5 Retro Room Decor Ideas

8 Min Read

When it comes to retro room decor, there are a number of ways you can bring this vision to life. From midcentury furniture to vintage vinyl record players, a jukebox and everything in between, the best part about decorating your space is that you have all of the freedom to pick and choose what to include in a vinyl store and how it’s arranged in your home. Not sure where to start? We have put together a list of the top retro room decor ideas for designing your space. Read on to discover what to include when revamping a room in a retro style.

1. Think Art Deco

The best way to bring retro style into a room in your home is to get into the mindset of what the term “retro” really means. When piecing together ideas for your retro room, keep the vintage style “art deco” close in mind:

Art Deco

When it comes to “art deco”, the term relates to a 1920’s style that originally started in France. This style of retro design emphasizes geometric shapes and patterns in combination with straight lines. Essentially, art deco is a more modernized style in comparison to art nouveau which had been popularized in the decades just prior. While art nouveau focused on organic shapes and based its look on a more nature-based appeal, art deco took it one step further by adding a more contemporary touch.

To break this style down a little further for more clarity, here are some defining features of art deco and a brief explanation of how it is executed in a design setting:

Work with Strong and Bold Colors

Colors play a significant role in what retro art deco is and how it is brought to life in an interior design setting. That said, working with bold colors and a lot of contrast is the best way to attain a retro look and feel.

Consider using bright and bold hues of reds, yellows, greens, and blues alongside black and silver tones as well. For a softer blend of shades, try designing with any combination of the bold colors listed above along with more neutral shades of beige, tan, and brown.

Use Geometric Shapes

The second defining feature of retro art deco design is the use of geometric shapes, especially when consistently used in the form of a pattern. Here, consider styling your space with decorative objects that adhere to vertical lines in combination with any geometric figure patterns.

A great way to incorporate these geometric shapes and designs in any room is working with wallpaper, decorative accent pillows, wall art, and even a patterned area rug. Each of these decorative items can be found with a number of different designs from chevron prints to endless other geometric motifs.

Embrace Linear Patterns

Along with geometric shapes, linear designs are also a key aspect of retro art deco as well. With definite and detailed lines, which are often vertical, art deco design thrives on a combination of linear and geometric harmony.

Incorporate Art Deco Furnishing Materials

Lastly, when it comes to furnishing materials for retro art deco, consider furniture items made of wood, marble, lacquer, and metal. Each of these textures will aid in complimenting the colors and design of the rest of your room. That said, you will be sure to tie the vintage look all together with a touch of these furniture materials.

2. Find Second-hand Collectors Items

If you’re not exactly sure where to start, consider heading over to a thrift store, flea market or a local garage sale and see what vintage decor you come across. Oftentimes, second-hand purchases are twice as unique and less than half of the original price as items you would typically find in stores.

In addition to unique and cost-efficient purchases, second-hand shopping also makes for a great option when it comes to repurposing those items and taking the DIY route. From sanding down and staining a wooden piece for a new finish, to completely revamping the use of a household item, repurposing second-hand vintage decor is a great way to personalize your home.

3. Decorate with a Vinyl Record Player

If there’s one decorative item that makes an undeniably retro statement in a room, it is a vinyl record player. The aesthetic of a vinyl record player alone has the ability to transform the feel of any room, however, alongside a retro-esq record collection, you can be sure that your room will have the complete retro touch and feel.

A Quality Record Player

When considering which vinyl record player is best suited for you and your home, there are two factors that you should be looking to check off your list: sound quality and look.

An Unmatched Sound

While all vinyl record players provide that warm sound that simply isn’t attainable through digital music being streamed, the quality of a record player makes all the difference when it comes to analog playback. That in mind, Victrola has specialized in creating top tier vinyl record players with unmatched sound quality. Crafted by a duo team of engineers and artists, Victrola record players turn a simple music listening session into an experience.

A Timeless Retro Look

Along with top notch sound, the aesthetic of a record player is equally as important when it comes to choosing the perfect fit for your home. While individual preferences may vary, Victrola provides a wide range of retro record players, each with a timeless aesthetic designed perfectly for each individual home. With a vinyl record player which doubles as affordable home decor for your room, you can guarantee that you’ll attain that retro vibe you’re shooting for.

4. A Retro Record Collection

What’s a record player without a handcrafted collection? If you wanna go the extra step and truly bring out the retro in your bedroom, consider creating your own retro record collection. With a number of classics and staple albums from the 60’s-80’s, you can’t go wrong building up your record collection with a few of your old time favorites. If you’re not sure where to start, here is a list of some of the best album covers during that time:

The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love (1967)
The Doors - The Doors (1967)
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977)
Prince - Purple Rain (1984)

No matter what albums you choose to add to your collection, each record comes with an album cover that will double as beautiful artwork that you can use to further accentuate the retro decor in your bedroom.

5. Bring Wallpaper Back

A simple way to style a retro bedroom is to revamp the walls with your choice of wallpaper. In fact, designers and experts in the interior design industry are claiming that wallpaper is making a significant comeback moving into the ‘20s decade. For a retro wallpaper design consider neutral and warm tones with funky, geometric patterns.

Bringing back the wallpaper aesthetic rakes up more benefits than simply just the look itself. With a recent rise in eco-friendly products and an advancement in technology since wallpaper was last popular, there are a number of reasons why wallpaper is a great option once again.

An Eco-Friendly Option

Over the years, designers have adjusted their sources to help take action towards climate change. As such, many companies that sell wallpaper have opted to take the eco-friendly route using green products in their design. In fact, it is so common now that most companies provide an eco-friendly option, if they haven’t gone fully green themselves.

Easy Installation and Removal Process

Years ago, choosing a wallpaper for a room in your house meant you were committing to that specific wallpaper for some time. Nowadays, wallpaper is much easier to apply and is far less damaging on the walls. Some wallpaper companies even have a stick and peel option so that the wallpaper can be removed and replaced in a few easy steps. This means that there is little to no wear and tear when it comes to using wallpaper in your home.

Creative uses and variation

Aside from a typical room filled with the same pattern or design, the simplicity of wallpaper these days allows you to put up and take down patterns and styles as you please. That said, you have the freedom to decorate your space as often and as much as you please. A fun way to explore this is by making three of the walls a solid color and having an accent wall that will pull the theme together.

A Retro Room on The Rise

No matter how you choose to style your space, you can be sure that these retro room decor ideas will help you bring that vision to life. However, retro room decor is still fairly vague in the grand scheme of room design, so in order to design your room exactly how you want it, we suggest that you pinpoint your favorite parts of a “retro" aesthetic and build off of that.

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