Comment: 1970s interiors are back… but did they ever go away?

Certain ’70s interiors touches are all the rage these days, with G Plan furniture much coveted by many - including those far too young to remember it from the first time around.

Not everything of that era is so sought-after however, and it’s hard to imagine Artex ceilings, lino floors and patterned carpets making a comeback.

Apart from for some of us, they never went away. According to a study by floorcare specialist, Vax, nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of homes in the East of England still feature at least one of these, er, timeless design touches in all of their original glory.

And that’s not all: woven hanging baskets, bathroom carpets and bamboo furniture are standing the test of time in homes all over Herts, alongside avocado bathtubs, tan leather upholstery and pine kitchen cupboards.

The ads for swish, retro-inspired furniture from brands such as Made tend not to feature their smart, ’70s -style sofas atop garishly patterned carpets, beneath elaborate Artexing. For some reason.

But, as with all things fashion, they’re sure to cycle back into our lives and onto our floors and ceilings sooner or later (assuming they ever went away). First comes an abundance of Danish teak furniture, next we’ll be carpeting our bathrooms and calling our families to dinner by flinging open our kitchen service hatch.

Amid the current obsession with open plan kitchen/diner/family rooms (ninth on the list of trends East of England dwellers most want in their home) it’s hard to imagine the hatch coming back.

But stranger things have happened. Coq au vin, anyone?