Cozy & Casual Living Room - The Answer
Guess the Decade

We know for a fact that a few very savvy design minded folks went for "now" as the answer to this weeks Guess the Decade challenge - but even though it looks...

(Click here to guess first - then jump below for the answer)

... like it absolutely could be current, it is definitely not a 2010 room.

This was a very close one - the majority (116) of readers who played along were off by just a little bit - they choose the 60s and it actually is from the 70s. The winning decade of the 70s came in second on our poll, with 102 votes - give yourselves a round of applause right now!

29 readers guessed the 50s. "Now" was next with 9 votes, followed by 8 for the 80s and just a handful for the 40s, 90s and 00s. .

We chose this room for the game because of the clear depiction of how nearly everything cycles around again and the power of simple, timeless Scandinavian design - it really wouldn't be a surprise if this space showed up in a house tour, as pointed out by one of the commenters.

The room was included in a book called Design from Scandinavia, and was posted by Oliver Tomas on flickr.

Some interesting comments from the original post:

I immediately thought 60s--the furniture is absolutely 60s--but now you people have me thinking...... The shag rug could be 70s..... Then again, the shag rug could be 2010. That little white lamp could be IKEA; the little green bottles could be present day West Elm. What about the contemporary lime green box on the side table? The white crate planter could be a recent (2010) purchase as well. This photo could have been taken within the last 5 years for all I know! Hmmmm. Well, I guess I'll find out tomorrow if I'm cut out to be a decorating detective. P.S. The fact that there are no electronics in sight means nothing. No telephone? Cordless, in another room. No stereo? Tiny ipod dock. No TV? Hanging on the white brick fireplace wall, perhaps? Curiouser and curiouser..... - creative license

I too am torn between 1960s and 70s, though I will go with 70s due to the white shag rug. There's something about shag rug that just screams 70s to me. - Jose A

I'll guess early '70s, before burnt orange and olive green laid waste to the interior landscape. - rosenatti

Shag rug says 70's. I'm guessing the owners hadn't got around to buying new furniture yet. - littlePieces

The blue/green combo started to become popular in the late 60's and that type of seating as well with the tight boxy upholstery. What is throwing me off are the accessories they could be now. The glass tea kettle does not look vintage and shag rugs are still some what popular. The pendent is not really avocado green and it could be now. I am going with the 70's as my guess. - LoriSF

As I understand it, the flokati rug appeared in US design in the 1970s, not the 60s, so I vote 70s. - kimg924

Thanks to everyone for playing along!

MORE GUESS THE DECADE:

Small Space Hotel Style

Small Space Hotel Style - The Answer

Dressing Room

Dressing Room - The Answer

Compact Kitchen

Compact Kitchen - The Answer

Image: Design from Scandinavia via Oliver Tomas

Comments (14)

As I thought, the ghastly rug is the real give-away.

Actually, the "weeds as flowers" was the tip-off for me.

The flowers did it for me, too.

LOVE it.

wahoo - i was right. i don't mind the plants and i really like the hanging lamp.

It was the rug for me, too.

It was the rug (we had a shag rug in the 70's), the sofas (our friends has almost the exact same thing in their rumpus room), and for final confirmation, the turquoise ASHTRAY that tipped off the 70's to me.

The rug was a dead giveaway!

Rats. I didn't know those rugs came along in the 70's. The furniture and the light look so 60's to me... my mum used to have a yellow lamp like that. And my aunt had an orange one. And someone else had a brown one...

I actually guessed mostly on the quality and coloring of the photograph itself...

dang.
more 'guess the decade' please!

It's tricky - the Bumling (the green pendent) came out in '68 and the dark green was a hip color back then, but it really hit it big in 70's Sweden as the hot appliance color. The white brick on the left was also ultra hip in the late 60's Nordic design but ubiquitous in 70's suburban single-families in Sweden, both inside and out (called Mexi-tegel).

But since the original photo is by Ekornes, it's the 70's, since Norway tended to be a couple of years behind until the past 20 or so years.

I guess I've looked at too many design books (and own too many as well) from the 1970's!

that pendant lamp is killer