Monuments to bygone eras, these time warp houses have been left unchanged for decades. From magnificent mid-century homes frozen in the 1950s, to pristine condos from the groovy 1970s, the décor is as fresh and fabulous as it was on the day the front door opened for the very first time. Click or scroll on and let's take a tour of these incredible time capsule cribs...
This throw-back home landed on the Australian real estate market back in March 2021, and it instantly grabbed the internet's attention, not least because of its distinctive exterior. Located in Belmont, an outer suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, the mummified mansion was designed and built in the 1970s by a Greek family who clearly loved entertaining.
Spread over four floors, the mesmerising mansion is kitted out with endless living rooms, entertaining spaces and bedrooms. In fact, inside you'll find six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a games room, a bar with its own sitting area, numerous lounges and dining spaces, a media room, a ballroom and a huge kitchen. Yet it's not really about the rooms – it's all about that dazzling décor!
Every living space is finished with statement flooring and silk wallpapers of every conceivable shade, as well as antique furniture and bold ornaments, such as Grandfather clocks, large urns and animal statues. This hallway is about the size of the average city apartment and really highlights the best (or should that be worst?) of '70s design.
Surprisingly, the bedrooms are perhaps the most reserved spaces in the whole house. Maybe being surrounded by loud wallpapers made drifting off to sleep a little challenging? The ultimate example of vintage style, this amazing mansion is one of a kind.
This wonderful retro house lies in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and dates back to 1971. It was conceived by the architect Ifan Prys Edwards and as far as we can tell, nothing about the property has changed since Edwards made the finishing touches to his design.
While the exterior of the house boasts a distinctive cantilevered design, supported by exposed steel supports, decorative brickwork and expanses of glass, the interior is overflowing with colour, contrast and vintage furnishings. Laid out over two floors, the home’s 1,800-square-foot interior is defined by lovingly retained features, including timber ceilings, spiral staircases and the original built-in sound and intercom systems.
While the lounge features a vintage bar, complete with a mirrored backdrop and glassware, along with velvet curtains, eye-watering floral furnishings and frosted glass doors, the kitchen is a retro lover's dream come true. From its avocado green cupboards to its glass tiled wall, jelly moulds and curving Formica worktop, the space hasn't been changed for more than 40 years.
There are four bedrooms in total, all with matching mustard carpets and curtains, which are connected by an open-tread spiral staircase. There are also two vintage bathrooms – one of which comes decked out with an original corner bath and reflective copper wall tiles, while the other features a yellow suite and a vintage walk-in shower cubicle. Listed for sale in 2022 with The Modern House for £550,000 ($717k), this retro gem could never go out of style.
When you first glance at this bungalow in the Australian city of Sunshine, Victoria, you'd be forgiven for not spotting anything out of the ordinary. Yet as soon as you walk past its driveway, climb its front step and head inside, you'll quickly change your mind.
That's right, this mid-century house is a time capsule of bygone design. The pad hit the market in August 2021 for the first time in 60 years – and it's clear the curtains, carpets and furniture have been there the whole time. Described by the vendors as a “little old lady’s home", the property is certainly old-fashioned, but we can't help but love its avocado flooring, vintage TV set and etched glass doors.
Despite covering a single floor, the brilliant bungalow offers plenty of space. There's an entrance hall, a living room, a dining room, laundry zone, sun room, two bedrooms and one bathroom. Personally, we think the kitchen is the home's finest space. With its huge brick stove, checkerboard floor, diner-style table and frilly net curtains, it's as if Joan Harris has just stepped outside for a smoke.
Other highlights include the home's rustic brick fireplaces, its built-in bedroom furniture and its untouched bathrooms, both of which offer an all-blue suite. The property sold in September 2021, but we're hoping that its interior remains intact.
From the outside, this historic home in Palm Springs, California, is somewhat unassuming. Yet take a walk down the driveway and step through the front door and you'll be faced with an interior that might just make you feel dizzy...
The 2,289-square-foot property was built in 1979 and remains hardly changed since then. Loud and in your face, every single room in this bespoke house is alive with colour. From futuristic silver wallpapers to heavily patterned wall coverings in blues, pinks and creams, this one-of-a-kind home is not for everyone.
The kitchen is a capsule of yesteryear, thanks to its dark wood cabinets and wallpapered ceiling. Laid out over two floors, the desert house is kitted out with eye-watering décor, including retro plastic chairs, animal statues and faux palm trees. Many of the rooms also boast mirrored walls and ceilings, as well as custom furnishings you won't find anywhere else.
