From fashion to music, culture to interior design, the 1970s were a unique decade with some very distinctive trends. But some of the most popular homeware trends from the era are yet to make a comeback, despite us wishing they would. 

We’ve rounded up 21 of the grooviest 1970s trends we'd love to have a revival in the 21st century.

Click or scroll through and prepare to take a trip down memory lane...

No 1970s home was complete without a varied selection of beanbags. Affordable, versatile and easy to move around, beanbags were a hot trend in the 1970s, whether made of leather, faux fur or cotton, and were the perfect pieces of furniture for casual get-togethers. 

Nowadays, however, the humble beanbag has been relegated to the preserve of students digs or, if they must be at home, confined to kids’ playrooms.

Subtle Shaker panelling may still be a popular way to smarten up plain walls, but we can’t see the extensive wood panelling so beloved in the 1970s making a comeback any time soon. 

This photo is taken at the Jungle Room in Graceland, Elvis Presley's home and now a museum in Memphis, Tennessee – and alongside the kitschy furniture and thick-pile carpet, the signature wood panelled walls of the 1970s are a standout feature.

While all hues of green have made a comeback in modern homes – think sage kitchens or olive furniture – the avocado bathroom suite is still very much a symbol of the past.

Possibly the most iconic interior design trend of the 1970s, the avocado bathroom was ubiquitous and saw homeowners decking out their bathrooms in the on-trend colour, from tiles and sanitaryware to baths and even carpets. 

Those who weren’t around in the 1970s may look at this photo and rub their eyes to make sure they’re not imagining it: a toilet surrounded by carpet, with extra carpet on the seat? Make it make sense.

Fans of carpeted bathrooms adore everything from the warm, cosy feeling underfoot – incomparable to the cold feeling of tiles – and the non-slip benefits. Naysayers point out downsides such as mould, mildew and hygiene – but this didn’t stop carpeted bathrooms being all the rage in the 1970s. 

Easy to clean, durable, waterproof, stain-resistant and affordable, linoleum was a darling of the 1970s. It’s uber-practical and wallet-friendly, but despite its many positives, it’s fallen by the wayside. 

Many homeowners now prefer tiled or wooden floors, and view linoleum as a nostalgic relic of yesteryear. We’ll always have a soft spot for the garish patterns and distinctive feel of the groovy lino of our childhood, though.

Flatscreen who? In the 1970s, rather than being sleekly mounted onto a wall, TVs were a furniture feature in themselves, and the boxier, the better. 

While it would be hard to swap the high definition Netflix of today for the grainy images of decades past, we appreciate the nostalgia and communal feeling of families gathering around a big box in the living room.

Brick fireplaces are a rarity in the 21st century, but in the 1970s, they were a big hit, especially as part of an entire brick wall incorporating a fireplace. 

Homeowners loved the strong texture and cosy rustic feeling that brick offered, though in more recent years, brick has had to make way for more popular materials such as marble, granite and limestone. 

While you might find them in a hotel or airport lounge, patterned carpets are a rarity in homes these days, with preferences shifting to wooden floors or plain carpets and patterns on the floor being relegated to the preserve of rugs. 

But patterned, wall-to-wall thick-pile carpet was a must-have in the 1970s, when homeowners loved making a bold statement with maximalist, traffic-stopping carpet designs.

Forget setting your alarm on your smartphone and thoughtfully choosing the song most likely to wake you from a deep sleep. 

In the 1970s, an enormous alarm clock with numbers that flipped was a bedside table essential. They came in an array of shapes, sizes and colours, and also played your chosen radio station to wake you up.

These days, brave wallpaper tends to be confined to a downstairs toilet or a child’s bedroom. But the 1970s were a time of bold, experimental wallpaper: and more than this, a time to match wallpaper to other accessories in the home, such as bedspreads and cushions.

Popular motifs included floral prints, swirly patterns and eye-catching plaid, and the more attention-grabbing the better. 

The Mad Men vibes are strong when it comes to conversation pits, which were a huge trend in the 1970s. Essentially a sunken living area with built-in seating, the conversation pit was usually either rectangular or circular, with large, squishy sofas, often beside a fireplace or around a coffee table.

They were designed to facilitate deep conversation in a cosy space with fewer distractions – though not everyone was a fan, with some arguing they were a dangerous tripping hazard.

Subtle nods to floral prints may be de rigueur now, but in the 1970s, it was all about loud, bold floral upholstery. Favoured colours were mustard yellows, earthy browns and strong oranges, and the eye-catching sofa upholstery was often paired with matching cushions. 

Add extra 1970s points for pairing fringes or tassels with floral motifs, and for using velvet or corduroy as the primary materials.

Long before the days of smartphones, touchscreen interfaces and Zoom, a push button phone was a home essential. They were more fun visually than a smartphone too, coming in all shapes, sizes and colours. 

We’re still nostalgic for the days of the push button phone, where you could lose yourself in conversation without the buzz of other notifications coming through, while twirling your finger around the cord.

Forget the streamlined smart speakers you have in your home today: in the 1970s, it was all about bulky stereo systems, which were a living room feature in their own right.

This advert, from a May 1974 issue of Playboy, shows a hefty music player, complete with a cassette player and state of the art speakers to powerfully blast each tune.

The 1970s were all about tassels and fringing, which added visual interest, swishy texture and bohemian flair to furniture and accessories. Whether on lampshades, cushions, sofas or rugs, fringing was in vogue all decade.

As well as looking glamorous, fringing brought a sense of fun through movement and playfulness, softening every piece of furniture it was added to.  

A staple in every kitchen in the 1970s, the electric carving knife was used to make slicing foods simpler. Slicing turkey, chicken and ham was made easier than ever thanks to the gadget, which uses serrated blades to saw through meat and other food products such as bread or cheese. 

But despite the convenience of an electric carving knife, you’ll rarely find one in a kitchen these days, so we say: bring them back and make slicing simple again. 

Nothing says 1970s like the waterbed, which was one of the decade’s biggest trends, and was featured in many a TV show and film at the time.

Fans of waterbeds credit them with offering superior relaxation and being easier on the back and joints – but they make up less than 2% of all mattress sales today as consumers choose options like memory foam instead. 

Who said you need to be on a winter holiday to enjoy the cheesy delights of fondue? In the 1970s, many families had their own fondue sets at home, which made the perfect focal point for gatherings around the table. 

We can perfectly understand why the fondue set was such a hit all through the decade. What’s harder to understand is why they’re so rarely seen in homes today when they make such a fun party addition, whether for sharing cheese or chocolate.

You may have an artfully chosen selection of ornaments in your home, but chances are they’re nowhere near as big, brass and bold as the fashion demanded in 1970s. 

This photo of actress Ursula Andress, taken in 1978 at her home in Ibiza, encapsulates quintessential 70s style: just look at the two enormous brass lion ornaments sitting on the shelf behind the sofa.

While a touch of velvet is popular these days, whether in a sofa or the fabric of a curtain, it’s rarely used as opulently as 1970s homeowners did. 

Mixing and matching clashing velvet tones were used practically everywhere – walls, chairs, curtains, lampshades – to add a lavish look throughout the home. This 1970s home, for example, uses signature colours of the decade such as brown and mustard yellow to make a sumptuous statement. 

Animal print has seen a resurgence recently, particularly in clothing and footwear, but in the 1970s, it was taken a step further with bold zebra rugs and even wall-mounted zebra heads. 

While we’d draw the line at actual taxidermy, we'd love to see a resurgence of bold animal print and accessories made with faux fur materials. 

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