70s staples like Avocado bathrooms given biggest thumbs down

Toilet rugs, taxidermy and avocado coloured bathrooms have been crowned the biggest furnishing fails of the past 50 years in a survey of home design disasters.

Abigail's Party had some classic 70s set design. Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock

Other style slip-ups identified by the survey include floral “chintz” furniture, waterbeds and Artex.

The 1970s was voted the worst decade for dodgy décor in the half century under review, according to a third of Scots polled by Samsung. Some of the biggest design crimes of the period included avocado-coloured bathrooms and flying duck wall displays.

This was followed by the 80s, characterised by features such as toilet rugs and pink bathrooms, and then the 60s, with 18 per cent of Scots taking issue with design trends that included psychedelic patterns, lace doilies and clashing colour schemes.

The study also suggests that popular TV makeover shows such as Changing Rooms and Home Front are partly to blame for some of the trends such as rag-rolled walls and stencilling which have long been consigned to the dustbin of interior design history.

Other design trends to be branded style disasters include tribal carvings, masks and wall hangings, stone cladding, animal print designs and “inspirational” quote art stenciled on the walls. However, open plan living, rustic styling and chic Scandinavian style furnishings were listed as the best interior design trends of recent years.

Daniel Hopwood, president of the British Institute of Interior Design, said: “I have lived through the 70s, 80s and 90s and seen interior design trends come and go and it’s fascinating how our tastes have evolved over time.

“Toilet rugs, rag rolled walls and TV cupboards should all be consigned to the dodgy décor history books.”

One of the main interior design quandaries identified in the study revolved around how to display or conceal technology in the home. Almost two thirds of Scots surveyed believed that large black TV screens on walls were an eyesore as they stood out too much from the rest of the room.

Robert King, vice president of consumer electronics at Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, said: “We have never been more focused on the look and feel of our homes and as large TV screens become more popular, consumers want technology that can almost become invisible and fit in with their décor choices.”

Further findings revealed that cleanliness was ranked as the feature which matters most to Scots, followed by interior design and size.

More than six in ten Scots admit to having made judgments about people on the basis of their home interior.