Randy Mack | Realtor | 707.696.6272

    Heidi Faulkner | Realtor | 707.480.4098

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Retro design trends for your home: 1950s to 1990s

Retro-design trends from the 1950s to the 1990s offer a rich tapestry of styles that can transform your home into a nostalgic haven—each decade brought unique aesthetics, materials, and colours that inspire modern interiors.

1950s: Mid-century Modern Elegance

This era emphasised clean lines, organic shapes, and a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor living.

Key features:

  • Clean lines and organic shapes: Furniture with tapered legs, smooth curves, and minimalist silhouettes.
  • Natural materials: Wood, leather, and metal, particularly teak and walnut finishes.
  • Bold colours and patterns: Vibrant hues like mustard yellow, teal, and olive green, complemented by geometric and atomic patterns.

Tips for incorporation:

  • Statement furniture: Invest in iconic pieces like an Eames lounge chair or a sleek sideboard.
  • Mix and Match: Blend mid-century pieces with modern decor for a balanced look.

1960s: Space Age

The 1960s brought a mix of futuristic designs. It is also known for its bold, unconventional styles.

        Photo by David Stern Architecture

Key features:

  • Futuristic shapes: Space-age furniture with sleek, curved lines and innovative materials like moulded plastic and fibreglass.
  • Bright colours and patterns: Bold, contrasting colours and patterns dominated the scene.
  • Pop art influence: Artwork and decor featuring pop art icons and motifs.

Tips for Incorporation:

  • Accent pieces: Add a few space-age chairs or pop art prints to infuse your space with 60s flair.
  • Bold Accents: Use bright colours and eye-catching patterns.

1970s: Bohemian and Earthy

The 1970s featured a casual, free-spirited style focused on natural materials and earthy colours and this period embraced individuality and a mix-and-match approach, providing plenty of inspiration for creating a cosy and one-of-a-kind home.

Key features:

  • Earthy colour palette: Warm shades like mustard yellow, avocado green, burnt orange, and deep brown dominated the scene.
  • Natural materials: Rattan, wicker, macramé, and wood were widely used in furniture and decor. Houseplants were also a popular choice, bringing nature indoors.
  • Patterns and textures: Bold patterns, such as paisleys, florals, and geometric designs, were common in wallpapers, rugs, and upholstery. Shag carpets added a layer of cosy texture.
  • Open floor plans: The 70s favoured open spaces with a casual, laid-back vibe, often accented with floor cushions and bean bags.

Tips for incorporation:

  • Mix and match: Don’t be afraid to combine different patterns and textures. Layering rugs and adding macramé wall hangings can create a dynamic, lived-in look.
  • Vintage Finds: Scour thrift stores and flea markets for vintage furniture and accessories. Rattan chairs and retro light fixtures can add an authentic 70s touch.

1980s: Bold and Glamorous

This decade, they embraced bold colours, luxurious materials, and high-contrast designs. It was a time of excess and glamour, and these elements can bring a dramatic flair to your home.

Key features:

  • Vibrant colours: Neon hues, pastel shades, and bold primary colours were prevalent. Think hot pink, electric blue, and bright yellow.
  • Geometric shapes: The 80s loved geometric patterns, from zigzags and chevrons to abstract shapes. These were often seen in textiles, wallpapers, and art.
  • Lacquered and mirrored surfaces: Glossy finishes and mirrored furniture added a touch of glamour and helped to create the illusion of more space.
  • Metallic accents: Gold, silver, and chrome details were everywhere, from furniture to lighting fixtures.

Tips for incorporation:

  • Accent walls: Use bold, geometric wallpaper or vibrant paint to create a focal point in a room.
  • Statement furniture: Invest in a few key pieces with glossy finishes or metallic accents to elevate the look.
  • Mix metallics: Don’t avoid mixing different metallic finishes for a more dynamic and layered appearance.

1990s: Minimalist and Eclectic

The 90s saw a shift towards more minimalist and eclectic styles, blending the best of previous decades with a newfound simplicity.

