The 1980s were a unique time for American homes! While most items are either stored in the attic today or sold at garage sales, they used to be a staple that we or our parents adored. Walk into any house from that era, and you’ll find a lot of items we’ve included in this list. Today, we’ll be revealing the 8 things in every ’80s home that disappeared today.
8. Patterned Wallpaper (Especially Floral)
When we say ’80s home decor, we all remember the patterns, especially floral wallpapers with soft rose motifs. They’re usually paired with matching curtains or bedding. You may remember that kitchens feature country-themed prints and bedrooms are of coordinated patterns on walls, curtains, and bedspreads. However, the patterned wallpaper fell out due to the rise of neutral tones.
7. Phone Books (Yellow Pages and White Pages)
Remember those giant yellow phone books that were delivered to your house every year? They’re actually phone books where the Yellow Pages contain businesses and the White Pages are the residential numbers. They’re useful for finding phone numbers or business addresses.
6. Formal Dining Rooms
Back in the 1980s, dinner was a formal occasion, thus the emergence of formal dining rooms in some houses. They’re dedicated spaces with heavy wooden furniture, fine China displays, and lighting. But today, formal dining rooms are redundant with the open-concept living and casual family meals. The dining areas are now merged with kitchens or living spaces.
5. Cassette Tapes and Stereo Systems
Every ’80s family home has a stereo system in their homes with a CD player, tape deck, and speakers. Not to mention the wire systems that are always tangled. There’s also the collection of cassette tapes that are labeled as mixtape albums and commercially produced music. But with the rise of digital music and eventually streaming, they have gone along with the ’80s.
4. Bulky CRT Televisions and Entertainment Centers
Entertainment centers in ’80s houses were huge with heavy wooden units. They house the TV, VCR, stereo system, and rows of VHS tapes. They take up a huge space in your living room, along with the giant TV, which is the main event. But it’s not the case today with slim and flat screens mounted on walls that are all-in-one. Families don’t need bulky entertainment systems to get the most out of them.
3. Cartoon Character Bedsheets
Remember those popular ’80s characters of Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony? They used to be in every child’s bedroom, too, even in their bedding! It features vibrant colors with designs of the characters plastered all over their sheets, comforters, and pillowcases. Lucky ones would even have the same characters on their curtains, and even as a theme for their rooms.
2. Skirted Furniture
Women aren’t the only ones wearing skirts, even furniture, too. They were added as a design to sofas, chairs, and nightstands. They’re decorated with ruffled or pleated fabric panels that are draped to the floor. But in the minimalist era, furniture no longer has drapings on its ends. Instead, they’re preferred to have their legs exposed in a minimalist fashion.
1. Rotary Dial Phones
Before smartphones ruled our entire lives, we used to have rotary dial phones. It works by sticking your finger in a hole and rotating the dial number. Today, they only serve aesthetics as they’re added to a home or bedroom design. While in the kitchens, we have long, coiled cords that attach to the walls so we can get our calls even while busy making dinner in the kitchen.