I thought that today we would talk a bit about past interior color trends to propel us forward. Did you know that we are unconsciously influenced by the times we live in when it comes to color?  What am I talking about?  In every time period there is a collective consciousness in art, music, etc and color is no exception. In the late 50’s and 60’s, blue (think TWA uniforms) was a big influencer so many colors have a blue cast – neutrals were very peachy, oranges were more rust and pinks were cool!

A blue toned 50's Heywood Wakefield living room

 A pink and mint green 50's dream kitchen

Peachy neutrals and rusty orange on a 1953 sun porch

 Rust and blue dominate this 1960 Pierre Koenig Case Study House

Fuschia and rust dominate this 1962 living space

In the 70's yellow was the cast (think Harvest Gold) so neutrals were warmer, oranges more Sunkist and we moved away from blues into olives and lime greens.

  Warm yellow permeates this 70's living room

Sunny orange with a squeeze of lime keep this room at a fever pitch

Harvest golds, pumpkin and a touch of olive for this 70's bedroom

Then we had the 80's and in came reds and purples (think mauves and Nancy Reagan) beige's went pink casted, greens deepened to pine and fuchsia was hot!

 Fuschia and black, 80's style (?)

Red for the 80's office

We have been coming off a warming interior color trend and these tones are still very popular - teals, reds, warm browns, and brushed nickel (the warmest of the silver tones) are still with us with chrome gaining popularity. But look forward to the resurgence of the “basic” nineties with stones, whites and grayed shades gaining popularity.  Gold is making a huge comeback (does anyone remember “Daytime” Gold” in the nineties?).  With modern technology, pearlized finishes, faux grasscloth, and gorgeous patinas and surface effects, this 90’s redoux will be anything but boring.

Nineties style living room - textural, natural, muted with a touch of gold!

 Warm, minimal, industrial chic - the 90's way

As a final tip on looking to do a retro color, it's pays to do a little research.  Go to a library and look at books in color from the time period or a vintage clothing store with clothing from the decade you are researching.  Colors should be similar in items from the time period given this collective theory and you just may have to lighten and neutralize them to please today’s eye.  Remember, we at Luxe Home are always here to help with interior color trends and bring you back to the future!