Key features:

  • Neutral colour palette: Soft, neutral shades like beige, taupe, and white were popular, often accented with muted pastels and natural greens.
  • Minimalist aesthetics: Clean lines, uncluttered spaces, and functional furniture defined the 90s. This was a departure from the bold excesses of the 80s.
  • Eclectic mix: The 90s also embraced a mix-and-match approach, combining vintage pieces with modern decor for a personalised look.
  • Natural elements: Wood, stone, and other natural materials were used to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Tips for Incorporation:

  • Simplify: Focus on creating clean, uncluttered spaces. Choose furniture with simple lines and neutral colours.
  • Eclectic decor: Combine vintage finds with contemporary pieces to create a unique, eclectic vibe. A 90s-inspired home should reflect your style.
  • Natural touches: Incorporate wood and stone elements, as well as houseplants, to add warmth and texture.

Each decade from the 1950s to the 1990s has unique retro design trends. You can blend vintage charm and modern style into your home by incorporating key elements from these eras. Embrace the creativity and individuality of each decade to give your home a timeless retro design appeal.

And for more interior design content, check out Elevate Your Home: Interior Design Trends 2024.

Finally, go ahead and try out these ideas, mix and match, and let your imagination run wild. We hope you’ve found these tips helpful and inspiring. Happy decorating!

Posted in: Renovation + Build to Suit Tagged: #buildtosuit, #decor, #homedecor, #homeownership, #interiordesign, #luxuryhome, #luxuryrealestate, #mackfaulkner, #sonomacounty, #sonomacountyrealestate, HeidiFaulkner, interiordecor, RandyMack

Add Color to Your Home Without Using a Paintbrush

Would you like to add some colour to your living space without painting? Let’s explore some easy ways to do just that! Whether you’re a renter, a homeowner looking for non-permanent solutions, or someone who loves to experiment with decor, these ideas will inspire you to transform your space easily.

Colourful Kitchen Appliances

In the past, kitchen designs mostly featured neutral tones and metallic finishes. While this style is classic, it can be boring. Now, you can find kitchen appliances in various colours to add a pop of personality to your space.

Credit: KitchenAid

Adding a vibrant KitchenAid mixer to your kitchen can elevate your kitchen. Their Artisan five-quart stand mixer comes in 34 colours. This year, KitchenAid chose blue salt as their colour of the year.

Credit: Donna Moderna

If you enjoy coordinating your kitchen accessories, you can add a shade of red and complement it with other red accents such as plates and cups, utensil holders, or even small appliances like a coffee maker or blender, creating a cohesive and sleek look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit: Samsung

Samsung launched a refrigerator with changeable door panels. You can choose from various colours and two finishes to create a space that fits your style. Additionally, colourful appliances can go well with any kitchen style. They create a beautiful contrast that catches the eye when paired with neutral cabinetry and countertops.

Textiles and Artwork

Brighten up a room by adding some colourful accents like throw pillows, area rugs, or curtains. You can also choose paintings, prints or photographs, or create a gallery wall by mixing frames that feature vibrant colours.

Removable Wallpaper

If you want to refresh a room without making a big commitment, removable wallpaper is a great option. Traditional wallpaper requires glue and scraping to remove, but removable wallpaper has an adhesive backing that sticks to walls, when you’re ready for a change, you can simply peel it off without damaging the walls.

Wall Decals

Wall decals are a type of vinyl material that combines the features of a sticker and removable wallpaper. They are available in various patterns and designs and can be easily applied and removed; an excellent way to enhance the look of your home without the need for painting or wallpapering. You can apply them to your walls, furniture, mirrors, and doors.

Plants and Natural Elements

Add a refreshing touch of nature to your living space with indoor plants. Choose those with multicoloured leaves and pot them in colourful containers for a vibrant touch. This not only adds visual interest to your space but also improves air quality and boosts your mood.

Ultimately, adding colour to your living space can be easy and fun and doesn’t require a paintbrush. With the ideas we’ve shared, you can transform your home into a vibrant and refreshing oasis that suits your style.

And for more interior design content, check out Elevate Your Home: Interior Design Trends 2024.

Finally, go ahead and try out these ideas, mix and match, and let your imagination run wild. We hope you’ve found these tips helpful and inspiring. Happy decorating!

Posted in: Renovation + Build to Suit Tagged: #buildtosuit, #decor, #forestville, #healdsburg, #homedecor, #homeownership, #interior, #interiordesign, #luxuryhome, #luxuryrealestate, #mackfaulkner, #petaluma, #realestate, #realestateagent, #realtor, #sebastopol, #sonomacounty, #windsor, HeidiFaulkner, RandyMack, santarosa

Ultimate Rainy Day Home Décor Inspiration Generator

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Even if you don’t pride yourself on your artistic flair, you probably have developed fairly firm ideas about what makes some Sebastopol homes come across better than others. Without even consciously thinking about it, you know as soon as you walk through a front door whether that immediate impression is strongly positive, just so-so, or sub-so-so.

