Vintage Home Decor

About Vintage Home Decor

Give your memory a workout with Vintage Home Decor: 15 multiple-choice questions with a mix of 5 easy, 5 medium, 5 hard questions, free to play right in your browser. How well do you remember the home decor trends of decades past? Expect to spend about 7 minutes; every question comes with an explanation, so you learn something even when you miss.

A few sample questions

1. 1. What color of kitchen appliances became hugely popular in the 1970s?

   Answer: Avocado green

   Avocado green (along with harvest gold) dominated kitchen appliances in the 1970s. Refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers in these earthy tones were in nearly every American kitchen.

2. 2. What type of lamp, featuring colored wax floating in liquid, was a popular decor item in the 1960s and 1970s?

   Answer: Lava lamp

   The lava lamp was invented by Edward Craven Walker in 1963. Its mesmerizing blobs of colored wax rising and falling in heated liquid became an icon of 1960s and 1970s decor.

3. 3. What kind of wall covering was common in homes of the 1950s and 1960s, often featuring bold patterns?

   Answer: Wallpaper

   Wallpaper was enormously popular in the 1950s and 1960s, with bold floral, geometric, and scenic patterns adorning nearly every room. Some homes had different patterns in every room.

4. 4. What type of flooring, often in shag style, was extremely popular in living rooms during the 1970s?

   Answer: Wall-to-wall carpet

   Wall-to-wall shag carpet was the must-have flooring of the 1970s. The long, thick fibers came in bold colors like orange, gold, and green, and covered everything from living rooms to bathrooms.

5. 5. What was a common material used for kitchen countertops in the 1950s?

   Answer: Formica laminate

   Formica laminate countertops were the standard in 1950s kitchens. They came in cheerful colors and boomerang or starburst patterns that defined the era's atomic age aesthetic.

Things you'll learn along the way

• ✓Dark wood paneling was a defining feature of 1970s home decor. Basements, dens, and family rooms were commonly covered in sheets of thin, dark-stained plywood paneling.
• ✓Bead curtains were a popular doorway treatment in the 1960s and 1970s. Made from wooden, glass, or plastic beads on strings, they added a bohemian, counterculture vibe to homes.
• ✓Ceramic figurines were everywhere in 1950s homes. From Hummel figures to poodle figurines, these collectibles were proudly displayed on doily-covered tables and shelves.