I hated the 80’s. Not. Who could hate the ’80s? We partied hard. We fishtaled our hair. We loved us some bright *ss colors, and best of all — the “Romantic comedy” was invented.
But design and fashion-wise we, like, were totally gnarly.
This room is screaming “Just look at how rich, expensive and sexy i am”. (which is pretty much the definition of tackiness, in fashion as well).
You are so pretty. Psyche.
Now, the carpet on the floor IN A BATHROOM was an interesting choice, but there is something here that I’m attracted to. The aqua and gold is a good combo, but there are other really bad elements here.
Also, sometimes we did our hair like this:
Speechless.
And we thought this was OK:
And it’s not, although Orlando would very much disagree.
Neon was hot. Literally. Figuratively. HOT. I actually don’t understand how neon wasn’t invented until the ’80s and if not, then can we invent new colors still? I shall invent the color “nurple, ” simply so I can say it more often. “I’ll take a gallon of nurple paint please. Semi-gloss.”
The ’80s have been creeping back for a few years in fashion. I’m not breaking any news stories with that one.
It’s exciting, you can’t deny that. Neon is not trying to be sophisticated and it’s not trying to be grown-up — it’s sole goal is to get attention and stand out, and let’s face it: when you are headed out to a party, why not stand out?
If you don’t beleive me about neon, then check out the covers of these Australian magazines this month:
See? They are foreign, which means they are cool. Trust.
Implementing crazy trends is a lot easier in fashion because it’s just a shirt or a jacket or a bangle — you don’t need to overhaul your wardrobe, and instead you just invest in a piece or two. It’s less risky and less commital. You can be fashion forward whilst only spending a hundred bucks.
So how do you bring it into your home, eh?
Not like that.
Better. Individual pieces are good (and both wall treatments are dope), but still a little cuckoo.
Yes. Besides the storage boxes under the bed — I wish it was just a plain white platform — I can get behind this bad boy. It’s a simple backdrop; white/pale pink with big hits of hot pink and neon yellow.
What are the tricks?
Go big and statement-y combined with a more subtle and sophisticated style.
Weird and good. This person is like the friend that seems all nice and conservative, but secretly puts decorative stickers on her nipples.
Ballsy, but Ii like it. Oh, and the beauty of paint is that its just paint. So, relax. You can repaint it (and you will), but for the next three years you’ll be the cool kids. You’ll be totally tubular, radical, and perhaps even bitchin’ if you are lucky.
Or bring it in with accent pieces — pillows, throws, vases, books. We are saving for a house, living in a one-bedroom so I can’t paint a wall this color. I would need a bigger house and it would be my guest room or a hallway or bathroom. So for now I’m bringing it in in the accents:
Here are my neon picks for 2012:
Not your grandpa’s wingback. Maybe your weird uncle’s — you know, the one that brings you home Day of the Dead souvenir figurines from Baja and has an Art Car. (I can’t find who makes these for the life of me, so if you know, please leave it in a comment.)
Crazy neon green tutu chandy by Jonis Bohlin via Remodelista. I could put this in a kid’s room or breakfast nook.
Really awesome porcelain vessels and tableware from Maison Sauvage. So saturated; the shapes are whimsical, and yet there is something sophisticated about them.
Neon pipers throw pillows From Christen Maxwell. I’ve loved these from day one.
I love this version, too:
That grey linen with the yellow combo is ridic.
I just found these radical neon poufs on Etsy for $65 each:
Pretty little dec pillow from an etsy vendor.
I recently bought this Lisa Congdon original for a client, just to bring in that pop of neon pink:
This one is taken (by me), but you could buy some of her prints like these:
Urban Outfitters is selling some very inexpensive and non-commital close to neon pillows:
This playful pom pom fringer for $24.
This one just has a few stripes of really saturated colors, so it’s pretty safe, for neon.
Neon chorded lights from Etsy:
They also sell custom pendants where you pick the chord:
So it could look like this:
I would add a very simple white drum shade to modern-ize it and make it more sophisticated.
And last, but certainly not least, Castle and Things is doing something SOOOO good with neon:
They have artwork and linen and i would own everyone single one of them. Don’t be intimidated by international shipping – i ordered something recently and it came so fast, plus its free if you spend over $250.
In other ’80s news, I’ll take one of these please:
My questions to you, dear readers, are:
Can you handle the neon? How would you use it? And how long do you think it’s here for?