apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

1970s. The orange is as telltale as harvest gold or avacado.

The light fixture and other accessories make me think now.

Late 70's early 80's.

Definitely foreign (beers and furniture).

Turntable is outdated.

While black and white photography is timeless I'll bet that photo was current at the time.

I sure will feel like an ass if I'm wrong.

That screams Brady Bunch late 1960s.

I think the phone is the key.

My Tomy "Smaller Home" dollhouse furniture from 1980 looked exactly like that, right down to the color of the upholstery, so I'm saying 1970s.

I may be totally off-base, but there aren't many artificial materials in this this setting (e.g., no plastics...), so although I wanted to say 70s, I'd have to say probably 50s

Phones, turntable and art are good indicators, but I'm looking at the flooring too. 50s would be some kind of linoleum; 80s would be the ubiquitious sisal. This looks like wool wall-to-wall, so I'm going to stick with my 70s guess. If it were from today, we'd probably see a trendy flotaki rug or at least one identifiable item from Ikea or DWR.

A key question is what is the newest object in the photo. The armchair is probably the oldest - designed by Alvar Aalto in 1938-39. The phone is from the late 50's - an Ericsson "Cobra," with the rotary dial in the base. The floor/reading lamp is likely Scandinavian as well, and could be as early as the 50's, but the style was more popular in the 60's. I can't make out the turntable very well, but the low and rectangular profile of its plinth says 60's, possibly Gerrard. If I could place the pendant lamp and the vase, it would be easier, but it doesn't have to be later than the 60's. Overall, a Scandinavian feel. Given the era, the use of light wood (birch?) rather than teak or rosewood suggests Finnish or Swedish, rather than Danish. Let us know where as well as when.

Really? Because the beer bottle to me looks like an Amstel light, circa last night at the bar.

feels like Deutschland 1977 to me. auf wiedersehen.

Another clue: Where's the computer in this home "office"? The room has to be either pre-PC or part of the contemporary laptop era. . .

Arrg. This is boggling my brain. The phone has no cord -- it's wireless. And yet, the room still has reference BOOKS...

Please, AT, tell us the answer and put us out of our misery.

d in dc, i was thinking the same thing! the beer bottle made me say "now".

Interesting. I'm having such a hard time fixing this. Who knew this look was "timeless?"Firstly, the phone. I didn't recognise it as a phone. If I had I would have voted differently. I didn't even see the turntable. If this had been the fifties, it would have been in a cabinet--not open like that, I don't think.
As well, I'd think there'd be more round things if it were now or the sixties. Esp. the pendant light--that would be huge. And, as someone else noted, there's no computer--so it isn't "now." As well, I didn't place it "now" just because of the beer bottles--though they are long necks, not stubbies. So it's got to be the late seventies or early eighties.

Not as mod as the 60s should be, And not as ugly as the 80s would be, So I guess the 70s

I'm gonna say the '70's. Can't wait to see the answer.

A part of me thinks that A/T is messing with us :-)

I agree with d in dc. I also voted "now" because of the beer bottles.

I was looking for something that could not have existed at certain points in time and the beer bottle seemed most telling. The beer bottle could be 90's too but this style trend seems more prevalent now.

Can't wait for the reveal...

Now. Too many elements from all over the place.
70's orange.
90's cordless phone
50's cleanlines
today's 9or last night's) Amstel Light :)

Totally - Now.

Can't wait to see 'when'!

Although the portrait photo could have been shot in 1973, and even though this orange is Very-Brady, I think the styling of this room looks current. Can't be the 70s, can it? There would be more brown with this orange, I think.

It could potentially be the early to mid-90s. People were using a lot of birch in furnishings at that time. Vibrant orange and lime green were in. And Aalto and Jacobsen were having a major revival.

I can't see anything that could not have existed in the 50's. Color schemes and what not may make one want to say later, but I don't think so. The Ericofon was designed in the 40's and put into production in '54. There could be a wire coming off the back of it, or they may have hacked it off to clean up the scene for the photo shoot. Component stereo systems existed at the time, even if most people were using turntable/tv console combos.

The look says 50's contemporary to me.

The quality of the photography/printing has a very late 60's/early 70's feel to it. It looks like a photo ripped right out of one of my mom's old Better Homes and Gardens decorating books.

That, and the monochromatic color schemes were VERY big among the decorating books of that era.

There are also a number of clues that could plausibly tip this off as a contemporary recreation of that era. It could be argued that some details are just too pointed and on the nose, while others just feel a little off.

I'm dying to know the actual answer.

AAARGH.... I answered 90s but it's totally now...

How? That iKea Poang armchair has been in their collection for years.

The shelving looks like on of the new sets they released this year--you can mix and match the sliding door colors.

Um, is that an ashtray next to the beer bottles? I think it's late '50s, or possibly early '60s.

Those cabinets look exactly like ones that seemed to be in every house I visited when I spent summers in Germany as a child in the 80's... so I guessed 70's as my relatives would probably have been slightly behind the times... could be early 80's though!

Meltendo - The chair in the photo is a Model 406 lounge chair by Alvar Aalto. It is the chair that Ikea copied for the Poang.

As to where the photo came from, my guess is that it from a brochure or ad for the storage system in the background, and that the desk and table in the foreground are part of the same line of furniture.

I guessed the 70's, but the real entertainment here is in reading the comments! "90's cordless phone", "IKEA Poang armchair", etc. HAH!

Timeless, indeed...

I don't care what year it is, I want it to be mine now.

OK, That is SO not the IKEA chair. LOL.
Anyway, I'm going with 70's although it looks borderline very early 80's too.

P.S. Actually, I'm gonna vote for the 60's as well. LOL, can I do that?

I'm going wtih 60's because it looks likes my grandparent's house did. They moved into that place in the 60's and never once redecorated.

I voted 80s, because the Ericofone was reissued then. I bought one that was sparkly gold in 1985. But overall, it does have more of a 70s vibe.

The types of reference books on the shelves definitely make me say not current day. And the photos on the wall say early film stills for me. Very Eames like, in modular design of the room, colors, wood styles, etc.

It is the late 60s. I have that Swedish phone; they have obviously edited out the cord. The furniture is a mix of Swedish, Finnish (the Aalto chair is definately not Poang--Poang is a copy of that chair) and Danish. The shelving system is a component system. I think I have a Scandinavian furniture directory from the 60s in my office at home that has the same picture. I'll have to check it this evening.

Too bad the picture isn't bigger. Does it look like the receiver/amplifier is on the shelf next to the turntable? I think it is odd that the turntable doesn't have a dust cover. The poppy red makes me think 1964 Ford Mustang, but then I look at that turntable again and think it can be no sooner than the 70's. Then again, if the room is European that would really mess me up. I don't see an ashtray either. Hm. Oh well, I guess 70's.