The 1970s Decor Trend That TikTok DIYers Are Excited To Bring Back

Everything eventually comes back in style, especially when it comes to home decor. Lately, we've seen trends that bring back our nostalgia for the '90s as well as some '80s trends people want to see return. Now, TikTok DIYers are going even further back in time, bringing a 1970s decor trend back to life. If you've never heard of rug tufting, it was a popular craft back in the day that involves creating rugs by hand using a time-consuming technique: fixing tufts or loops of yarn to a rug base with the help of a needle, often to form colorful patterns or complex designs. As the trend came and went, rug makers continued to create rugs using this method, but in the early 2000s, the introduction of handheld tufting machines made the process a lot easier.

Tufting has now made its way onto TikTok, and everyone from amateurs to expert DIYers are hopping on the trend, creating rugs in a variety of styles and colors. It's not the cheapest of hobbies — outside of yarn and backing to make the rug itself, the initial investment for tufting includes buying a kit with a tufting gun, which you can purchase on Amazon for about $170. Otherwise, you'll need a lot of creativity, a bit of patience, and some trial and error to try your hand at tufting. But in the end, you'll have your own statement rug that would've looked just as at home in the '70s as it does now.

A rug tufting gun isn't all you'll need to get started — you'll also need to find a frame to hold up your rug while you're working on it. You can either create a frame on your own, cutting the wood to fit the size of your desired creation, or buy a pre-made one (you can find a small one on Amazon for about $80). Attach burlap or a similar material to your frame, pulling it taut to prevent the fabric from sagging while you're using it as a canvas. Then the real work starts: Choose your yarn and your design, tracing out your image first as a guide and then using your tufting gun to apply the yarn. This may look hard at first, but after a bit of practice, you should get the hang of it quite easily.

Once your tufting work is done, you'll need to finish your rug properly — including cutting off excess pieces of yarn and applying glue to the back of your creation to keep everything in place. After removing the extra fabric border, attaching the backing to your creation using a spray adhesive, and shaving the front of the rug to even out the tufted threads (if necessary), your on-trend DIY will be ready to display in your home.

If this rug-making method seems a bit out of your league: You're in luck. Various tufting classes have popped up to teach you to tuft or simply to assist you in a tufting project (you can see a class in action in Houston, Texas, on this TikTok). But even if you're not personally into tufting, you can find a plenty of DIYers offering their handmade pieces for purchase — so you can still add a tufted rug to your home. Since these rugs' often detailed designs and vivid colors are part of the appeal, they work well as a statement piece to liven up nearly any space.

The best thing about these rugs is that there is really no limit to the designs that can be created. Some tufters have gotten super creative, like RugyBagyStudio on TikTok, who made this Spongebob pizza. (Swifties, there's even a tufted rug for you!) We love the idea of incorporating an eye-catching tufted rug into a bathroom to give it some life and color, or even using one as wall decor for your bedroom. No matter what design you choose, these rugs are sure to bring a unique flair to any space in your home.