The 1970s

The 1970s were a decade of grounded optimism and tactile experimentation. Economic anxiety, political disillusionment, and a craving for simplicity shaped homes filled with earthy materials, warm woods, shag rugs, and modular, communal seating. Design blurred boundaries between the futuristic and the handmade — from Space Age plastics to bohemian macramé. The home became a retreat, a canvas for self-expression, but also a place to gather, lounge, and connect. Survival, Soul, and Substance

Design moved inward. Spaces became sanctuaries. Heavy materials, honest craft, and tactile depth defined the mood.

1970s — Shelter & Soul

Austerity with texture. A retreat, not a performance.

This isn’t retro. It’s structural. Thick-walled, heavy-handed in the best way. A quiet interior tuned to survive outside noise. Built-in furniture. Low lighting. Earth, wood, shadow, and tactility. Everything smells a little like matches and sheepskin.

Visual markers:

  • Natural stone and smoked glass

  • Wool blankets, carved chairs, cast-iron stove

  • Ochre and saddle brown, not burnt orange

  • Small windows, long shadows

Key voices then:

  • Andrée Putman – sensual modernism, tonal minimalism

  • Superstudio / Archizoom – radical form, conceptual architecture

  • Charlotte Perriand (late career) – natural materials, alpine warmth

  • Rudolf Schindler (legacy influence) – built-in living, tactile interiors

Echoes now:

  • Studio Mumbai – earth and atmosphere

  • Axel Vervoordt – wabi-inflected minimalism

  • Vincent Van Duysen – restraint with emotional weight

🪑 1970s

✨ Themes:

  • Earthy modernism, craft revival, Space Age optimism, back-to-nature, laid-back luxury

  • Global influence (Scandinavian, Moroccan, Japanese)

  • “The home” as personal retreat but also a playful social space

🪵 Materials:

  • Teak, walnut, rosewood

  • Wool, leather, sheepskin, flokati

  • Chrome, Lucite, glass

  • Rattan, cane, bamboo

  • Macramé, ceramics, woven textiles

🔷 Shapes:

  • Modular, low-slung seating (Camaleonda, Togo)

  • Soft curves + chunky forms

  • Futuristic silhouettes (Elda chair, Arco lamp)

  • Geometric patterns in rugs, wallhangings

  • Floating wall units (Cado shelves)

🎵 Moods:

  • Tactile, warm, grounded

  • Playful yet sophisticated

  • Communal, cozy, relaxed

  • A bit of glam meets nature

🛋 Shop the Look: 1970s — Shelter & Soul (Benjamin Winship edition)

not necessarily the most common, but common design-forward household items that were definitively 1970s

🪑 1970s — Common Household Brands & Design Items (20 Total)

