12 Things Every Middle-Class Home Had in the ’70s

Written by Erin Kuschner on updated
A living room with red carpet, a floral-patterned sofa, yellow armchair, white tufted chair, two side tables with lamps, a square abstract painting, yellow curtains, and a potted plant.
atlantic-kid/istockphoto

Visit a middle-class home in the ’70s and you’d be guaranteed to find at least a few specific items: shag carpeting, wood-paneled walls, and plenty of avocado green appliances. Sure, everyone had their own unique style, but there was a definitive vibe to middle-class aesthetics during this decade. Let’s take a look back at some of the common household items you could find in a 1970s middle-class home.

1. Loud Floral or Paisley Couch Patterns

Two women sit and talk on a floral-patterned sofa in a cozy living room with matching armchair and ottoman, a fire burning in the fireplace, and a coffee table with flowers and tea set.
u/morganmonroe81 via Reddit.com
u/morganmonroe81 via Reddit.com

2. Pristine Encyclopedia Sets

A row of ten black and gold bound volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica sits neatly on a wooden shelf, labeled from 1 to 10, with visible maroon accents on the spines and a white wall backdrop.
Vintage Dynamics Books / ebay
Vintage Dynamics Books / ebay

3. Fondue Sets for Cheesy Entertaining

A red fondue pot sits on a black stand with a burner underneath, placed on a wooden board. Five fondue forks with colored tips are arranged on the table beside the pot.
mg7/istockphoto
mg7/istockphoto

4. Rotary Telephones

A vintage orange rotary dial telephone with a coiled black cord sits on a patterned surface, with a retro patterned wallpaper in the background.
querbeet/istockphoto
querbeet/istockphoto

5. Sunken Living Rooms, aka Conversation Pits

Retro living room with orange carpet, green sectional sofa, glass coffee table, built-in wood cabinets, plants, and magazines on the floor. Sunlight streams in through large windows with greenery outside.
u/Quick_Presentation11 via Reddit.com
u/Quick_Presentation11 via Reddit.com

6. Avocado Green or Harvest Gold Appliances

A vintage Rival Crock-Pot slow cooker in green with a transparent lid is placed next to its original packaging. The box features an image of the cooker and various vegetables. A cookbook and instructions are also visible.
r/nostalgia via reddit.com
r/nostalgia via reddit.com

7. Shag Carpeting

A retro living room with a stone fireplace, wood-paneled walls, blue-green shag carpet, curtains on windows, and a mural of a tree painted on one wall.
u/Ok-Tangerine-6520 via Reddit.com
u/Ok-Tangerine-6520 via Reddit.com

8. Macramé Wall Hangings

An older woman with glasses and short gray hair stands indoors, holding up a large handmade macramé piece in red, white, and pink yarn with long fringe. She is smiling and wearing a red top.
u/bealsash71 via Reddit.com
u/bealsash71 via Reddit.com

9. Wood Paneling … Lots of It

A cozy living room with wood-paneled walls, a carpeted staircase, a floral armchair, a curtained window, a lit floor lamp, and shelves displaying various decorative items and figurines.
u/1920MCMLibrarian via Reddit.com
u/1920MCMLibrarian via Reddit.com

10. A Record Player or Turntable Console

A vintage turntable with a clear cover, partially open, displaying a vinyl record with a red label. The turntable features a wooden casing and metal accents, with the tonearm positioned to the side.
eBay
eBay

11. Tupperware in Bold Colors

Colorful selection of Tupperware
u/hotbowlsofjustice via Reddit.com
u/hotbowlsofjustice via Reddit.com

12. Bean Bag Chairs

A man with curly hair and a mustache lounges on a bean bag, playing an Atari video game. He is surrounded by drinks and snacks, with a large, brown tufted sofa and patterned pillows in the background.
u/Slow-moving-sloth via Reddit.com
u/Slow-moving-sloth via Reddit.com

To learn more about 1970s style, don’t miss 10 ‘Fancy’ 1970s Home Decor Trends That We Can’t Forget. You should also check out 15 Retro Treasures From the 1970s That Are Now Worth Thousands and 11 Popular Products From the 1970s.

Author
Erin Kuschner

Erin Kuschner has spent the past decade as a writer and editor for both digital and print publications. Prior to joining Wealth Gang, she was a reporter and editor at Boston.com, Time Out Austin, and Time Out Los Angeles, and has written for the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, Eater, and other publications.