Retro Furniture

With musicals like Grease and Hairspray a huge hit in London it’s no wonder that retro furniture is all the rage. Retro furniture from the 50s is making a come-back and can add style to any home.

If you think back over the last 60 years which era brought the most fun into peoples’ lives? The music, the colours, the cars, the furniture… 1950’s America springs to mind. It makes you think immediately of bubblegum colours, milkshakes and meeting places. Big cars such as Corvettes and Cadillacs with their oversized racing seats. Manhattan, the Hudson and that Route 66 trail.

Buying retro furniture today is a great investment and you can mix pieces with other styles or go totally retro for a real design statement.

What is retro furniture?

So what does retro actually mean, retro is short for retrospect - bringing the past into our future homes. The word retro has also been associated with modernism in the immediate post-war years, encompassing everything from American Diner furniture to Cadillacs. Retro furniture is furniture that looks as though it’s from the old times, but unmistakably has that attitude of carrying impressions for the future.

Where can I buy retro furniture?

You can buy lots of different retro furniture in markets and shops, but a lot of the furniture nowadays is the redesign of original pieces. Retro furniture designs have remained popular to this day - look out for brightly coloured furniture that stands out and you won’t be far off something that’s considered retro.

Retro furniture from Cola Red

We met the fantastic Cola Red, team at this year’s Grand Designs in London. They sell brand new classic American diner furniture.

Cola Red has created a selection of funky, retro stools, table and chairs sets in pure 50’s style. This colourful furniture is sourced from the original factory in Canada where this style of furniture has been produced since 1946. They are one of the original manufacturers who have taken on some new technologies, although they still hammer in the pins on their chair and stool designs by hand.

Taking green issues seriously their factory has, for many years, sourced the wood used in their furniture from sustainable forests.

American diner furniture from Cola Red

Karen Katz from Cola Red told us…“Cola Red was created to offer an alternative to other furniture you can easily find on the high streets of the UK. Furniture that is, funky, retro, quality and with a difference. Made to last and mid-range in price too! Colours to lighten up your life, true retro designs to make you smile, this furniture is your alternative to that serious side of life.”

Check out the Cola Red American Diner retro furniture collection at Cola Red.