  1. Herman Miller (Eames chairs, Nelson benches)

  2. Knoll (Bertoia chairs, Saarinen tulip tables)

  3. IKEA (early modular storage, POEM chairs — Europe-focused)

  4. Marimekko (Unikko textiles, bold curtains, bedding)

  5. Missoni Home (early knit textiles, throws)

  6. Danish teak furniture (Dyrlund, G Plan)

  7. Sisal rugs, flokati rugs (earthy, tactile layers)

  8. Kartell (Componibili, pop plastic tables)

  9. Artemide (Tizio lamp)

  10. Rya rugs (Scandinavian shag, wool)

  11. Cado / Poul Cadovius (modular wall shelving)

  12. Marcel Breuer (Wassily chair, Bauhaus revival)

  13. Milo Baughman (chrome, sleek lounge chairs)

  14. Laurel Lamp Co. (sculptural brass + wood lamps)

  15. Kilim rugs (global influence, earthy palettes)

  16. G Plan (British teak sideboards, chairs)

  17. Baughman-style chrome + glass coffee tables

  18. Patchwork leather or velvet sofas (bohemian luxe)

  19. Noguchi coffee table (revived midcentury classic)

  20. Butterfly chairs (canvas + leather, relaxed modern)

✨ 1970s – Avant-Garde & Ahead-of-Their-Time Designs

  1. Mario Bellini — Camaleonda sofa

  2. Ettore Sottsass — Ultrafragola mirror

  3. Verner Panton — S Chair

  4. Joe Colombo — Elda lounge chair

  5. Pierre Paulin — Ribbon chair

  6. Achille Castiglioni — Arco lamp

  7. Gufram — Bocca sofa (red lips)

  8. Kartell — Componibili storage

  9. Ligne Roset — Togo sofa

  10. Isamu Noguchi — Akari paper lamps

  11. Vico Magistretti — Maralunga sofa

  12. Gae Aulenti — Jumbo coffee table

  13. Paul Evans — Cityscape credenzas

  14. De Sede — DS-600 “Non-Stop” sectional

  15. Willy Rizzo — chrome & travertine tables

  16. Michel Ducaroy — Pumpkin chair

  17. Poul Kjærholm — PK22 lounge chair

  18. Verner Panton — Panthella lamp

  19. Cini Boeri — Ghost glass chair

  20. Gabriella Crespi — brass, bamboo furniture

Mood: Shelter, shadow, survival — but with soul.

*This isn’t disco. This is a cabin on a quiet hill. A sheepskin thrown over a walnut bench. Firelight flickering across stacked stone. A built-in nook for paperbacks and drawings. The windows are small, but the light matters more.

Design cues:

  • Dry textures: waxed canvas, woodgrain, rough plaster

  • Earth tones with restraint: saddle brown, ochre, off-black

  • Sculptural fireplaces, thick walls, recessed benches

  • Lighting that's functional, not performative

Objects that tell the story:

  • A single Brutalist ceramic lamp

  • Built-in book niches and storage walls

  • Heavy linen curtains in ochre

  • A bentwood chair in the corner no one uses

  • Steel stove with matte pipe exposed

  • One framed landscape sketch pinned with brass tacks

What this decade teaches us now:
→ When the world feels uncertain, build weight into your surroundings.
→ Use texture as memory. Leave a little darkness in the room.

1. Stone Cube Side Table

Cold to the touch. Solid in form. A surface that holds a glass of whiskey and nothing else.

  • Honed basalt or travertine

  • Visual weight, small footprint

  • Pairs with linen or leather
    → Sourced from: TRNK or Sixpenny (placeholder)

2. Wool + Mohair Throw in Saddle or Sienna

The warmth of it is beside the point. It sits like memory—folded, frayed at the edge.

  • Muted earth tones

  • Raw fringe, soft loft

  • Draped over built-in benches or deep-set chairs
    → Sourced from: Permanent Collection or Blluemade

3. Brutalist Ceramic Table Lamp

A rough form, sculpted by hand or by fire. Heavy base. Dim bulb. Reads as sculpture until you flick it on.

  • Neutral glaze, stone-like texture

  • Felted base, no shade

  • Pairs well with plaster walls
    → Sourced from: vintage (Chairish / 1stDibs) or Entler Studio

4. Built-In Bookshelves in Dark Walnut

Not a piece of furniture—a part of the room. Inset. Intentional. Filled with paperbacks and a few rocks from childhood.

  • Architectural millwork (or fake it with IKEA + custom fronts)

  • Low, wide, and lived-in
    → Sourced from: Custom carpentry / Shelfology (placeholder)

5. Black Steel Wood Stove

The room is designed around the fire, not the screen. You hear it crack before you feel it.

  • Matte black pipe

  • Set against plaster or stone

  • Functional but meditative
    → Sourced from: Jøtul or Rais

6. Framed Pencil Drawing, 1974

Minimal linework. No need for color. Something about it feels like someone you knew.

  • Vintage or anonymous

  • Framed in oak or maple, no mat

  • Hung slightly off-center, eye level
    → Sourced from: Etsy, estate sales, or your own hand

1970s — Survival & Soul

What it felt like:
The world was unraveling. Inflation, energy shocks, and political distrust made people retreat into their homes. Design responded with grounding textures, heavy furniture, and a palette pulled straight from the earth.

What it looked like:

  • Burnt orange, olive green, mustard yellow

  • Macramé wall hangings and shag rugs

  • Wood paneling and stone fireplaces

  • Mushroom lamps casting amber glows

What to bring home now:

  • A Soriana-style sofa (or dupe)

  • Vintage record console

  • Cone-shaped fireplace

  • Amber-glass pendant lamp

  • Fern in a brown pot — no styling necessary