How The ’80s Came For Our Homes

The best way to describe the ’80s? More, more and more again. See: the jewel-toned make-up, the power shoulders, the spandex and, of course, the interiors. We’re all obsessed with the era right now, what with the recent success of Disney’s Rivals (season two has just been confirmed) and a new exhibition at Tate Britain, The 80s: Photographing Britain. On the interiors scene, the decade continues to inspire a number of renovators, interior designers and antiques dealers. From rattan and chintz and lucite coffee tables to patterned wallpaper and colour, these ’80s hallmarks are omnipresent on Pinterest.

Lia Briamonte, founder of Anemone Interiors, who is known for her maximalist ’70s and ’80s offering, describes the period as “colourful”. “Having spent every summer in Italy from 1979, I saw the best of Italian homeware, from turquoise-checked floor tiles, large double sinks, brass swan taps and red, freestanding towel rails to Murano chandeliers – it was all so fabulous,” she says. “My nonna was so proud of her new mint-green laminated kitchen (installed in 1985), and I remember standing on a chunky, pea-green wooden chair with a sisal seat while she made fusilli.”

It wasn’t just colour, either. Clashing materials and eye-catching shapes were also staples of the era, which were made to “look slightly jarring, rather than being safe and neutral,” says Vicky Wetherill from Sideshow Interiors, who sells curvaceous ’80s sideboards, modular sofas and laminate coffee tables on Instagram and in her store in Hastings. “The ’80s is a decade that has been overlooked in design until recently – but we love the experimental nature of the period. It was futuristic, optimistic and aspirational, after the relative formality of mid-century design. Fresh and exciting, ’80s design always makes a statement.”

How The ’80s Came For Our Homes

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It was in this time that Ettore Sottsass – who launched the Memphis group, a collaborative design collective who created unconventional, intentionally outrageous furniture, and also the man behind that squiggly light-up mirror that’s all over Instagram – came into his own, says Briamonte. “One of the group’s first creations was the Bel Air chair, which was like oversized soft-play seating for adults,” she enthuses. “And there was the iconic Carlton bookcase, the first editions of which now retail for over £16,000.” She also name-checks Terence Conran – whose book, New House Book, was published in 1985 – and vintage Harrods from the time, most of which was made in Italy.

For a great insight into the trends back then, visit Simon Knight’s @The_80s_Interior Instagram page, where you’ll find sunken living rooms, matching wallpaper and curtains (see model Adwoa Aboah’s bedroom for a modern take), glass conservatories, gloss and wood-panelled walls. It is a total delight. Briamonte also recently acquired some fabulously ’80s furniture from an untouched time-warp of a house in London. “I had a call from a lady who told me she had some pink furniture I might like, including floor-to-ceiling wardrobes, matching dressing tables, a shell-shaped bed and a cloud-shaped vanity, all made in Italy in 1986,” she says, excitedly. “The house belonged to a wealthy family who sold the house with all the contents – it had been used in various shoots and films.”

Furniture from the time really sings on screen, too. Just see Rivals, where we saw an array of different styles of the time, from English country house – as per Rupert Campbell-Black – to more nouveau riche takes, as per Freddie and Valerie. It is the latter couple whose home feels most emblematic of the era, with its Pepto Bismol-pink walls, “large-scale plants, like banana palms, Birds of Paradise and Monstera, and Bang & Olufsen technology”, says Dominic Hyman, the production designer for the show. Other references include wall-to-wall shag-pile carpets, “drapes, and huge pelmets, everywhere, in all sorts of interesting textures and fabrics – they were really into window dressing”, three-piece suites, frilled cushions, and brass and chrome coffee tables. Shiny, in-your-face everything.

How The ’80s Came For Our Homes

In fact, Wetherill helped source some of the pieces seen in the show, including “a large sectional sofa, a crazy sculptural coffee table, purple velvet footstools, and various mirrors, tables and lighting,” she says of the eye-catching pieces that can be deployed easily in the modern home. How? Well, for Briamonte, it’s all about the big lamp: “Your sideboard is not too small for large lamps!” she points out. “Look for a curved chest of drawers, wavy cupboards, striped bedding or silk sheets. Incorporate block colour – I love forest green and plum, peach and pink. I buy my vintage shades on eBay, and the triangle lampshade is always a winner.” Joy, personified.