The property offers two bedrooms and two bathrooms, each decorated with the same loud wallpaper with matching blue carpets. The master suite even comes complete with palm trees, mirrored accents and neon lighting. How's that for retro nostalgia? The house was offered for sale in January 2021, fully furnished, and sold four months later for £345,000 ($450k).
Known as Dennis Severs' House, this iconic property in the heart of Spitalfields, London, has become world-renowned thanks to its truly one-of-a-kind interior. Let's step inside and discover its fascinating story...
Dennis Severs arrived in Spitalfields in 1979 and quickly snapped up a derelict house. Undertaking a renovation project unlike any other, he redesigned the five-storey townhouse to tell the story of the imaginary Huguenot family, who had lived at the residence since it was built in 1724.
Severs arranged each room to represent a different family scene, taking inspiration from the atmosphere of the house itself. Every space reflects a different century, from 1724 to 1919, and Severs spent years collecting authentic furnishings and ornamental items that he placed around the home as if the members of the Huguenot family had just stepped out for a gentle evening stroll.
Severs began offering tours of his fascinating residence in the 1980s and the property is now a popular museum, running night tours and silent visits, where guests can walk through every room without speaking, taking in the fragrances that Severs added – perfume, wood smoke and oranges – and listening to the sound of ticking clocks and crackling fires. During the festive period, the house is transformed with authentic vintage Christmas decorations.
Located in the city of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, this 1950s time capsule is bold, bright and beautifully unique. Nestled on an attractive 14,120-square-foot lot, the large family home appears fairly ordinary from the outside, barring its baby blue paintwork. Yet once you cross the threshold, you'll find yourself in an entirely different era...
The 3,050-square-foot home still boasts much of its original interior design. From vivid geometric carpets to metallic wallpapers, net curtains and shiny mahogany panelling, this vintage property is eye-watering and enchanting in equal measure. Enter the front door and you’ll find yourself in a sunken foyer, lined with shimmering gold wallpaper. Another staircase leads down to a huge open-plan lounge, which boasts a vaulted ceiling, dining zone and an eye-catching carpet in pink and green.
The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home offers a unique split-level floorplan and comes complete with a retro kitchen, a formal dining room and a vintage bar lined with glossy mahogany. The bar leads out to an exterior patio, while the home's basement is equipped with a games room.
Yet the home's bedrooms might just be its most surprising features. Covered in loud wallpapers that stretch onto the ceiling, shag pile carpets and nostalgic quilts, these interior spaces appear to have been left untouched for decades – and we just can't get enough!
Inspired by the iconic designs of (perhaps) America's most renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, this mid-century marvel can be found in the town of Hamburg in Erie County, New York. Built in 1953, the property boasts all the hallmarks of a classic Wright creation. Think organic architecture, sharp lines, rich woods and endless texture...
Located on a cliffside within three-acre grounds, this '50s gem was designed by self-taught architect, Nelson Keem Sr., and it’s been owned by the same family since it was built. While the home's exterior is decorated with panelling, a cantilevered roof and thin, textured bricks, the inside is almost too good to be true. Spanning an impressive 3,479 square feet, the four-bedroom home is laid out over four broken-plan floors, all linked by striking staircases covered in deep shag pile carpets.
The mid-century modern aesthetic is well and truly alive and the house remains almost untouched since it was created almost 70 years ago. Inside, every room is kitted out with curving angles, textured walls, colourful carpets and steel accents. The front door leads into a mirrored entrance hall, while a Cinderella staircase leads down to this wonderfully retro living space.
Elsewhere, you’ll find an untouched kitchen, decorated with Italian marble flooring, Corian countertops and cherry wood cabinets that were made from trees sourced from the garden. Other vintage gems include the home’s bathrooms – one of which is pink, one is electric blue and the other is decorated with shimmering gold wallpaper – as well as the home’s flagstones, which are the same as the ones used in Wright’s iconic property, Falling Waters.
Inside, the vibrant living room is a kaleidoscope of colour and clashing patterns. Typical of its era, the loud scheme features an ochre and brown colour palette, bold floral wallpaper and curtains, patterned linoleum flooring and a futuristic pendant light.
Connecting the home's two pristine storeys – and one of our favourite focal points – has to be the curved, open-tread staircase, complete with an unusual rope balustrade. Flanked by ochre tartan wallpaper and an emerald green feature wall, this characterful hallway is seriously spectacular.
