Pick a decade

A retro rug is a time machine for your floor, no flux capacitor needed. The 1970s bring warm, groovy waves in orange, brown and mustard; the 1980s bring neon squiggles, cassette tapes and arcade lights; the 1990s bring the cosmic carpet of bowling alleys and smiley faces; the 1950s and 60s bring diner checkerboards, atomic stars and flower power. Ours are printed edge to edge on soft velvet, so the colors are as bold as the originals, and every rug goes in the washing machine, which is a lot easier than caring for a shag carpet from 1974.

Decade by decade

Decade	Signature look	Colors
1950s	Diner checkerboards, atomic starbursts, boomerangs	Red, black, white, turquoise, mint
1960s	Mod circles, op art, flower power daisies	Black and white, hot pink, orange, lime
1970s	Groovy waves, rainbow stripes, mushrooms, sunbursts	Orange, brown, mustard, avocado, cream
1980s	Memphis shapes, neon, cassettes, boomboxes	Hot pink, teal, purple, yellow, black
1990s	Arcade and bowling-alley carpet, smileys, squiggles	Black with neon, primary colors, pastels

The 1970s palette of orange, brown and mustard looks warm in a living room with wood furniture, while 1980s pink and teal suits a game room.

The groovy 70s

The 1970s are the most searched retro decade of all, and it's easy to see why: their palette of burnt orange, chocolate brown, mustard, avocado green and cream is warm and cozy, and their shapes, curving stripes, rainbow arches, big flowers and mushrooms, are relaxed and cheerful. A 70s rug with wide, wavy stripes in those colors looks wonderful with a velvet sofa, a macramé wall hanging, wood paneling and a few plants. For more from that era, see our wavy rugs, mushroom rugs and rainbow rugs.

Neon 80s

The 1980s turned the volume up: neon pinks and teals, black backgrounds, squiggles, triangles and confetti dots inspired by the Memphis design group in Milan, and the gadgets of the decade, cassette tapes, boomboxes, roller skates and early video game consoles. An 80s rug suits a teen's bedroom, a game room or a basement den with a vintage stereo. A cassette tape rug, with its two reels and a hand-labeled sticker, is a funny, nostalgic design for anyone who ever made a mixtape for a friend.

90s throwback

The 1990s gave us one of the most recognizable patterns in American life: the cosmic carpet of arcades, bowling alleys, roller rinks and movie theaters, black with neon planets, squiggles and stars that glowed under blacklight. A 90s arcade carpet rug is a brilliant, nostalgic choice for a game room or a home theater; see our arcade rugs for more. The decade also brought back the yellow smiley face, now a favorite on preppy and teen rugs; see our smiley face rugs.

Mod 60s and flower power

The 1960s swung between two looks: the crisp black and white circles and op-art illusions of mod style, and the bright, simple daisies of flower power. A mod rug, bold black and white geometry, suits a modern living room; a flower power rug, big daisies in pink, orange and yellow, suits a playful bedroom. For psychedelic swirls and bold color, see our psychedelic rugs.

The 50s diner

The 1950s diner, with its black and white checkerboard floor, red vinyl booths and chrome, is one of the most loved retro looks in America. A checkerboard rug in a kitchen, or a red and white design with a few atomic starbursts, brings that feel home. For more, see our checkered rugs, and for the more refined side of the era, our mid-century modern rugs.

Vinyl records and music

Retro and music go together. A vinyl record rug, a big black disc with a colorful label, is a perfect round rug in front of a record player, a stereo or a shelf of albums. Round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. For more, see our vinyl record rugs and round rugs.

Y2K and the early 2000s

The turn of the millennium is now retro too: butterflies, frosted pinks and baby blues, glittery hearts, flip phones and chunky sneakers. A Y2K rug, a butterfly or a pink heart beside the bed, is a favorite with teens and young adults rediscovering the era. For more, see our butterfly rugs and cute rugs.

Retro gaming

Pixel art, 8-bit sprites, joysticks and the chunky cartridges of the first home consoles have their own retro charm. A pixel-art rug, a classic controller or a scattering of space invaders suits a game room beside a shelf of old consoles. Our gaming rugs page has many more, including designs for specific games.

