Why I’m ‘rocking the retro vibe’!

Why I’m ‘rocking the retro vibe’!

What can I say? I’m a child of the ’70’s! I love the whole ‘Retro’ revival we’ve been having these past few years. I’ve even written a few nostalgic posts, including my memories of my first bike (HERE) and the 7 reasons why I think we should have a retro kid’s party revival (HERE). However, I haven’t just been reminiscing about the good old days. After months of hankering after gorgeous retro accessories for my home, I’ve finally settled on a couple of beauties.

Cast your minds back four or five years and any mention of home decor and fashions from the 1960’s and 1970’s was invariably met with a wince from anyone who lived through those eras. I can well remember my own horror when I discovered old photo albums filled with pictures of me and my sister wearing some of the worst examples of 1970’s fashion. However, although I’m not going to be trotting off to the charity shop to buy myself a crocheted dress or brown crimpolene flairs anytime soon, I’ve found myself drawn to some lovely retro and vintage pieces for the home.

Before you begin to panic and click away, I’m not thinking of recreating my childhood home, complete with leaf pattern carpets and Yorkstone fireplace with a shelf for the Betamax video recorder. I believe those particularly ghastly design trends belong in the past and must stay in the past, never be ‘revived’. I have bought a couple of lovely retro items for our home, though, and I’m on the lookout for more.

Such is my love of retro and vintage designs at the moment, I’ve created an entire Pinterest board dedicated to them.

Check out my Retro Pinterest Board, here:

So what little retro gems have I acquired for my home so far?

1. Yellow Retro Alarm Clock (London Clock Company), from Wayfair.

You may recall back in August 2016, my home office featured on Wayfair’s website: Insider Access: Blogger Workspaces #2. The article took a sneak peek into the home offices of three UK bloggers and featured me, Charlotte Dougall from Colours and Carousels and Sam Charles from Strawberry Squeeze and found out how we’d created productive and inspiring workspaces.

My Retro London Clock Company alarm clock was one my featured accessories, it’s bright yellow finish injecting a burst of colour into my simple grey and silver scheme.

My workspace, and my lovely Retro Clock, were featured on the Wayfair website.

I’ve since moved the little Retro clock into the recently decorated ‘grown-up’ living room, where it ties in beautifully with my yellow and teal curtains.

2. 1960’s style telephone, in English Mustard (Wild&Wolf).

Joining our Retro alarm clock in the lounge is our latest acquisition, the 746 Phone in English mustard, based on the 1960’s design classic. I’d seen these ‘digitally remastered’ retro phones in a range of glorious colours in numerous shops over the past year, but resisted the urge to buy one. However, whilst on a day trip to the market town of Ashbourne, in the Derbyshire Dales, I succumbed to temptation whilst browsing around ‘The Village Rainbow’, Ashbourne’s very own ‘Shopping Emporium’.

The Village Rainbow contains a feast of unusual pieces and hidden gems, but it was the Mustard-coloured telephone with a ‘Make me an offer’ ribbon on it, that caught my eye. So I did make them an offer, and walked away with a design icon for the bargain price of £25, (50% off)! Whoop!

I’m delighted with our brightly coloured telephone. It sits perfectly on the small table near the door of our living room. I get a thrill every time I hear it’s beautiful ringing chimes, which instantly transport me back to an era where analogue reigned.

If you’re ever in the Derbyshire Dales, the market town of Ashbourne is certainly worth a visit. There are lots of pubs and cafes as well as lovely shops and boutiques. There’s even a Joules and a FatFace. If you can’t get to Ashbourne, The Village Rainbow has a website where you can order items by phone or mail order, with an online shop coming soon. I thoroughly recommend checking it out: The Village Rainbow.

Even though I’m looking forward to the design trends 2017 has to offer, I’m not quite ready to leave my love of all things vintage and retro behind. In fact, I’m hoping one or two of the glorious wall clocks and mirrors featured on my Retro Pinterest board will be visiting a wall near me soon!

Just look at this Vintage French Beauty! A Vedette Wall Clock from the 1950’s.

Have you embraced the Retro revival in your home? Do you have any special ornaments or pieces from a different decade or era that have pride of place in your home? As always, I’d love to hear from you.

This is not a sponsored or collaborative post. I just love my retro goodies!

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Original article and pictures take maflingo.com site