From hippie boho to disco glam, 70’s interior design is making a mark on the design world again. This groovy style has been back in vogue - designers and homeowners are embracing with open arms retro hallmarks such as bright colors, geometric patterns and the eclectic maximalism that thrived throughout the decade.
The 1970’s can offer a lot of inspiring solutions to make our homes beautiful, with the ultimate goal of creating spaces that are joyful, carefree and funky, while at the same time very comfortable. If you’re obsessed with all things retro, your style leans boho, or you’ve simply had enough of the pared-back style in minimalist decor, you’re very likely to be on board with the reemergence of 70s style!
This timeless chevron pattern has been a class for decades! Our Metropolitan Chevron marble mosaic tile adds the perfect touch if you're looking to jazz up your fireplace or any other area of your home to create movement and a visual focal point!
Ready to get your disco fever on? Steal inspiration from our 70’s tile designs for a retro-inspired home with floral prints, bright colors, mix-and-match patterns and much more! We’ve gathered our favorite tile ideas to help you create that retro chic style combined with an updated feeling for some boho vibe at home. Enjoy!
6 Tile Ideas to Bring Back 70s Styling To Your Home
Go Crazy with Color
For the color-obsessed, this orange backsplash is a design dream! With a bold and recognizable palette, our Glacier Orange 1x1 Frosted Glass Tile gives you the ticket to revitalizing your space while the clean lines of glass allows for a healthy balance of retro and modern.
With this vintage design style, you’re looking at a mix of bold and vibrant colors to reflect the glam disco vibes of the period - harvest oranges, avocado greens, retro pinks and sunshine yellows are definitely on the stage! Remember that the desired effect is to create maximum impact with a striking, provocative look so don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone with colorful tiles in your home! Give your space a distinct retro vibe using a green tile for the kitchen backsplash, vibrant penny round tiles for a slip-resistant shower floor, or opt for bright color combinations such as fuchsia pink and tangerine oranges placed side-by-side!
If you want your walls to have tons of color plus an airy feel, make a subtle nod to the 1970s with tiles in pastel colors. Bright yet soft, we think the lovely hues of our La Riviera Rose Pink Ceramic Square Tile 5.2" x 5.2" deserves a shout-out! It brings a nostalgic pop of color to the shower area with an unexpected freshness - perfect to infuse some vintage chic to a neutral space. What do you think?
Design Tip: To nail the perfect 1970s look in the kitchen, we love the idea of using bright and glossy retro refrigerators in green, turquoise or pink lemonade paired with a glass tile backsplash in the same color for a fresh vibe!
Meet Maximalism
Eclectic Firehouse Square Mosaic Tile combines both warm and cool shades for an authentic color palette, and features a truly unique mixture of materials including glass, resin and stone. Perfect for designing a rule-breaking 19-inspired space that’s dared to be different!
The 70s were not an era known for monotone or boring decor. Instead, design elements were bold, and implemented an array of materials and styles. So, if you've never experimented with maximalist style, now is your chance!
Much the same as color choices, patterns in the 1970s tended towards bold and catchy, and were often mixed-and-matched to reflect the head-turning characteristics of maximalism. If you want to give a pared-back space a little bit of a tweak with pattern, or shift from minimalist and modern to a full eclectic hippie style, this throwback style is all about gaudiness, excess, and having fun! Let us show you how!
For a major throwback to retro with a maximalist style, this living room displays a mix and match of different tile patterns with an offbeat interest! Embrace a trendy twist on this look, by mixing subway tile floors paired with floral mosaics on the wall, and create the ultimate patterned array of tile for your home! Photo via MyDomaine.
Go Geometric
This kitchen welcomes just a touch of this groovy decade into an otherwise modern design with Calacatta Bluette and White Marble Stellar Diamond Mosaic Tile that creates a geometric wall design- a trademark of the 1970s glamor.
Sleek lines, be gone - 1970s-inspired designs are rooted on crisp geometric shapes for furniture, art and accessories. The polar opposite of the pared-down minimalism style, this is the perfect chance to create a home decor that’s loud and confident with bold motifs! If you’re already feeling a little burnt out by clean lines, and super sleek materials, these geometric patterns might be a worthy style contender for your home!