Lava lamps and blacklight

Few objects are as retro as a lava lamp, its colored blobs rising and falling in slow motion. A lava lamp rug, or a design of glowing neon shapes on black inspired by blacklight posters, brings that dreamy, late-night mood to a lounge or a bedroom with colored lights.

Roller rinks and skates

Roller skating has come back in a big way, and with it the look of the classic rink: neon lights, disco balls, checkered floors and four-wheeled skates with bright laces. A roller skate rug, or a disco-ball design on a round rug, is a joyful choice for a teen's room or a party space.

In the living room

A retro area rug can set the theme for a whole living room. For a 70s look, pair a wavy orange and brown rug with a mustard velvet sofa, a rattan chair, wood and plants. For a 50s look, pair a checkerboard with chrome and red accents. A 5×7 ft rug is our largest standard size; custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′. For the softest feel underfoot, choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m². Our living room rugs page has more layouts.

Dens and basements

A basement den with a vintage stereo, a record collection, a few framed movie posters and a retro rug is one of the coziest rooms a home can have, and one of the most fun to share with friends. An 80s or 90s design suits a game room; a 70s design suits a lounge with a big, soft sofa. Choose Standard: 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², if there's a desk chair or a hard floor.

Teen bedrooms

Retro is hugely popular with teenagers who never lived through the decades they love: 70s mushrooms and rainbows, 80s neon and cassettes, 90s smileys and squiggles. A retro rug beside the bed, with fairy lights, a record player and a few posters, gives a bedroom instant personality without repainting a single wall. Our bedroom rugs page has more ideas.

Kitchens

A retro kitchen rug, a diner checkerboard, a 70s floral or a cheerful bandana print, brightens the room where everyone gathers. In front of the sink or stove, choose a 2×3 or 2.6×3.9 ft Standard rug, which grips the floor and goes in the washing machine after spills.

Vintage-style, not antique

Many people searching for a vintage rug are looking for an antique Persian or Turkish carpet. To be clear, ours aren't antiques: they're new rugs, printed with retro and vintage-inspired designs. If you love the look of a particular decade and want something soft, bright and machine washable, that's exactly what we make.

Mixing decades

Retro rooms often look best when they borrow from more than one decade. A 70s wavy rug with a mid-century sideboard, or an 80s Memphis rug with a 50s chrome table, feels collected rather than themed. Keep one or two colors consistent across the room, and let the rug lead the way.

Your own throwback

Want a cassette with your own mixtape title, a retro design in your exact colors or a rug inspired by the carpet of a roller rink you remember? Our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′, or cut it to shape. Custom rugs are made just for you and can't be returned.

Standard or Premium

Standard is best under desk chairs, in kitchens, dens, hallways and on hard floors, because its non-slip back stays put. Premium is softer and warmer, best in living rooms and bedrooms. Both are printed the same way, so neons stay bright and earth tones stay warm, and both go in the washing machine.

Sizes, shipping and returns

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft. Round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders; custom rugs can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so the colors stay groovy and the neons stay loud, wash after wash, decade after decade.

Retro technology

Much of retro style comes from the objects people used every day. The rotary telephone, with its heavy handset and finger dial, sat in kitchens and hallways for decades. Portable cassette players arrived at the end of the 1970s and let people carry their music for the first time, while boomboxes blasted mixtapes on city streets through the 1980s. Instant cameras printed photos in seconds, and pagers beeped on belts through the 1990s.

Those objects make fun, nostalgic rugs. A pattern of colorful rotary phones in mint, pink and butter yellow suits a retro kitchen or a hallway. A boombox with its speakers and cassette deck, drawn bold and graphic, makes a great rug for a music room or a teen's bedroom, and a scatter of instant photos with blank frames is a playful design for a family room.

For people who remember these devices, the rugs bring back memories; for younger generations, they're a window into how their parents lived, with cords, tapes and a lot of patience. Either way, they add personality to a room in a way modern gadgets rarely do.

A rotary phone or boombox rug also makes a fun conversation piece in a living room where several generations gather.