it. But that is what is making this so very unique. If you have the money and the requisite taste, you will surely enjoy this theme within your home.