This Thanksgiving got me thinking about the movie The Ice Storm (1997). Written by Rick Moody, and directed by Ang Lee, the story, that takes place the week of Thanksgiving, serves as an interesting portrait of America in the 1970s. It also contains some great 70's style interiors. If you would like to throw a 70s inspired shindig, here are some of my favorite pieces to get you in the mood.
Appropriate clothing is very important but so are the table accessories. Bold colored ceramics and plastic items of all kinds where very much in fashion.
The movie includes great interiors with molded plastic furniture, shag carpeting, large bulbous lamps, water beds, etc. Here are some other 1970s furniture examples that could instantly give a room that 1970s feeling:
To complete the look we need some music! Here are a couple of lists of 1970s songs:
• Pop Culture Madness
• 1970s Flashback
And finally, you can learn some moves from the 1977 Christmas edition of Soul Train !
Images: Screen grabs from The Ice Storm; All others as credited above.
Jessica's Crafted Space
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
great film!
I can recall only the second half of the 70s. The first half is a little foggy...
We went from flowers in our hair to not having a single natural fiber in our closets.
Goodness. There's a reason, besides just the passage of time, that the '70s are over.
Well, during the 70s, my own mother was into the ye olde antique look, as in Colonial Williamsburg. But next door was Mrs. Hennessy, and WOOwee, was she swanky! Her house was decked out in all the cool 70s stuff, including an orange shag rug and a black chez lounge shaped like an S. I was mesmerized.
Whoa. I don't think I'm going to get that Soul Train vision out of my head for awhile, try as I might. Thanks a lot, Apartment Therapy!
all of those things in this posting look great for a 70's party, just don't put out a bowl of keys.
The '70s were great... So much better than the '80s. It's hard to explain what made them special, but there was a sense of optimism and promise in the future that we haven't had since. The '80s were awful, and we've never really recovered from them...
Right now, I am sitting on a sofa which was designed in 1973, and which I have loved since the age of 8. I guess I have been permanently marked by '70s design.
You and me both, mschatelaine. My secret dream is to have an orange, yellow, and green kitchen. And I have this thing for wicker . . . .
There were good things about 70's residential design, although I got sick of macrame. I still like the bright colors and the furnishings influence from India. I think some of the music from then is better than most music afterward, although 60's music is much better than 70's music. Where I graduated from high school in '77, high school life was nothing like That 70's Show, although it did capture the home furnishings and wardrobes well.