1. An encyclopedia set
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There had to be at least one shelf that showed off a full set of some sort of encyclopedia collection – it might have been something more niche, like a full set of anatomy texts, or general information – maybe even a collection of dictionaries – but before Google, this was a home must!
2. Woodchip walls and ceiling
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Seriously, why did every single wall have to look like it had boils? Most homes in the UK in the 80s had to suffer through wood-chip in every room, which basically just dashed every single interior design dream you ever had. And when you painted it, it just looked worse.
3. A typewriter
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Some people still appreciate the retro vibe of a typewriter even today, but back then, it was more ‘we didn’t really have a choice’. Typewriters were a better way to do homework or school essays to avoid hand cramp, but they were loud enough to make sure everyone in the house could hear you.
4. A hand juicer
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We seriously take for granted electric juicers and kitchen gadgets these days, because back in the 80s, hand juicing was the only way! It took a lot longer – and boy did it make the muscles ache – but it got the job done. No kitchen in the 80s was complete without a glass or plastic hand juicer.
5. Floor to ceiling mirrors, in as many places as possible
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Why were the 80s so big on reflective glass? We have no idea. But most homes either came with floor to ceiling mirrors already installed, or it was just something we prioritized putting in there ourselves. Having a full wall of floor to ceiling mirrors was just the done thing.
6. Trivial Pursuit (with at least one missing wedge)
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No 80s family Christmas would be complete without arguing over Trivial Pursuit, which meant this particular board game had to sit gathering dust all year round until the day came when you needed it most – only to find a wedge or two missing. And that’s before the arguments started over questions!
7. Metal lunchboxes on the kitchen counter
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In the 80s, your kitchen was stocked with school lunch boxes on the side – but they weren’t just any lunch boxes, of course. They were metal lunchboxes – much colder and more clattery than their modern-day plastic or cloth counterparts! And they had to have our favorite cartoon characters on the front.
8. Sega Mega Drive
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The ultimate gaming machine and the main cause of 99% of sibling arguments! Every house had to have a Sega Mega Drive in it in the 80s or it just wasn’t complete. Even today, you can’t beat those original cartridges, the eardrum-bursting ‘SEGA’ load up noise or playing Sonic.
9. A chonky TV set
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Speaking of Sega – you need to have something to hook it up to, and that’s of course where the biggest TV set comes into play! Unfortunately, the TV was never big where it mattered – on the actual screen – but more carrying extra weight in the back. Every 80s home had a big TV set if they were lucky!
10. Metal blinds on bedroom windows
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The 80s were also a time when mini window blinds – and metal in particular – came into fashion, and especially as a solution for children’s bedrooms. Curtains were big in the 80s, but there was nothing stopping you from pairing curtains over a nice set of metal window blinds, too!
11. Tupperware – everywhere!
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Nothing if not practical, an 80s kitchen was also chock-a-block full of Tupperware containers, big and small and everything in between. You couldn’t open a cupboard door in the kitchen without suffering an avalanche of plastic containers, making your mum shout from the other room asking what that noise was.
12. A landline on the wall
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Bonus: you had one upstairs and downstairs, and you’d try to eavesdrop in on conversations by picking up the other one! Back in the 80s, landlines and in particular those attached to the wall were the preferred methods of communication. In a fit of nostalgia, we kind of miss the classic landline!
13. A slide projector
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This was the very 80s old-school way of sharing photos, before a time of digital iPhone photos, and even before you decided to get your disposable camera developed at the store. A slide projector at home was a way of sharing, and looking at, photos you’d taken when you had the small negatives!
14. A physical answering machine
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Checking the answering machine on the side table was the first thing you’d do when getting home, and sometimes even the flashing ‘zero’ made you feel like you had no friends! Paired with a landline phone on the wall, this was the ultimate home setup for messages. Now, we just wish people would stop leaving us messages!
15. Those very specific soup bowls
image source: eightieskids.com
These were the superior soup bowls, and you had to have at least 3 of them. The lucky ones were those who had the full collection! No plain bowl or mug could compare to this particular brand and design of soup bowl present in every UK kitchen in the 1980s! Perfect for chicken soup.
16. Recipe cards
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Back before the time you could just YouTube how to cook something, or have instructions propped up on your iPad next to the chopping board, you had these recipe cards that were carefully stored in pride of place in your kitchen. These handy little cards made mealtimes a whole lot easier! Until you dropped one in the pan, of course.
17. A Bush radio
image source: eightieskids.com
You either played this yourself, or had a parent who would play this while doing the dishes, but either way, every 80s household had a Bush radio or two! And it had to be in some variation of cream, sage green or other faded vintage-looking pastel color! Perfect with any decor.
18. Matey bubble bath
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It was all fun and games until you had to turn the Matey to face the wall because it got a bit weird. Either way, this was the number one choice for a bubble bath in the 80s when you were a kid – or even as a guilty pleasure when you were an adult (because who doesn’t love bubbles from a pirate-shaped bottle?).
19. Far-too-fluffy bathroom sets
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Seriously, whose idea was it to make toilet seats fluffy? For some reason, 80s bathrooms prioritised carpet over anything else – even before, you know, being hygienic – which meant you could expect most bathrooms to have carpet on the floor, up the side of the bath and around the toilet.
20. Sindy Dolls House
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You have to remember these! One of the best varieties of doll house there is. The great thing about the Sindy doll house was that it was just the right size, and wasn’t too overwhelming with too many rooms. It was more portrait than landscape, too, which always made it a bit easier on the back when playing!
