Retro

Retro style is that friend who shows up to brunch wearing platform shoes and a polka dot jumpsuit — and somehow, they totally pull it off. It doesn’t care if it matches. It doesn’t care if it’s “on trend.” It’s here to have a good time and look fabulous doing it.

Step into a Retro room and you're stepping into a time capsule that smells faintly of shag carpet and optimism. The furniture(/glossary/category/furniture-and-fixtures)? Think low-slung, curvy and maybe a little odd. Chairs that look like eggs. Coffee tables shaped like boomerangs. Everything’s got this playful, slightly space-age vibe — like the future, as imagined by someone in 1965.

And the colors? Buckle up. Retro isn’t shy. We’re talking mustard yellows, avocado greens, candy-apple reds and turquoise blues — often all in the same room. It’s the kind of palette that shouldn’t work, but totally does when you lean all the way in. The bolder, the better.

Textures run the gamut from glossy plastics and shiny chrome to velvety upholstery and that infamous shag rug you either love or pretend to hate. Patterns get wild too — think mod swirls, atomic bursts, checkerboards and florals that look like they’ve had one too many espresso shots.

Lighting in Retro design is having a moment. We're talking globe pendants, tripod lamps, maybe even a lava lamp if you’re feeling spicy. Nothing too serious. Nothing trying too hard. Everything here has a wink built into it.

But here’s the twist — Retro can be modern. You don’t need to live in a full-on 70s sitcom set (unless you want to). You can cherry-pick the fun parts: a funky chair, a geometric wallpaper, a killer color combo — and layer it into your more contemporary space. That’s the beauty of Retro: it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you.

So if you’re someone who likes a little throwback energy, isn’t afraid of orange, and wants your space to feel like it might break into disco at any moment... well, Retro’s got your number, baby.