What is Retro?
The term retro tends to be banded around a lot, but what does it actually mean? Retro furniture refers to furniture which is of a past age, which has recently come back into style. Retro furniture was popular initially in the decades of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Currently, you will often find newly made furniture produced to have the retro look, since its boom in popularity. So retro is, in fact, the opposite of outdated; it’s modern and we are set to see more of it in restaurant design in the future.
Revival of Retro
The last couple of years have seen the return of retro style furniture, usually alluding to pop-culture, fashion, and graphic design. The most iconic of all retro furniture is the 50’s American Diner style. In the ’50s, furniture became much more slender and sleek, creating a more modern profile. Bold graphics and bright patterns became more popular, with Formica-topped tables and chrome bar stools.
The 50’s American Diner style usually includes the checked black and white floor, and the classic red leather booths and armchairs, compete with flashy lighting and 50’s style artwork on the walls. Create an ‘All American’ themed diner or restaurant with classic faux leather diner benches and chairs.
At Trent Furniture, we offer a choice of red and cream or black and white upholstery with classic decorative stitching and sleek metal frames. Designing a restaurant, bar or café with a retro theme gives it character and personality. The retro look appeals to older audiences, who enjoy the style in a nostalgic way, while also appealing to a younger audience because of the recent revival of the style.
Benches
The American Diner bench is arguably the most memorable and iconic of all 50’s American diner furniture. Our American Diner Bench, is a perfect example of this, with the deep red with cream stripes immediately creating that 50’s feel. The bench is also useful to seat extra customers as it can seat two people and can be used with another additional bench to create the classic American Diner booth seen within pop culture.
However, if a booth really isn’t your style, our American Diner Two Seater Chair is a great alternative, as it will still give that retro feel to any space.
Chairs
There are a few different retro chair styles for the American Diner look. The classic American Diner combines chairs and tables throughout the main space of the diner, with a bar complete with tall chairs. Our American Diner Chair and our Tall American Diner Chair complete this look perfectly, or if you fancy including a classic stool to really amp up the look, you can with our Tall American Diner Stool.
Restaurants may want to go all out and revel in this funky retro style, but you can also celebrate this vintage style in a more subtle manner with just a few items of furniture as a nod to the 50’s diner style which customers will appreciate.
If you’d like to deck out your restaurant with 50’s American Diner furniture take a look at our American Diner Packages. We have a selection of chairs and tables in our American Diner Package, and chairs, tables, and two-seater chairs in our American Diner Restaurant Package.
Whatever design you decide for your restaurant, we cater to every style and taste. We have a wide variety of retro furniture beyond the 50’s American Diner style. Our other styles include Brentwood Furniture, French School Chairs, and Xavier Pauchard Tolix inspired furniture.
Our products are of high quality and are at an affordable price. All our furniture is designed for contract use and with UK fire resistant upholstery. To find out more about our retro furniture or any of our other ranges, get in touch today to speak to a member of our expert team.