Bringing Back 80's Design With
Stranger Things Season 5
By Marshall Snook
-
08.2025
Why 80s Interiors Are Making a Comeback....
Searches for ‘80s home décor’ have jumped over 200% since the Stranger Things Season 5 teaser dropped."
That’s not nostalgia, it’s a movement.
Retro interiors are no longer a quirky afterthought or a guilty Pinterest obsession. They’ve stormed into the mainstream as a full-blown aesthetic resurgence and Hawkins, Indiana, is partly to blame.
Because Stranger Things isn’t just dominating Netflix queues. It’s also reviving a love for interiors that are unapologetically bold: wood panelling that feels almost too dark, graphic tiles that dare you to look away, checkerboard patterns that refuse to blend in, and tones so rich you can practically hear a synthesizer playing in the background.
But this isn’t about building a time capsule or recreating a set. The real movement is about channelling the spirit of the 80s — the warmth, the layers, the cinematic mood and weaving it into contemporary living. Designers are leaning into the retro palette, but they’re giving it a 2025 spin: high-gloss surfaces alongside natural finishes, bold patterns softened by neutral anchors, spaces that are playful but still highly functional.
Let’s look at how you can bring that Stranger Things spirit into your spaces, with plenty of room for personality.
Colour: When Earthy Meets Electric ⚡
In the 80s, colour didn’t play it safe. Everything was turned up a notch, neon's, maroons, teals, ochres. Today, though, it’s all about balance.
Picture a living room grounded in terracotta and sage, softened with dusty blue or mauve upholstery. Those earth tones become your foundation, warm and steady. Then, the spark. A mustard cushion on a velvet sofa. An electric teal lamp glowing in the corner. A maroon rug pulling the whole room into focus. Suddenly, the space feels alive, with just enough 80s spirit to make it hum.
Glossy finishes heighten the mood. Glazed tiles, rippled vases, and iridescent lampshades catch the light, offering moments of shimmer. Against them, matte upholstery, wool rugs, or rattan details calm the energy, ensuring the retro doesn’t tip into chaos. It’s the push-and-pull that makes a room feel both nostalgic and new.
Lighting: The Cinematic Glow
Nothing in Stranger Things works harder than the lighting. Fairy lights become portals. Basement lamps feel sinister. A flickering bulb can shift an entire scene’s mood.
That’s exactly how lighting should work at home. Instead of one flat ceiling light, layer your glow. A smoked-glass floor lamp in the corner sets ambience. A brass table lamp with a dimmer lets you create intimacy. A hidden strip of LED tucked beneath cabinetry or behind shelving introduces that eerie-but-beautiful “otherworldly” glow.
The trick is softness. Harsh spotlights flatten a room, but glass and smoked-glass shades scatter light in a way that feels cinematic, like you’ve just stepped onto a 1980s film set. And if you’re ready for a true showstopper, look for a globe pendant or a geometric chrome fixture, the kind of lamp that feels less like a utility and more like a character in the room.
Furniture and Decor: Character Over Minimalism
This is not the moment for stark minimalism. Hawkins interiors are nothing if not full of character, layered, cluttered, but curated.
Imagine a puffy leather sofa, low-slung and inviting. A smoked-glass coffee table resting on chrome legs. Veneered cabinetry that proudly shows its grain. These are not anonymous pieces they’re furniture with personality.
Décor seals the deal. A lava lamp glowing faintly in a corner. A stack of old cassettes perched on a shelf. A ceramic figurine that could have come from your aunt’s 1987 mantelpiece. Each item should feel like it’s telling a story, even if it’s just a wink to the past.
The secret is restraint. One or two retro showpieces per room are enough to anchor the vibe. Let them shine, and let the rest of the room breathe.
Quick swap suggestions:
- Replace plain cushions with graphic ones.
- Use a record player or retro radio as a decorative focal point.
- Hang a macramé wall hanging or neon-style sign.
Texture: Velvet, Flutes and the Unexpected
The 80s loved surfaces you wanted to touch and so do we.
Think of a velvet headboard in jewel tones, paired with chenille cushions. Heavy boucle curtains that frame the room and ripple like theatre drapes. A shaggy rug underfoot, softening the edges of chrome furniture. This is where the Hawkins aesthetic comes alive: texture layered on texture, every surface inviting a hand.
But it doesn’t have to be literal 80s gloss. Update the look by swapping out shiny laminates for fluted wood panelling. Or pair raw materials like exposed brick and rough plaster with velvet and leather, for a contrast that feels equal parts retro and current.
It’s the unexpected juxtapositions that make the look feel fresh.
Textile tips: Use jewel-toned velvets, ruched leather, or boucle in powdery pastels.
Tile additions: Stick to one bold surface (e.g.,
terrazzo or rippled gloss) and keep others neutral.
Pattern: Checkerboards and Graphic Drama
Few things feel as instantly retro as a checkerboard floor. It’s graphic, it’s bold, and it dares you not to notice it.
But pattern doesn’t stop there. In the world of Stranger Things, wallpaper borders, geometric upholstery, and graphic rugs all play starring roles. To bring it home, mix scales: a wide check rug beneath a smoked-glass coffee table, fine vertical stripes in bathroom tiles, and a bold zig-zag cushion on the sofa.
Artwork can do some heavy lifting, too. Memphis-inspired prints, comic-book graphics, or even neon-style signage framed in black or chrome all evoke the era without overwhelming the space.
Decor tip: Hunt for vintage or retro-repro (new with a retro feel) artwork with comic-inspired or Memphis-style shapes. Frame them in black or chrome for polish.
Tile tip: Try out hints of colour in open spaces that welcome vibrant change, white
metro tiles with bursts of colour can be implemented in a variety of rooms.
How to Avoid the 80's Overload
The secret? Contrast.
The risk with any strong aesthetic is tipping from homage into parody. That’s why contrast is key.
A shag rug sings louder when it’s paired with clean-lined furniture. A checkerboard floor feels sharper when surrounded by neutral cabinetry. A glossy tiled wall is more striking against a matte wood panel.
And above all, remember: this is your home, not a film set. Comfort matters. Functionality matters. Choose seating that actually feels good, lighting that works for daily life, and surfaces you won’t curse while cleaning.
Final Touches: Making the Style Yours
The Stranger Things look doesn’t have to mean a total overhaul. You can start small: a terrazzo planter by the window, a brass lamp glowing on your nightstand, a checkerboard mat greeting you at the door.
Then, layer in pieces with personality. A velvet tub chair in a jewel tone. A ripple-glass lamp that casts dramatic shadows at night. A record player humming softly in the background.
The best retro interiors aren’t museum-perfect recreations of the past. They’re living, breathing spaces where stories unfold. Each object, each colour, each texture should feel like it belongs to you, even if it could have stepped out of 1984.
And that’s the beauty of it. Stranger Things may be set in Hawkins, but the mood it captures cinematic, bold, unapologetically full of life this belongs just as much in your home.