A home’s agreeable first impression can usually be laid to a combination of pleasing architecture, diligent maintenance, and appealing décor. Not every home in Sebastopol has all that going for it, but there can also be a saving note: sometimes the most important impression comes from just a few minor touches—clever accents that just seem perfect.

Now that we’re wading deeper into the (very welcomed) rainy months when the weather causes us to stay indoors, we are more likely to find ourselves with some spare time—the commodity that was so hard to find when the sun was shining. That makes it an ideal time to browse through the web (or home decorating magazines, if any of those are around) to fire your creative decorating juices. There are websites galore that feature photos displaying imaginative design touches that other homeowners have come up with. Today, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—when it’s being reinvented by thousands of others.

All by itself, Pinterest is a single source of boundless do-it-yourself design ideas. The virtual pin board site is the source of billions of images its users are proud enough to want to share with the world (and a surprisingly large percentage live up to that appraisal!). Since there are more than 100 million active users every month, the images and ideas are constantly changing. If you’re open to new ideas, this is boundlessly rich territory.

If you enter ‘decorating’ in the search bar at the top of the Pinterest screen, you’ll summon up dozens of tabs (they look like color swatches) that lead to all sorts of classifications. There are Apartment, Home, Bedroom, Cabin, DIY, Room, Fall, Rustic, Kitchen, Bathroom, Wall, Ideas, House, Vintage, Country, Table, Dorm, Cookies (this leads to dessert-type cookies—so here ‘decorating’ means ideas for icing them), On A Budget, Farmhouse, Cottage, Bohemian (a suitable alternate title for that one might be ‘clutter’ or ‘gypsy wagon’) Beach, Nautical, Modern…you get the idea: just about everything.

Alternatively, once you are in the greater ‘decorating’ section, you can also just key in a more specific description of the area you’re exploring. For instance, if you put in ‘spring,’ you’ll see hundreds (perhaps thousands—the pages just keep expanding) of colorful ideas for springtime everything: bunnies, door hangings (a great idea showed an umbrella hanging from a front door knocker with a terrifically colorful springtime floral display bursting up out of the inside of the umbrella)… Then, once you click on any image, you are taken to the creator’s page…and that’s likely to show hundreds of other ideas. A lot of them turn out to be commercial sites, but those have often cooked up some of the most creative ideas.

In case you’ve never visited Pinterest, We would like to apologize in advance to the amount of time it’s likely to devour. Still, when the weather turns foul, and you’re looking for ways to enhance your Sebastopol home, that’s probably a reasonable price to pay. We have a number of other resources if you are thinking of maximizing your property’s appeal for sale (or for you!). Give us a call anytime!   

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Posted in: General Tagged: #decorating2016, #homedecor, #pinterest, #remodel, #Sebastopolrealestate

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Contact Information

Randy Mack and Heidi Faulkner
Artisan Sotheby's International Realty
6984 McKinley Street
Sebastopol CA 95472
(707) 696-6272
(707) 480-4098
Fax: (707) 824-0587
Send an Email
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About Us

We are proud to have aligned ourselves with Artisan Sotheby’s International Realty an inspirational brand based on heritage, tradition and expertise. We are setting new standards by refining the art of residential brokerage with a practiced eye of identifying the unique value of a property. We offer a deep commitment to excellent service and have a passion for unparalleled quality. Unique homes require skillful marketing through our local expertise and Sotheby’s International Realty interconnected global network of offices that are dedicated to the extraordinary.

Testimonials

I wish to express my satisfaction and confidence in your ability to find an ideal home for anyone that I would refer to you. My own experience in purchasing and selling a home with you allowed me to witness the fact that you are truly an expert in your field, handling all aspects of residential real estate transactions. From the beginning, your market analysis to the final stages of negotiations, your calm manner and clear explanation kept me knowing I was in the best of hands.

Mr. Mitchler
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Contact Us

Randy Mack - Realtor CA BRE#01252462
randy@mack-faulkner.com

(707) 696-6272
6984 McKinley Street
Sebastopol, CA 95472



Heidi Faulkner - Realtor CA BRE#01227446
Heidi@mack-faulkner.com

(707) 480-4098
6984 McKinley Street
Sebastopol, CA 95472



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