The History Of Vinyl In Modern Interior Decoration

Some may assume that patterned vinyl is new to the marketplace and is a recent invention of the past few years, but did you know that the history of domestic decorative vinyl goes back much further?

The world’s most versatile plastic had a rather accidental beginning, Waldo Semon, stumbled on this new material with fantastic properties early in the 1920s during his search for a synthetic adhesive. PVC Vinyl was made popular in the 50s as a decorative, inexpensive and cheerful method that housewives of the day could cheer up their home with little expense.  By the 60s and 70s vinyl, using its trade name of Fablon (or sticky back plastic if you were a 70s Blue Peter viewer as a child) had its heyday.

The surge in post war enthusiasm for your home, interior and DIY as popularised by Barry Bucknell, a former Labour councillor who became the television face of home improvement during the 1950s and early 1960s who urged the nation to have a go and DO IT YOURSELF. Your grandma wouldn’t have been aware of upcycling or glow ups, but could have afforded a roll of vinyl from her housekeeping to jazz up her kitchen units, which would have possibly been made pre-war and already 30 years old. To her this was thrifty economics on how to improve the home, for less.

Decorative vinyl initially came in a huge range of plain colours and patterns, from sedate pastels to full on atomic designs in yellows, reds and blues but by the 70s wood grain had appeared on the market as well as swooping full on psychedelic swirls, these were all marketed to improve your surroundings with limited cost and experience in DIY, in a short space of time.


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Vinyl has been available to buy non-stop since the 50s and if anyone has known me long enough to remember my kitchen units that I covered with it in 1998 or the fridge in our rental that got the vinyl treatment can attest to the fact I am a big fan.

Continuing in this tradition, and following on from our kitchen make over where we used the Yootha Design in Ocean Jumbo.  Here at 70s House Manchester we have reworked our iconic designs into this unique and versatile medium, enabling a new generation of home owners to embrace the ease of use and ability to change their surroundings instantly, with minimal outlay and risk.  This has also given rise to the popular use in rental homes, where you can personalise your space without losing your deposit.  Say goodbye to boring and unloved furniture and kitchen units, save them from the landfill and hello to bright and cheerful designs, easy to peel and stick, and perfect for any DIY job.

Vinyl development has come a long way from the early days, and, when fully laminated is an easy to apply cover for almost any flat surface from tiles, to walls, floors and worktops. All of the 70s House Manchester x Faye Jennifer Vinyl Design is fully laminated and heat proof. We do not produce in bulk and only take bespoke orders from individual customers to reduce waste and minimise our environmental impact, any waste is then sent to a local SEN schools to aid with art therapy for children with special education needs.

If you are interested in finding out more about our product, ordering our vinyl or ordering a sample with free delivery, please check out our page HERE

70s House Manchester x Faye Jennifer Vinyl Design the only decorative vinyl for your retro and modern home.