Vintage Home Décor: 6 Oldie But Goodies

1. Water Beds

In 1986, waterbeds made up 20% of the bed market. Now they’re almost completely obsolete. Why? They went the way of the fad—almost as quickly as they became the next big thing ine 80s home decor, their popularity sprung a leak.

2. Roll Top Desks

Roll top desks began to fade out when people started receiving too much correspondence to keep on its tiny shelves. With the advent of the computer, they were done for. However, some people still recommend roll top desks—roll the top down over your computer, they say, and it’ll keep the dust off. Fun fact: did you know that the top of a roll top desk is called a tambour?

3. Entertainment Centers

Back in the days when TV monitors were not flat, your television, videos and DVDs, and remote controls all fit neatly into an entertainment center. But thinner screens and Netflix accounts have made these wooden behemoths pretty obsolete. Fortunately, there are lots of ways that you can upcycle old entertainment centers—no need to waste all that material!

4. CD Racks

In one of the greatest space-saving moves of all time, the MP3 player—and then the smartphone—made it possible to fit all your songs into one tiny gadget. This means there’s no need for big CD racks to hold your collection of tunes. Just keep it all on your iPhone!

5. Grandfather Clocks

Think about the last time you checked the time. Did you look at an actual clock, or at your phone? Your computer? Your microwave? With the rise of digital timepieces came the end of the stately, heavy grandfather clock. Now these are less of a necessity and more of a retro home decor piece. Bright side: it’s sure a lot easier to move a microwave to a new house.

6. Landline Telephones

Okay, so maybe not quite vintage. But kids these days think of rotary dial phones as 90s home decor instead of an essential part of the home. This is because more and more families are tossing out their home lines in favor of a smartphone arsenal. Remember when you could eavesdrop on your family’s conversations just by picking up the other line? Those were the days.