A Collection of Some Really Intense Interior Designs From the 70s and 80s

How do you tell if an interior design is from the 70s or 80s? Easy. If it's so green it looks like the inside of a freshly mowed lawn (and makes you a little queasy), you're in the 70s. If it's all about minimalist shapes and colors that would make a box of Crayola markers jealous, it's definitely the 80s. At least, that's what I've gathered from surviving my childhood home's décor - no expert here, just a witness to some seriously questionable style choices.

I grew up in a house where the bathroom was floor-to-ceiling green (because apparently that was peak sophistication?), and the living room was just one giant shag carpet that doubled as a static electricity trap. It was a vibe, and not always a good one.

So let's take a moment to appreciate the intense, sometimes dizzying interiors of the 70s and 80s—because no matter how questionable your current wall art or furniture might be, at least it's not a psychedelic green bathroom or a living room that looks like a geometry homework assignment exploded.

Here are 38 examples of those over-the-top interior designs that'll make you grateful for your "boring" modern home décor. Scroll down and let the nostalgia (and confusion) wash over you!

Author image for John Summers John Summers
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  • 01

    Why was everything green in the 70s?

    Cheezburger Image 10515630336
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  • 02

    1988 Office

    Cheezburger Image 10515630592
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  • 03

    Better Homes & Gardens, 1972

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  • 04

    Architectural Digest, 1975

    ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST THE CONNOISSEUR'S MAGAZINE OF FINE INTERIOR DESIGN MAY/JUNE 1975 $2.95 DISCOVERING THE BEST INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN: LONDON, ROME, PARIS THE STAVROS NIARCHOS YACHT FANTASY AND FUNCTION IN MANHATTAN JEAN KERR DESCRIBES THE NEW DECOR OF HER HOME EMPIRE FURNITURE
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  • 05

    It's... blue

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  • 06

    it's... pink

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  • 07

    1980s

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  • 08

    Love this sofa!

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  • 09

    Designer Zandra Rhodes, 1984

    Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes has never been afraid of mixing pattern and color. Her distinctive textile de- signs take especially well to gathering and ruching and can make an exotic boudoir out of an ordinary room when hung lavishly instead of wallpaper.
    via FAUST44
  • 10

    1980s pastels

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  • 11

    1970s bathroom

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  • 12

    1970s bathroom

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  • 13

    1972

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  • 14

    1970s, wow!

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  • 15

    The Rock Home, Moab, UT

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  • 16

    1974

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  • 17

    Designed by Anthony Machado, 1983

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  • 18

    San Diego, CA, 1979

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  • 19

    Peak 80s

    Cheezburger Image 10515637248
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  • 20

    Peak 70s

    G
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  • 21

    Kohler & Eljer bathroom, 1986

    Cheezburger Image 10515637504
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  • 22

    Snow Queen bedroom designed by Bill Hamilton, 1983

    Cheezburger Image 10515638528
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  • 23

    Home of designer Steve Chase, 1984

    Cheezburger Image 10515638784
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  • 24

    Ladies bedroom designed by Patricia Hixson, 1981

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  • 25

    1970s kitchen

    Cheezburger Image 10515640064
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  • 26

    1987

    HAIR AND MAKE-UP MATTHU ANDERSON PHOTO PAUL SIMCO Sensible I read the Financial Times from cover to cover study the Dow Jones Index ... follow the stock market drive a Volvo believe the radio is for news ... feel naked without a shirt and tie
    via FAUST44
  • 27

    See? it's green!

    Cheezburger Image 10515640832
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  • 28

    80s dining room

    ANAN SAG
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  • 29

    Hand painted cabinets, 1970s

    น
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  • 30

    Seventeen magazine, 1970

    MONDAY ESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY GobDxa
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  • 31

    Better Homes & Gardens, 1973

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  • 32

    Hmmm. I guess... 70s

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  • 33

    70s

    ADSAUSAGE THE ANEIOCAN WEST
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  • 34

    70s

    Cheezburger Image 10515643904
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  • 35

    please stop

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  • 36

    subtle

    C
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  • 37

    ok perhaps green isn't that bad

    XR
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  • 38

    Restaurant Varna, Aarhus, Denmark, 1971

    Cheezburger Image 10515647488
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design fail architecture clever design smart interesting buildings designer bad design building beauty good design graphic design beautiful
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