Whether you turn your bathroom into a disco daze with silver glossy hexagon tiles, or add a funky touch to your living room with a chevron accent wall, geometric tiles offer a variety of patterns from the 1970s that are still all the rage!
Forget the plain painted walls and set your sights on patterned tile ideas that’ll make your home unique and vintage-inspired—yet still fitting for a more updated home! We love the way Blue Forest Diamond Glass Mosaic Tile takes you back to the days of disco in the bathroom design above, giving the space a seventies feel but with a cleaner, more modern story.
Design Tip: Don't be shy when it comes to unconventional tile patterns too! Get your groove on with more than one texture and mixing motifs in your living areas - the more the merrier!
More and More Texture
This bathroom stays within a monochrome palette yet features the 70s-inspired prints with the unique textured surface of Tex Grey Hexagon Pattern Natural, transporting the minds to the spirit of this iconic decade!
Bold colors not really your thing? Where color is absent, amped-up texture and tactility steps in - opt for textured tiles featuring contrasting materials and imperfect surfaces that were highly sought-after in the 70’s. Although the decade is often associated with bold bright tones, there’s actually a much more neutral and natural side to this era. It’s easy and achievable to recreate this look by layering different textures and prints, and give the space a handmade touch that harkens back to the nostalgic era.
The authenticity and warmness of the 70s can be achieved through textured tiles - they are perfect to dress up surfaces with a unique and imperfect finish that looks and feels manmade. Our La Riviera Blue Reef Ceramic Tile backsplash recreates the kitchen space above by packing it with architectural interest and a strong emphasis on texture, and creates a lived-in chic interior!
Design Tip: Shag rugs, rattan, wicker and macrame were also a central part of this vintage interior style that go far in grounding a home, allowing you to be in touch with the earth and their roots!
Think Terrazzo
With our Storm Sky Terrazzo Hex Tile, this once-groovy material is now more beautiful than ever! Porcelain terrazzo tiles bring a fresh update to this bathroom with its large-scale hexagon pattern and soft blue palette while still bringing back the nostalgic memories of times past!
Terrazzo - the iconic tile of the 1920s that reached its peak popularity in the mid-century modern era - is the proof that everything old becomes new again! After having its heyday in the early 70s, terrazzo is now entering our radar back as one of the most popular materials for wall and floor coverings. Giving us a classic vibe with the advantages of porcelain, today’s terrazzo tiles are beautiful and durable for those who want an iconic and low-maintenance material for their showers, kitchens, living rooms and more!
Bloom with Florals
A nod to seventies decor with floral details is expressed in our beautiful Floral Dream Bianco Carrara & Thassos Mosaic Tile in a durable marble finish!
Indoor plants are one of the easiest ways to channel the 1970s-inspired style in your home but creating a floral haven doesn't necessarily have to involve a collection of plants - it can be achieved through tiles too! If you imagine plants looming over that shag carpet, or wrapping their vines around natural wood shelving, think again!
If floral tiles remind you of your granny's home, don’t worry. Today's tiles offer a lovely mix of modern and vintage-inspired style, and are perfect for adding a pop of freshness to your home with a durable surface. What screams retro more than a floor covered in a floral pattern? We love the way our Weaving Flower Carrara & Thassos Marble Mosaic Tile adds vibrance and movement to this mudroom with a fresh floral print that’s reminiscent of the 1970s period!
White & Green Bricks Carrara & Glass Mosaic Tile backsplash paired with macrame plant hangers and rattan baskets is perfect to mirror the sense of biophilia – love of nature – in a nature-inspired bathroom design!
Among all the joyful colors, floral prints, macramé, and the houseplant craze, there are endless ways to tastefully incorporate trends from the iconic 70s decade. If you want your home to spread some boho flair and groovy vibes inspired by this era, pick your favorite tile design for a classy final touch to your space! Remember that everything can be reimagined with tiles - embrace the most-beloved trends of the 1970s while keeping your decor functional, modern and fresh.
Looking to add more glam to your home or space? Be sure to check out our Glamorous Home Inspiration Tile!