Irish Examiner feature – Seventies interiors

Seventies interior style is often ridiculed for it outlandishness – think gold-plated dolphin taps, spider plants, avocado bathroom suites, walls clad in hectares of black veneered shelving units, all swamped by deep shag pile and a migraine-inducing assault of hysterically patterned wallpapers and fabrics.

But before you write it off completely, the decade also enjoyed some ideas that have stood the test of time. Open-plan living, the en-suite bathroom, expanses of frameless glass, sunken rooms, laminate flooring, steel tube furniture and bold experiments in lighting — we have the seventies to thank for all of them.

And, there are murmurs afoot that the discotheque charm of this confident era is grooving back to life.

“In London, Paris, and Milan, shrewd dealers and collectors from these cities see ’70s plastic design as aesthetically pleasing and good long-term investment bets,” says Dublin antiques dealer Paul Byrne.

So, what should we be looking out for from the ‘70s opus? Geoff Kirk of Kirkmodern, who deals in an upmarket selection of furniture and accessories from the 1950s onwards says, “Habitat was the driving force on the high street and the affordable face of the new consumerism, and now becoming highly collectable.

“Key pieces to look out for are the MacLamp by Terence Conran, Clam Shell box by Alan Fletcher, Crayonne plastics — all sold through Habitat — Ladderax shelving systems, Rya rugs, and iconic electronic designs such as the Space Helmet TV, which was designed to be hung from the ceiling, and the Toot-a-Loop wrist radio.

So, what can we expect from the high street?  The hip decade is an emerging story, shaking its cool thing everywhere, in shape, colour, and pattern. A reckless love of colour, and mind-bending psychedelic pattern shook established middle-class taste to its core. Today, we seem less afraid to accept a return to the velvet underground, though in small pulsating servings cooled by a spacious, neutral setting.

You only need take a look through the aisles of Ikea, which saw the majority of its stores open across the world in the 1970s, and at how young designers are interpreting ’70s style. Look out for:

* Dramatic walls in soft black or aubergine, as a foil to bright, day-glow furnishings.

* Upholstery, accessories and dishes in brown, rust, mustard and Marsala (Pantone’s colour for 2015).

* Resin and acrylic furniture with colour and gold tinted transparents.

* The return of wicker, knitting and rough woven fabrics.

* Flower power — no-one does it better today than Irish designer Orla Kiely.

* Engineered wood panelling (a huge story in interiors this year), plywood, cardboard and revealed brickwork.

* Chunky, masculine wood-framed seating furniture and low-back slouch couches.

TAKING THE CURVE

Zespoke is a young company based in Northern Ireland, lighting up the interiors world with their retro-inspired furnishings. Co-founders Stephen Richmond and Paul Elliot talk about their range:

Why these wild shapes?

Most modern furniture is mass-produced, something that is entirely opposite to what we do. Most of our designs have curves that are almost impossible to mass-produce, giving each piece an almost timeless feel. The shape of our furniture seems to be able to sit with almost any interior style.

How do you select colours?

We lean towards bright and we like to offer colours and combinations not available anywhere else. We have developed a customiser that lets you build a 3d model of your table in the colours you like as a try-before-you-buy.

Any unusual commissions?

We make a lot of furniture for the corporate world, including tables for Barclays, Lear Jets, Peugeot and Triumph Motorbikes. In a recent commission the client wanted a 2m table that we would have been unable to ship due to its size. Stephen came up with a clever solution, making it in two parts with a centrepiece.

How can we keep up-to-date with your work?

Our Facebook page is the best place to keep up to date with new products, and one to look out for is Ze Clock (£249), a new take on a grandfather clock.

Zespoke products can be found at zespoke.com