Vintage Vibes & Retro Coffee Tables: Taking Back Kitsch

Bringing Kitsch Back

The days of kitsch snobbery are well past as designers and homeowners alike are getting on the neo-retro interior design bandwagon. This is a bold look, full of fun and individuality — perfect for anyone who wants their home to be set apart from the neutral, mass-produced, room-set style so often chosen in order to play it safe.

On the downside, it is a look that’s easy to get wrong — there’s a fine line between stylish kitsch and downright gaudy. Thankfully, there are companies out there specialising in retro chic, placing the emphasis on recreating funky retro-inspired pieces that are not only high quality but also provide a cool contemporary spin on the originals. Check out their range of coffee tables to get a taste of the retro-chic designs on offer.

What is Kitsch?

The word kitsch might once have been used to describe something tacky, loud or cheap – but these days it’s come to mean something quite different. It harks back to ‘the good old days’ and gives a sense of being free of the confines the style police put in place for our homes. Often associated with the 1950s, right into the 60s and 70s too, kitsch interiors evoke a rebellious feel, tinged with rock and roll and a refusal to conform — and who doesn’t fancy a taste of that in their living room?

Neo-retro interiors are all about introducing elements of kitsch, mixing bold colours, abstract patterns and pieces of furniture that stretch the imagination and, above all, make us smile.

The Retro Revival

With a nod to all things kitsch, be that vintage-inspired fabrics or funky coffee tables, the recent rise in the popularity of retro-style interiors has meant a real demand for well-designed, high quality furniture that echoes the shapes and styles of the past, while retaining a sense of modernity — a retro reinvention, if you like. In the living room, it’s been the retro coffee table, perhaps more than any other piece of furniture, that has felt the full effect of this reinvention – alongside a host of other quirky furniture.

Curves are big news in the retro furniture world, with cheeky angular lines a close second. Coffee tables featuring curves in their design reflect the whole ethos of kitsch in that they have no edges, no harsh lines — no limits. Think Ercol dining sets, G-Plan and Marcel Breuer’s Cantilever Chair (the one from Abigail’s Party, if you were wondering…).

Rather than round coffee tables, the look is perfectly summed up in Zespoke’s Retro Hoop Coffee Table — plenty of curves packed into a remarkably neat oval form. What’s more, this retro coffee table can be customised in pretty much any colour or pattern you can dream up – from Pillar Box Red (an obligatory shade for any kitsch-enthusiast), to designs depicting a map of the lovely London Underground.

If you love the idea of quirky furniture and want to inject a little kitsch style into your home, fear not. Introducing small elements at first and building up the look until you’re happy is the key. Perhaps you’re modernising a house built in the 1950s, 60s or 70s and want to pay homage to its roots – or maybe you just like the ethos of the retro aesthetic. Introduce on-off pieces, such as coffee tables with rounded edges, console tables in a wood finish with angular legs and tactile sofas – and don’t be afraid of bright colours (reds, teal, rose pink, olive green and mustard all work).

You can scour auction sites and reclamation yards to your heart’s content – but at Zespoke, we offer well-built, fully customisable pieces perfect for the look, such as retro coffee tables, side tables and consoles (to name a few. Get searching now to find your kitsch inspiration.