Living Retro

I’m so excited! I can once again introduce you to a wonderful new book. This time I’m saying – lets travel around the World RETRO style.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of retro (bulky hand-held cellphones? 1970s patterned wallpapers? nah, not for me…). I’m also not into anything modern. I guess I’d rather have a mixture of rustic and chabby chic, also a mishmash of boho and vintage in my house; I’m sure you understand that this has nothing to do with our recent past. Nevertheless I was nicely surprised by Living Retro by Andrew Weaving. My definition of retro must have been pretty narrow (anything that’s out of date basically…), which of course made me imagine boring and oldfashioned interiors, that could even scare me I’ve accidently traveled back in time! According to Andrew Weaving “living retro is a multi-faceted look that ranges from sophisticated glamour to paired-down chic, allowing its followers to cherry-pick their favourite pieces from the cream of twentieth-century design”. Of course this definition is much better, it gives freedom to create interiors that are not TOO retro, if you know what I mean.

All you need is “a passion for vintage furniture and an understanding of the very best of twentieth-century design”. Does this sound complicated? Then you should learn some more and the best (and probably the easiest) way to do this is to analyse some retro interiors traveling around the world. Andrew Weaving and photographer Andrew Wood collected 18 inspiring locations! London, Paris, Copenhagen, Palm Springs…

I would have never believed that retro interiors could be so different. In this book you will find perfect simplicity, funky fifties and even discreet charm and sophisticated glamour.

Apparently, “those who choose to live retro generally fall into one of three main cetegories”. We have “the purists – perfectionists who seek to recreate a specific moment in time in their home, and to put together an interior that is entirely faithful to the building that houses it”. We also have retro lovers who “have a certain signature style of their own … this trademark look is stamped upon their home, no matter how often they move or where they go”. And the last category… “the maximalists – magpies who have a passion for collecting vintage pieces and playfully … displaying their favourite finds”. Do you recognise yourself?

Living Retro is a beautifully published journey into our recent past. It is very informative and very inspiring. If before I said I wasn’t into anything retro, now I can honestly say I’ve changed my mind. I haven’t turned into a purist of course, but I could easily join people who don’t enjoy playing by the rules and try to develope their own signature style. (By the way, at the end of this book you will find a great suppliers list, so if you become a retro fan you can start your own Living Retro project right away!) — — —
Living Retro by Andrew Weaving, published by Ryland Peters & Small. Photography by Andrew Wood © Ryland Peters & Small

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