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Pastels: An ’80s Interior Design Trend

April 6, 2016 by Kate 1 Comment

'80s living room vignette

’80s living room vignette

Pastel power! In the ’80s, pastels were anything but limited to kids’ rooms. In fact, they were a popular choice for living rooms. Think pink and purple sofas, ceramics in soft hues, and lots of pillows. Since it’s spring, I thought I’d round up a collection of 1980s interiors featuring an abundance of pastels. Above we see a vignette from The Lighting Book by Deyan Sudjic, while below we see the power of repeating pastel motifs in a living room from The Decorating Book by Mary Gilliatt:

Pastel '80s living room

Pastel ’80s living room

Apparently you could never have too many pillows. Below we see them on a window seat under blue and green Roman blinds [from The Mary Gilliatt Book of Color]…

Pastel pillows on an '80s window seat

Pastel pillows on an ’80s window seat

And here’s one more shot from the same book…again, with the pastel pillows! What have we learned so far?!

Pastel pillows in an '80s living room

Then again, pastel vases that accentuate the room’s pastel carpeting also get the job done. And yes, the curved living room seating is meant to match the carpet. [photo from Metropolitan Home: Renovation Style]

View into an '80s pastel living room

The key to giving pastels a modern spin (in the ’80s and today)? Own them! Use them boldly. This can mean incorporating a BUNCH of them, covering every surface in them, or juxtaposing them against a white background. It doesn’t hurt to avoid frills. But dreamy fabric is OK… [photo from The Mary Gilliatt Book of Color]

'80s pastel fabric

’80s pastel fabric

Here’s to soft hues, cushy fabric, and lots of comfy pillows! XOXO, Kate

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  1. Kris says

    April 7, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    Thanks Kate :DI’m wearing a pastel pink and grey striped shirt today, and then I sit down and read this! I love how none of these rooms make me feel remotely feminine for liking pastels (thank you, Sonny Crockett).

    Reply

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Mirror80 is a blog that celebrates the intersection of modern design and retro style. I'm Kate, and I enjoy exploring the look and feel of the "recent retro", with a focus on the late '70s through the early '90s. Welcome to Mirror80. Read More…

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