Calling all maximalists: this bedroom pushes patterned wallpaper to the extreme. The busy, floral print even extends to the doors of the fitted wardrobes! Designed by its previous owners, the time capsule home went on the market for the first time in 2018 and has since changed hands – here's hoping some of its quirky, original touches have been preserved.
Nestled in the affluent London suburb of Highgate on a street that's now a celebrity property hotspot, this unassuming two-storey house gives no hint of its remarkable interior from the modest brick façade. But what lies within offers a glimpse back in time to domestic life in the wake of the Second World War, long before the home's famous neighbours moved in...
Built for a doctor and his wife around 65 years ago, the historic home is virtually unchanged since it was finished. The original mint green kitchen features the same cabinetry installed all those years ago, as well as a quirky flip-down banquette in the open dining area. Vinyl and Formica, are still in place just as you'd expect in a '50s kitchen.
Decked out with blush pink tiles, the vintage bathroom is a pastel dream. The couple's son, who lived in California at the time, would write to them about the newest home features he'd discovered in the US, and one of his suggestions, a toilet with a foot-pedal flush, still features in the suite today.
A cutting-edge house in its day, the property is packed with early versions of smart home tech, many of which are now commonplace in modern properties. The two levels of living spaces, including the balcony and garage, are wired with a centralised radio system, allowing residents to listen to their favourite music anywhere in the house.
This picture-perfect Gothic pile in the town of Eureka, in California, could be straight out of a fairytale. The Carson Mansion, built in 1885 by the nouveau riche lumber merchant William Carson, was designed to his exacting specifications and little has changed to this day...
Stepping inside, visitors are confronted with the jaw-dropping redwood staircase, sourced from the Carson lumberyard. Featuring exquisite carving, turning and illuminated by a six-panel stained-glass window, no expense was spared on the construction of this house. It rivals the great chateaux of France in its finery!
On the upper floors, circular wooden arches frame the hallway. The spectacular interior has been preserved by The Ingomar Club, a private gentlemen's society who took over the spectacular house for their headquarters in the 1950s.
The formal dining room was a very important room in the Victorian household and as such it has been fitted out with a hand-carved oak fireplace, a gilded ceiling and the original oak table. This room would have been used for hosting dinner parties and family meals, though larger social soirees would always be held in the ballroom.
When this four-bed family home in Springfield, New Jersey, hit the market in 2017, the real estate agent Lucas Wolf was overwhelmed with interest. According to Realtor, he described it as the “coolest house I’ve ever been inside” so it's no wonder that the perfectly preserved property drew multiple offers before selling very quickly for £353,700 ($461k).
Stepping through the front door into the green flocked hallway, it’s clear that this house hasn’t been decorated since the 1960s. This living room goes for a 'more is more' approach to combining textures and colours, with a white exposed brick wall, ornate gilded finishes on the windows, mirror and furniture, and an abundant interior flower bed that adds even more greenery to the scheme.
The maximalism continues in this formal sitting room, with what might have been called an ‘oriental’ theme at the time. Check out the black lacquered furniture, orange satin-lined panels on the window and a reclining leopard statue – it’s totally wild!
Heading upstairs into one of four bright vintage bedrooms and it's clear that peacock blue inspired this brave decorator from the past. The silk curtains and bedding have been colour-matched to the bold motif wallpaper and walls, while an old-fashioned TV sits on an adjustable stand. Despite – or perhaps because of – the décor, the house was snapped up in no time.
Known as Stephan's Folly, this amazing home in Palm Springs was built in 1965 and eventually purchased by 'plumber to the stars' Jack Stephan, who spent a great deal of time and money refurbishing the interiors in 1971.
The funky living spaces haven't been touched for 45 years and the rooms are covered in shades of red from floor to ceiling. The opulent décor uses velvet, patterned wallpaper and shag pile carpets. The flamboyant pad features 16 different wallpaper designs and hints of gold leaf on the custom furniture.
A textbook example of 1970s style, the home has a sunken living room, curved wet bar and a screening theatre. With three bedrooms and five bathrooms, it also includes a butler's pantry and walk-in wardrobes.
The only part of the house that takes a break from the swathes of red is the nostalgic vintage kitchen. Decorated with mustard yellow counters, an orange window blind and dark wood cabinets, it's also fitted with original appliances and a suspended ceiling.
Located in the seaside suburb of Long Jetty in New South Wales, Australia, this one-bedroom holiday home doesn't look like much from the outside. However, when you step inside it tells a different story.
