20 Years of Living Rooms: 1961 to 1981 - Flashbak (2024)

Take your shoes off, have a seat, and grab a drink and a smoke, we’re taking a look atliving rooms from the 1961 to 1981 – from Mad Mento the pre-Miami Vice era decor. Enjoy.

1961 – Well, Haroldlooks mighty relaxed; however, Mabellooks anything but “carefree”.

In the early sixties, things still looked very “fifties”, if that makes sense. The relatively drab, plain and conservative designs of mid-century didn’t start to yield to a more “hip” look until the economic boom during the Mad Men era of the mid-sixties.

A shag carpet would have been verboten just a few years earlier, but was a welcome addition to a mid-sixties bachelor pad.

Now this is a pretty happening living space complete with record theme, leopard print upholstery and a bar stocked with beer and donuts!

1965 – I absolutely adore how they’ve neatly arranged the cigarettes into a coffee table centerpiece.

1967

1968- Animal print recliners, a coffee table with gold cherubs for legs, and a fireplace flanked by dog statues with massive vases with colored ornaments on their heads…. sort of a subtle charm, don’t you think?

1969 –A couple years ago, I brought you some way-out living rooms from yesteryear (seeFab and Funky Living Rooms of the Seventies), but thoseinteriorswere the exception not the rule. Most living spaces looked more like this

1969 – You know you’re living the dream when your wife’s wardrobematches the living room. Those are some groovy stockings!

1970 – Around this time and in the 60s, upscale interiors often looked more gaudy than elegant – like they were designed by Liberace.

Meanwhile, in Germany, things have gone full Clockwork Orange.

1970 – This room is so “busy” I literally get a headache looking at it.

1971 – No living room was complete without its electricorgan. Once upon a time in the 70s, every mall had its organ store obnoxiously playing their Yamaha’s for the shoppers.

Orange was big in the early seventies. For more, check out A Clockwork Carpet: When Floor Coverings Went Orange

1973

1974 – Man, I would have loved to have this living area in the 1970s… truth bet told, I’d love to have this today!

Check out that seating, that mini-TV, the records, the turtleneck… what a time to be alive.

1975 –If you thought LSD inspired decor died with the 60s, think again.

Yes, there’s a TV here, but you’ll note that almost all of these living rooms are designed for conversation, not for zombie-like TV hypnosis.

1976

1977 –I’ve said this before- they tended to carried away with the houseplants in the 1970s. Rooms in the 70s often looked more like terrariums than living spaces.

1979 – Plants are still overtaking our living areas.

1979 – It’s hard to find a photograph of a 1950s-1980s living room without the omnipresent ashtray.

1981 – This living room features a nice cubby for your records, reel-to-reel, TV, VCR… and firewood? Still, it would be a damn fine spot to smoke a cigarette while listening to your new Air SupplyLP.

1981 – You can opt for the colorful, vaulted ceiling, open floor plan… or the ’81 special – dark, wood-paneled depression.

I’ll take “G” – the nick-nack shelves, “H” – the coffee table for my bigass ashtray, and “C” the hot blonde in denim.

And so, we’ll end here with a taste for what’s to come (from 1986) perfect for the cocaine dealer who’s just come into a lot of money. To be continued.

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