They Were Big In The '80s — Now It's A Waiting Room Essential We'd Be Thrilled To Find

Anybody who sat in a dentist's office in the '80s has seen one: a clear plastic magazine rack holding 6-month-old copies of magazines like Good Housekeeping and Sports Illustrated. Acrylic and Lucite racks were all the rage in the 1980s. They were useful for displaying books and magazines, and hardly anybody thought of them as design objects at all. But now things have changed. For instance, one TikToker (@mtthwgnthr) shared the chrome-and-acrylic rack he picked up secondhand while furnishing a second bedroom, and his replies lit up with people asking where they could find one. 

Most of their appeal comes down to the material. Lucite is a retro material in the middle of a comeback. Collectors love that a crystal-clear rack is barely visible, meaning the focus is on the thing it holds, whether a vintage paperback or a collectible coffee table book. It holds a stack of magazines without dropping another bulky shape into the room, which matters a lot in an apartment where every surface is already claimed.

Lucite items have been around for decades, but the '80s versions have a look worth hunting for on their own. They tend to have thicker edges, and sometimes, lightly tinted panels in amber, gray, or rose. They are also easy to clean, which is why Lucite is an 80's decor trend destined for a revival. A vintage Lucite magazine rack may sell for $35-$52, though you may pay more depending on the style or maker. 

If you find a vintage lucite rack, hold it up and look at it sideways in good light before you commit to a purchase. Old acrylic yellows under UV light, and it shows up along the cut edges first, while the flat panels still look fine. Cloudiness is the other thing to watch out for. It usually means a previous owner went at it with an ammonia-based glass cleaner, and that damage doesn't come back out. Fine surface scratches are a different story and often buff out with plastic polish and a microfiber cloth, so don't walk away from an otherwise good rack over a few scuffs. It helps to know how to clean acrylic furniture properly before you bring one home, because the habits that ruin these pieces are the ones most people already have.

Also, don't feel obligated to put magazines in your new Lucite rack. Most of the racks' proportions happen to be perfect for storing many different things. You can use it to display vinyl records, prop up cookbooks, or hold your mail in the foyer or office. Collectors also prize Lucite racks for holding mahjong tiles, so the sky's the limit when it comes to yours.