The nostalgic cottage is full of furniture from the 1960s. The flecked carpet immediately draws the eye – it seems the owner wasn't afraid of a pattern or two. The colourful kitchen features vibrant turquoise units and matching chairs for the ultimate throwback.
What 1960s home would be complete without a pastel bathroom? This time warp dwelling has a colourful blush pink toilet, a combined bath and shower and a matching pink vanity unit.
Built in 1962, the boxy exterior of this Belfast home is typical of the era it was constructed, while its interior still contains some of the most iconic interior décor from the Swinging Sixties. Grab your sunglasses and let's head inside...
Covered floor to ceiling in bold white and blue patterned tiles, the bathroom suite is typical of the flamboyant designs of the 1960s and though new owners have added the odd anachronistic touch, most of the effects are still true to the time.
This rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home was previously put up for sale by its original owners with all of its authentic features intact. Sold back in 2018 for £920,000 ($1.2m), this impeccable mid-century modern masterpiece isn't short on wow-factor.
Created by the visionary American architect, it was built in 1958 and completed just after Frank Lloyd Wright's death in 1960. It has been owned by the same couple for nearly 70 years, who are now in their 90s. The intriguing kitchen features exposed brickwork and quirky angles – just look at that hexagonal island and the matching hexagonal bar stools!
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom brick and stone house near downtown Minneapolis was one of Wright's 'Usonian' homes – his bold plan to create affordable homes for America after the Great Depression.
This gorgeous Canadian home was put on the market by its 96-year-old owner, who had lived in the jaw-dropping property for 72 years. So, as you can imagine, it boasts one seriously nostalgic interior. Let's take a look...
From a mint green hearth to Louis XV-style sofas, this sugar-sweet living room certainly makes a statement. Fitted out with pastel pink décor, period touches and statement wallpaper, it's a perfect time capsule of the era.
Throughout the house, the rooms are colour-themed, from deep purple to turquoise green, fitted out with what are now very desirable vintage homewares, furnishings and accessories.
Downstairs in the den, the original decorations remain, from wood-panelled walls and faux beams to old-fashioned ceiling tiles. Unusually, crossed swords hang above the vast open fireplace – a family heirloom perhaps?
This stunning time capsule home overlooking the Silver Lake Reservoir in Los Angeles was designed by acclaimed architect Al Martin in 1952 for his family. He and his wife lived in the pioneering self-built home until their deaths in their 80s.
The house sold the first time to new owners in 2014, and that owner just happened to be Hollywood star, Kristen Wiig. The Bridesmaids actor paid £1.3 million ($1.7m) in May 2014 and sold it on fours years later for an inflated £3.9 million ($5.1m), according to Variety. Inside, the throwback home features original cork floors, vast glass walls, two fireplaces, built-in furniture and vintage appliances and light fixtures.
While the acoustic ceiling tiles haven't weathered the years especially well, the cliff home offers plenty of other original features, including the flooring and built-in furniture, which look to be in a reasonable condition.
This untouched home from the early twentieth century was originally furnished and decorated to the fashionable tastes of Mrs Florence Straw, after the family relocated to the property in 1923. The house was occupied and maintained by her two sons, William and Walter Straw, after she passed away.
Located in England's East Midlands region, the house was left to the National Trust when William died and has been maintained in its original style for visitors. Even during their lifetime, the Straws were extremely thrifty and never threw anything away, keeping everything in top working order so there was no need to replace their old things with new.
After the death of her husband in 1932, Florence Straw made very few changes to the house and kept his memory alive by keeping his belongings in their proper place. By the time it was left to the National Trust, the home had collected all sorts of items, from snuff boxes to an upright piano, making it a truly unique collection.
When the lady of the house also passed away in 1939, her sons took over possession of the house and kept everything much the same. Their tendency for thriftiness and frugality led to very little modernisation in the house, and its protected status means that their home will remain a snapshot of family life frozen in time.
Having undergone a top-quality refit in the 1950s, only two people have owned the property in over 100 years. The family loved the décor and mid-century features so much that they kept them in place to this day.
The kitchen is an incredible homage to the era, with bursts of pink dotted across the old-fashioned cabinetry and woodwork, plus original flooring, curtains and wallpaper. We hope it never changes!
This Illinois ranch home was built in 1965 and doesn't seem to have changed much since then. With 6,550 square feet of space, it's a fine family home and so far it seems its occupants have honoured the house's mid-century origins.
Inside, the house has been seemingly frozen in time since the mid-1960s and reminds us of what our grandparents' homes looked like. The living room, which has large windows along one wall, is decked out in pale pinks and dark wood with pelmet curtains and even a vintage TV.
