10 Nostalgic Retro Furniture from Every '80s Singapore HDB Flat

The 80s were a weird period for things design related, from fashion (think shoulder pads on shirts) to hairstyles (big frizzy hair and mullets), to home interiors. If you've spent your childhood growing up through the 80s to early 90s, chances are some of the things below will seem familiar to you. In fact, you might still be able to find them hanging around or if you rummage hard enough in the store room.

Some of these things will bring a wave of nostalgia but some you're less sure about in a modern home. Which of these do you think still deserves pride of place in your home today?

1) Seashell curtains

Don't be shy to admit if you remember the click-clacking sound of those seashell curtains every time your mom walks into the kitchen or down the corridor to the bedrooms. Beach resorts were (and still are) a big thing in the 80s, and anyone who visited Phuket or Bali or Cebu will undoubtedly bring back one of these exotic-looking shell curtains as a memento. Aside from looking out of place in a high-rise apartment, our main quip with these curtains is that over time the shells do crack and you end up with some nasty pricks whenever you step on bits of broken shell around the hallway. The strings also tend to get knotted up over time, resulting in a jumbled mess. Urgh!

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2) Cornices

Cornices were a big trend for homeowners back in the 80s and considered the height of sophistication, simply because it makes plain edges look dowdy. Some homeowners will even go to the extreme of painting the cornices a different colour from the walls, just to make it stand out. What they don't realise is that by accentuating a thick border around the ceiling, it actually makes a small apartment room feel smaller because it outlines the wideness of the space and lowers the wall height instead of making them feel higher. These cornices also gather quite a bit of dust over time, and today any HDB home with a cornice feels dated and out-fashioned.

3) Cabinets all over the kitchen

Storage may be essential in a functional zone like the kitchen, but the penchant to fill an entire wall with cabinets has become somewhat of a misnomer. We're not so bothered by the amount of storage, as we are by the plain treatment of the cabinetry and the handles. We're pretty sure these were a staple in many households during the 80s though.

4) Bar Counter

We're still not sure why, but bar counters were kind of statement pieces in homes during the 80s for a lot of Singaporean homes. It didn't matter if the homeowner drinks or not, but a bar counter was the de-factor 'chill out' zone for hosting visiting guests, which ended up never being used once everyone realised just how uncomfortable the high stools were. In my case, our bar counter ended up becoming a place to store odd trinkets, like a ceramic piggy bank and hoarded junk collected over the years we just had nowhere else to stash. It was also placed in the balcony, which was a terrible waste of space for such a prime area.

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5) Fabric Wardrobe

Many adults will recall having to put up with these zippered plastic sheet wardrobes during their youth. It was a way for many parents to create 'last minute' wardrobe space for the children, who were growing up or had to share rooms. The zippers were hard to use and often broke in the hand. After a while, wardrobe just remains open simply because everyone became too lazy to zip it up again.

Feel like bringing a back a blast from the past? You can find this item on sale for $9.90 here.

6) Wooden fork and spoon wall hanging

If your mom collects Tupperware and lace doilies back in the 80s, chances are you'll also find a set of wooden fork and spoon hanging on the wall. It's probably a way to make the home feel 'homier' but over time, the accessories just look like they are trying too hard to make a statement.

7) Computer table

Multi-tiered computer tables were the 'IN' thing during the early days of the internet around the early 90s. When computers were becoming more affordable, everyone began flocking to grab a CPU with a mammoth cathode-ray computer monitor. Back then it felt so modern being able to sit at the desk and pull out the tray for holding the keyboard and mouse.

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8) Good morning towels

Okay, we have to say these towels are so vintage they will never go out of style. In fact, they are still being produced and used today, a testament of its everlasting popularity. While we find them more in coffeshops and hair salons now, back in the 80s homeowners loved to use these towels as the go-to kitchen rag.

Feel like bringing a back a blast from the past? You can find this item on sale for $7.95 here.

9) Tupperware

Just like the Good morning towels, Tupperware is still a loved brand today, but back in the 80s Tupperware was a brand that held almost-divine status, thanks to the Tupperware parties, which helped to push up sales of the new collections and encourage collectors to exchange different ones with each other.

10) Telephone table

The younger generation will probably go, "A what phone?" Most kids will only be acquainted with cellphones or mobile devices these days, but in the 80s it was critical to have a small table dedicated to holding the corded telephone. The small stature of the table discourages anyone from hogging the line, while still being somewhat subtle enough to fit into a tight corridor. These days though, corded anythings are going out of style, much less a corded telephone.

Feel like bringing a back a blast from the past? You can find this item on sale for $15 here.