30 Pics That Perfectly Sum Up "The 80s Interior", As Shared On This Instagram Page

While the ‘80s might be known as the ugly era of decor, London-based retail manager Simon Knight is devoted to changing people’s perceptions. His delightfully flashy 'The 80s Interior' project has been around the block for a while. It’s not as old as the photos Knight collects, but it started on Instagram in 2017 when he was searching for pictures of an old shopping mall he used to visit. When he shared the photo on his account, it received an outpouring of support from friends about the memories the image evoked. Then, Knight just knew there was an account to be made there.

"I love anything to do with the 80s and I also love interior design," he said of his throwback Instagram account in an interview with AnOther Magazine. Knight explained that when he hopped online to seek out retro interiors, he "zoned in on the 80s and it brought me back to my childhood."

After he launched the account to delve deeper into his personal fascination with the interior designs of the time, the pictures Knight picks up range everywhere from shopping centers, restaurants, and offices to unique bedrooms, plant-filled studio spaces, and overly-tiled bathrooms (and let’s not forget the galore of tropical palms and flashy pool areas).

As the founder of the account explained, the inspiration for his project was simply the feeling of nostalgia. "It takes people back to a time they remember fondly, even a touch or smell," he said.

Although one criteria helps him determine which pictures fit perfectly into the page and which ones fall a bit short: "An 80s interior, so long as it has no humans in it." "On my feed, I like the interiors to be void of people as I like my followers to imagine themselves in the rooms and make it their own," Knight explained his reasoning to Sleek Magazine. "It also just looks nicer, more like a set piece."

What’s more, each picture is accompanied by an entertaining caption that often pokes fun at the excess in aesthetics that are often synonymous with '80s design.

Knight noted that most of the images are simply found. "Sometimes I find it hard to find out where some are from or who the designer is, but I often get contacted with the answers which is nice."

Thanks to Knight's sharp eye, the pictures he collects for 'The 80s Interior' certainly represent the era in a different and more beautiful light. The founder discovers kitschy images from old interior books and magazines and simultaneously finds himself in a world where peachy color palettes and gaudy neon somehow manage to co-exist.

The '80s interiors aficionado describes his account as a "nostalgic, neon, inspiring design with no boundaries." A brief scroll through the feed also exhibits a sense of greed and lavishness of the decade. "It was the time of money and people just did what they wanted — I think that also transferred into interior design. It’s just so over the top and wild."

From one-of-a-kind velveteen sofas and dreamy pool slides to fascinating mall lobbies and the abundance of kaleidoscopic bathroom tiling, it’s safe to say that 'The 80s Interior' is a treasure trove of over-the-top design from the era. "80s interior design was either dusky tones with soft edges and lighting, or it was angular and bold with neons. I love both equally," he said, adding that the details he feels drawn to the most are the textures, colors, and lights.

Knight revealed his most-loved room of them all is the bathroom, "especially if there is a carpeted step up sunken bath with a palm in the corner. Most rooms of the 80s had some sort of fern or palm plant in them!"