Did you ever find yourself staring at a photo of a restaurant from the seventies and getting lost in the dark wood and gold lighting? Can you hear the whisper of people’s voices and a distant piano in the distance playing softly? Can you feel the dim radiant glow of golden light?
If so, you might be a person who appreciates the design aesthetics that was last prevalent in the late seventies into the early eighties. It was sadly washed away in the modern color-soaked new wave influence that gobbled up the majority of the eighties and has yet to make a comeback.
Last night, I was on Twitter, chatting with and admiring the work of Progress City U.S.A. While checking out some photos they posted about Disney boat cruises from the early days of Walt Disney World, I was struck with how little effort has gone into reviving the aesthetic of that era.
We have seen a modern take on the eighties surface in the Vaporwave movement, but not a push towards an earlier time that offered its own unique design offerings? So I posted this tweet with an image from Progress City USA.
When I asked for a suggestion on what to name this style, Progress City USA responded almost immediately. So this aesthetic has been christened LeisureWave. And I love it! I want it to influence art, fashion, architecture and start a new music movement.
Once you start looking for it, you will see it everywhere during its original era. For instance, bars and restaurants that were dark and whisper-quiet even when full, unlike the vibrating sound boxes we are forced to eat in nowadays.
It also dominated the malls that we see and read about in flashback TV and movies.
I want to see people posting #LeisureWave influenced modern furnishings on Instagram and browse a soft relaxing burgeoning music scene on Soundcloud.
I know that this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is certainly mine and I don’t think I am alone. So if you are on social media, please share your LeasureWave finds and creations, and let the world know what you see when you close your eyes and dream about the past.
In the last picture, the mall photography, how much of the gold hue was from the original lighting and how much us the natural yellowing of color photos?
From 1981 to 2007 I worked in a local restaurant with this vibe. Carpeted floors with oak beadboard paneling. Brass front doors from an old bank. Brass railing we would polish daily topped everything. A cheers bar hub in the middle. Antiques and nostalgia on the walls everywhere. I dream of it often. If it hadn’t gone off the rails I’d still be there.