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The “new retro” style trend weds nostalgia with a modern sensibility to create a look that is both classic and fresh. To be successful, a designer must balance elements from different eras to create a room that is easy to live in and interesting to look at. Creating the look in your own room is easy if you follow these principles.
1. Get Comfortable
Beneath the visual appeal of the new-retro look you’ll find comfort. The design elements are aligned for not only harmony but for stress-free relaxation. And that’s the magic of new retro: a hint of nostalgia combined with a lot of comfort to create a sense of a unique new place—right there in your home.
2. Out of Time—And Fully in the Moment
It is hard to summarize new retro in terms of specific design elements—there is such a tremendous variety of retro furniture, décor, wall coverings, and window treatments available today. In a new retro room, the past is transformed into a look that creates a sense that you’re in another time—maybe not a specific time, but certainly not today. Craftsmanship is celebrated and natural materials like wood and stone are often a primary feature of the room. And although the room might contain some eclectic elements, it has a sense of harmony.
3. Think Mid-century Modern Is the Base
Many of the shapes, furniture designs, and room layouts we’ve seen over the past decade in the mid-century modern revival can be seen in new retro rooms. Ovals, curves, sculpted wood, modern sculpture, and thin metal chair legs and table legs all make an appearance. These modern elements contrast nicely with flat, sleek, ultra simple window treatments like solar shades and roller shades or mid-century modern favorites like real wood blinds or sheer shades.
4. Going Beyond Mid-century
In new retro, the reserved styling of mid-century modern gives way to a livelier look filled with pattern, color, and sometimes even playful design. Glam and boho design features are part of the mix. You’ll see furniture and lamps anchored in the thoughtful design of mid-century modern but with the color and energy of 60s and 70s décor. Lately, the color palettes of the 80s have made their way back into interior design and have added a new mood that only that era’s color sensibility can provide. New retro is definitely an evolving aesthetic.
5. Color—With a Bit of Subtlety
Colors find their way into new retro rooms in neutral tones such as dusty mauve, muted avocado, and burnt orange. Colored elements serve as highlights, but never look gaudy. The overall color effect should be welcoming and casual. Choose walls and window treatments that can serve as a contrasting backdrop that lets other elements in the room shine. A solar shade has a modern look and is a great way to bring muted modern color into your new retro room.
6. Sculpture and Spectacle
In mid-century modern rooms, the furniture often serves as a sculptural element. In the new retro room, there’s even more of this emphasis on the sculptural. Furniture, light fixtures, shelving, and three-dimensional art serve to provide details that entertain the viewer and give a sense that this is more than just a room. A full-on new retro room is a feast for the eyes and leaves you wanting to spend time looking at all the angles.
One thing that the most remarkable new retro rooms have in common is the presence of one or more showpieces. Oval sofas. Hovering globes of light. Enormous paintings. Upcycled metal sculptures. These add a touch of flamboyance or charm to the room and give a sense of creativity and play. Even just a small section of wildly patterned wallpaper or a boldly colored tailored Roman shade can add just the right amount of flair to bring the room to life.
It's Your Room
Whether you’re going for a lively new retro look or a buttoned-up English manor style room, remember that it’s your room. You make the ultimate decision about what you think works. Your goal shouldn’t be for your guests to say, “That sure looks like a new retro room.”
You’re just looking for “Wow!”
Learn more about some of the window treatments that form a foundation for your new retro room, including solar shades, roller shades, layered shades, and other sleek, modern window treatments that work well in new retro rooms—and find the Graber Design Expert who can help you make your vision a reality.
