by Jemma Pearson Home owners keen to inject some fun into the interior are embracing vintage-inspired appliances and retro pieces. So how do you make them work in your home? Read on.

The love of all things retro is being embraced by more and more home owners and interior stylists, proving that the retro revival is a trend that is just not going away. Retro furniture, homewares and appliances – either original vintage or retro-inspired pieces from today – are found in a variety of abodes, and home owners can’t get enough of old-fashioned cushions, vases, soft furnishings and furniture. Even your local electrical store is selling vintage-inspired appliances – stoves, blenders, toasters, mixers, even dishwashers are getting the vintage treatment.

Radios that would not look out of place in a typical 1940s home are actually the latest digital appliances that have MP3 adaptors. Fridges and ovens in ’50s and ’60s-inspired hues offer high performance for this generation’s fussy home owner and cook. And blenders that remind your parents of the milk bars of their youth are available from the local electrical store. You don’t have to go low-tech to get retro funky in your place.

Fridges and ovens in '50s and '60s-inspired hues offer high performance for this generation's fussy home owner and cook

But how do you make it work? The secret is to start with a blank canvas – a room with white walls and pared-back flooring such as sleek timber or tiles will form a simple, elegant backdrop, and give your appliances and accessories the space to bring life to the room. You want to aim for cheerful and quirky, not cluttered and overdone. If your room is lacking natural light, include plenty of lamps to keep the space bright and fun.

Match your retro pieces with white porcelain subway tiles in the wet rooms. And in the lounge and bedroom, sleek contemporary furniture with a retro aesthetic or 20th century modernist pieces are the way to go.

If you love the colour and fun that comes with retro pieces but like your mod cons and can’t quite stretch to vintage, don’t despair. Smeg, Italy’s favourite appliance manufacturer, produces bright fridges and dishwashers that look like something your nanna used to use. There are heaps of colours to choose from including pink, red, orange and blue. Can’t decide which one? Have them all with Smeg’s colourfully striped fridge. KitchenAid’s mixers, toasters and food processors have been on Christmas lists for years thanks to their colourful hues and classic vintage shapes, which look good on any benchtop.

Have fun with your retro pieces – retrophiles don’t take themselves seriously. Match your ’50s-inspired fridge and vintage radio with childlike posters, old glass pendant lights and jars of wild flowers. But the most important detail is to choose pieces you love and can live with – the most successful interiors are the ones that truly reflect the occupant’s personality.