The Vintage Find You Can Thrift That Can Help Inspire Your '80s Decor

Home decor trends from the 1980s and 1990s are definitely back in the form of nostalgia decor, and there are tons of ways to achieve the look. If you love authentic vintage style, though, it can be difficult to find decor ideas today. Parsing through online inspiration sources for home decor can be time-consuming, and you may find yourself wondering how accurate the styles presented online really are. This is especially the case when you prefer vintage styles from the 1980s or earlier, which would have largely been popular before the World Wide Web and the internet were widely used. Even though the magazines and other media in the '80s would have been highly curated and idealistic like current media, they still will be more authentic than most modern resources that look back at the time. 

For a realistic look at vintage interior design trends, sourcing printed materials rather than images posted online is a great choice. Finding real photos or descriptions from the time can give you a much better understanding of what was popular, and one of the best sources for this kind of information is a vintage magazine or book. Whether you find a vintage Better Homes and Gardens magazine or a more niche magazine from the '80s, it will be sure to inspire. While decorating magazines and books may not be on the typical list of thrifted home decor finds to never skip, they are a fantastic source of information and inspiration, and once you have read them, they can become a piece of functional and on-theme decor, perfect for a coffee table or magazine rack. Find hard copies in stores or online, or browse digital versions.

When shopping for vintage magazines in stores, the prices will vary. Antique stores may price them at a premium if the copies are in high demand. Library sales and thrift stores may have them for $1 or less, but special or rare editions may cost more. Shopping online can be an effective choice, too, giving you more options and the ability to buy multipacks of magazines. For example, you can buy a pack of eight magazines from the 1980s in good condition for about $35, or individual copies for about $13 from websites like eBay. Facebook Marketplace is another extremely affordable place to find vintage magazines, with magazines available for as little as $1. Some publications also have online archives where you can access digital copies and read them for inspiration. Of course, this will prevent you from having the physical books to use as decor in your home once you have finished reading.

Vintage magazines are a lovely decor piece for sitting on a coffee table or in a vintage magazine rack. They not only look interesting and unique, but they are also great conversation starters and interesting reading for guests. Leaving them out will also allow you to easily consult the magazine for inspiration whenever you need. From finding ideas on colors and patterns to looking at specific furniture pieces that you can search for secondhand, these magazines are a wonderful tool for developing your nostalgia decor. If you happen to find some good deals and collect quite a few of these magazines, especially ones that may not be in the best condition, you can try out some clever ways to repurpose old magazines around your home for projects like wall art or decoupage images.