Best flashback: 1970s-inspired furniture designs win Wallpaper* Design Awards
The 1970s living room is recast for contemporary lounge lizards in this selection of furniture selected as Best Flashback in the Wallpaper* Design Awards
Boho is back. Designers have been channelling a 1970s furniture vibe with a revival of cane chairs, curvaceous chandeliers, plush fabrics and colourful furnishings.
But you can banish thoughts of swirling patterned wallpaper, shag-pile carpets, animal prints and fringing.
Best Flashback: 1970s-inspired furniture for today
Instead, our sleek snug is the embodiment of sophistication, set up for easy lounging with Norm Architects’ inviting ‘Cask’ armchair, for Spanish brand Expormim, which places a temptingly squashy upholstered seating area within a geometrically pleasing structure constructed from tinted natural rattan rods.
We’ve paired this with David/Nicolas’ modular ‘Victoria’ sofa for Tacchini, which features curvaceously elegant seating blocks, in a range of bold fabrics, set in a polished or matte black chrome frame, which gives it the appearance of floating.
Shedding soft light over the serene scene is Francesco Librizzi’s orb-like ‘Alicanto’ floor lamp for FontanaArte, which takes its name from a Chilean mythological bird that only feeds on gold or silver, making it unable to fly but affording its wings a golden glow. Alongside it is Fritz Hansen’s seashell-inspired ‘Clam’ pendant lamp in mouthblown opal glass and brass – designed by Danish studio Ahm & Lund, this opens to reveal a luminescent pearl of light within.
Pops of disco-glam colour come in the form of Jan Kath’s ‘Spectrum Orta Basic’ rug, which takes inspiration from spectacles of nature, such as the Northern Lights, and myths and fairy tales about dancing lights above gloomy moors and dark pine forests; as well as Piero Lissoni’s ‘Thierry’ side tables for Kartell, with their shiny, candy-like hues; and Baxter’s wall-mounted, gradiated resin-clad ‘Altea’ cabinet, designed by Draga & Aurel for Baxter.
So turn off all devices, flick through some back issues of Wallpaper*, slickly housed in Christophe Pillet’s handwoven leather ‘Mate’ rack, and kick back to some chilled tunes played out on La Boite Concept’s minimalist high-fidelity ‘Square’ turntable, available in either walnut or oak. §
