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In the design world, the word “mood” gets thrown around a lot when we’re talking about how a space looks and feels. But what are we actually getting at? Interior designer Cara Woodhouse sets out to define the term in her debut book, It’s a Mood: Your home. Your vibe, by dissecting 300 stellar spaces, each with a distinct vibe.
We flipped straight to page 100, where Woodhouse dives deep into all things retro. The chapter “feels like a warm hug from your grandma,” as she puts it. “Only she’s not a regular grandma…she’s a cool grandma.” Ahead, the pro breaks down how to nail a room with a nostalgic mood—without it looking like a time capsule from 1972.
Hey, Watch Your Tone
When I picture the 1970s, the one color that comes to mind is terra cotta. It’s warm. It’s earthy. It reminds me of that amazing scene filmed at a John Lautner house from Diamonds Are Forever, the one where the female villain somersaults off Gaetano Pesce’s Up chair (upholstered in a terra cotta fabric) and kicks Sean Connery’s ass. As a material, it is timeless. As a color, however, the saturated shade throws off strong vintage vibes that can feel a bit dated if the tone is wrong or the design plan skews too old-school.
Inverting expectations is one way I bring this shade into the twenty-first century. Here’s what I mean by that: People expect a terra cotta tile, but not a terra cotta–colored marble. They expect a rough clay surface, but not a soft, cushiony seat. In other words, let the color be the throwback, and make the form unexpectedly modern. Just as important (possibly more, actually) is the tone you choose. If you do some historical digging, you’ll see that the terra cotta of the seventies has a bright, orange-y tint, while today’s iterations tend to be deeper and lean more pink-ish/burnt sienna than sedated coral.
Since we’re on the subject, let’s talk about avocado green, mustard yellow, and lavender, too. The same concept applies to these vintage-y hues. Look for today’s interpretations. Avocado green should be minty and soft. Mustard yellow . . . brighter, less muddy. And lavender is best when it’s a pale, almost translucent hue. The contrast might seem minuscule, but it makes all the difference.
Super-Size Me, Please
Plaids and stripes. Colorful geometrics. Checkered prints. In the timeline of design history, they’ve all come and gone and come again, each time taking on a new persona that speaks to the cultural zeitgeist of that particular era. What I love about this family of patterns is that they tend to play well together, especially when you mix generations—a sixties’ block-print with a fifties’ check with a twenties’ pinstripe. It all works.
In their latest embodiment, however, these throwback motifs look as if they traveled through a magnifying glass and came out the other side bigger, bolder, and hairier than ever. (More on that last one below.)
The Pierre Paulin Pacha lounge chair is a great example. The style dates back to the mid-seventies, but the Pierre Frey fabric covering it feels like a super-saturated eighties plaid, only blown up ten times larger than you’d expect. So, in the end, this very vintage mix reads cheekily modern. Even the muted striped rug is out of proportion—the lines are wider, more audacious, and of the moment.
The amplification doesn’t stop at oversized prints either. There’s an unchecked textural landscape happening here. The plaid fabric is a mix of virgin wool, mohair, and alpaca—each left intentionally, uh, hairy. (We’re talking brushable amounts of fiber length.) It’s tough to see in this photo [above], but the rug—the work of British fashion designer Kitty Joseph—has a dizzying height disparity between stripes, one towering over the other creating an amazing wave effect. The tufts seem to change color depending on your position in the room.
Today’s patterns may be bigger and the textures wilder, but all that old-school charm remains solidly intact. Make brave choices—and don’t leave your sense of humor at home.
A Little Goes a Long Way
If all this retro nostalgia has you feeling warm and fuzzy all over, but designing a whole room to fit the mood is a little less tempting, I get it. My advice, if you have that concern, is: Don’t do it—at least not the whole space. For this aesthetic in particular, you only need one biggish moment to achieve that throwback magic. A single decorative pillow isn’t going to do it. But an area rug or a cool piece of furniture, even a well-placed section of tile, is enough to try it on for size.
Always on the Charm Offensive
When it comes to vintage details in a home, one person’s charm is another person’s eyesore. Maybe you love a wood-paneled den, and the fact that the mid-century home you just toured has one is the greatest selling point of all? Or maybe you finally found the perfect apartment to rent, but it comes with a wallpapered bathroom that reminds you of your great-aunt Shirley’s (which is not a bonus)? Either scenario can lead to incredibly inspired design moments.
If you’re more a nay than a yay, don’t automatically nix that perfect home or rental apartment over one dated detail. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to test the outer limits of your creativity. Some of my most-favorite design moments started with a problem that needed to be solved. Dated kitchen cabinets can be refinished. Old doors can be replaced. If there’s a will, there’s a way . . . to design around it.
Excerpted from It’s a Mood: Your Home. Your Vibe. by Cara Woodhouse. Published by Abrams.