The kitchen is as authentic as the rest of the house with patterned flooring and pale blue appliances, including the colour-coordinated oven and sink. The white units are framed in oak wood and the small kitchen island helps divide the open-plan living space.
The kitchen leads through to the dining area, featuring a four-seater dining set flanked by large patio doors that open out onto the garden. The '60s flooring follows through from the kitchen, a boon for any fans of vintage design.
In 2015, an unassuming Victorian house in Paddington, New South Wales was listed for auction, complete with a remarkable interior that's been largely untouched since it last changed hands a century ago. It was owned by the same family for 100 years and is one of the few remaining examples of a traditional 'worker's cottage' in the area.
The two-bedroom house, which unsurprisingly looks a little worse for wear, includes a combined laundry and bathroom space with a hot water copper or water heater for filling the bath, as well as an antique wooden dresser.
Relics of yesteryear, there are old sepia photographs still hanging around the house, and a single-wire bed frame lingers in the living room. The historic space offers a fascinating look back at how houses would have looked for an ordinary Australian family 100 years ago.
From the outside, this home looks like a recently built property designed in a mid-century modern style. The growing appetite for retro design means many new-build houses reference the popular 1960s aesthetic, but here we have an example of the real thing.
Except for the kitchen, this three-bedroom home has remained much the same since it was built in the late 1960s. Subsequent owners left the original decoration in place to make sure the house kept its character. This bold, green reception room certainly makes a statement with its swagged curtains, thick carpet and floral-print circular sofas.
Frozen in time, bright colour-matched schemes, typical of the era, are found throughout the house. As well as a regal, royal blue bedroom, kitted out with a grand quilted ottoman, a plush queen-sized bed and a built-in mirrored wardrobe, this crazy Barbie pink bedroom is almost too nostalgic to be true.
Amazingly, the rich colours haven't faded and are as striking now as they would have been when the property was first decorated. Design trends popular in the late '60s appear throughout the décor, such as the dark wooden finishes, shag pile carpets and low textured ceilings.
One unit in the Country Villas West condo complex, just outside San Diego, caught everybody’s attention when it hit the market in February this year. Built in the early 1970s, this ordinary-looking exterior hides a retro lover’s dream inside; an almost untouched home that has been barely inhabited for 30 years.
Last sold for £260,700 ($340k), this 1,800-square-foot home is so authentic that even the magazines on the coffee table are 30 years old. It’s also got bags of space spread over two floors, with a fantastic old-school spiral staircase, complete with treads covered in the vibrant green shag pile carpet.
The pristine interior was the work of an interior designer, hired by the condo complex developer in the ‘70s. Vivid lime green was chosen as the signature scheme for the house, with the citrus hue used on the floor, walls, fabrics and furnishings. Real estate agent Nancy Maranan describes the three-bed, three-bath condo as “a true time capsule”.
In the master bedroom, the bold use of colour continues but a busy floral pattern steps the whole look up a notch. There’s even a customised bedspread and curtains to match the signature wallpaper. We bet lots of vintage lovers out there would love to move straight in!
When this unassuming property in Smoke Rise, Georgia, hit the real estate market in March 2022, it went viral almost immediately. While there doesn't seem to be anything too exciting about the house from the outside, it's harbouring one of the most incredible vintage interiors we've ever seen. Let's take a tour...
Step through the front door and you'll be greeted by some seriously amazing décor. From gold-accented mirrored walls to cork panelling, fur-covered shelving, suspended fireplaces and deep shag carpets, there's something amazing to see in every single room. “It’s as if Zsa Zsa Gabor, Elizabeth Taylor, and the owner had a bit of coffee – or something stronger – and just enjoyed each other’s company in a setting Austin Powers would love,” the listing agent, Pat Soltys, told Realtor.
The pad was built back in 1968 and clearly the interior design hasn't been altered in the years that followed. In fact, the previous owner kept everything just as it was – the only things that have been changed are the lightbulbs. Across the home's 2,772-square-foot layout, there are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a gorgeous Great Room and a dining room with a sunken conversation pit, a built-in circular couch and an indoor fountain.
Yet the home's vintage bedrooms truly stand out. While one is decorated with a round bed topped with a circular ceiling canopy, and another features a one-of-a-kind built-in bed. With its wave-like headboard, mirrored finish and unusual Japanese indoor rockery, this master suite is unlike any other in the world. If retro design is wrong, then we don't want to be right!
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