How to Make a Brand-New IKEA Item Look Straight Out of the ’70s (in the Best Way!)

When it comes to decor, there’s nothing I love more than throwback 1970s visuals. From bohemian macramé to space-age plastic pieces, sign me up for all of it. But it’s not always easy to shop exclusively vintage, especially if you have a very specific furniture or decor need. Thankfully, there are plenty of vintage-inspired options for new items you can shop — and for anything that doesn’t look quite right off the shelf, there’s always the option to customize with a little DIY.

To gather inspiration for my own home, I follow Instagrammers who have brought the 1970s into 2025 through their smart shopping and clever DIY tricks. One of my favorites creators is Erica Olivarez of Willow Terra Studio, whose feed is bursting with groovy 1970s visuals. Erica displays her mix of vintage finds and pieces she makes as well, from embroidery to stickers, but her space obviously has some new items in it, too. One such recent find: the IKEA IVÖSJÖN mirror cabinet. Straight out of the box, it has a distinctly modern look, but Erica was able to give it a fresh and funky 1970s style with the help of some paint. The secret to making this shiny white item look new was mostly in adjusting the color palette. 

Different decor eras are defined in large part by their color palettes — and in the 1970s, those colors included avocado, rust, harvest gold, and other earthy tones. To completely transform the look of her IKEA cabinet, Erica first took it apart piece by piece before using two different spray paints in perfect ’70s hues: Rust-oleum’s Real Orange Paint + Primer and COLORSHOT’s Root Beer Float Paint + Primer. 

Erica spray-painted each piece separately (covering the mirror, of course, which you can use painter’s tape for), put it back together, and voilà! She made a big-box find look authentically retro. Now, it fits right in with the old-school vibe of her home. Commenters agreed that this is a brilliant way to give a new piece a back-in-the-day makeover, describing it as “absolutely glorious,” “perfection,” and “a cute idea.” 

Of course, the silhouette of the piece helps, too. If you’re going for a 1970s look, I recommend shopping for something with curved corners rather than 90-degree ones. A piece with ovular or circular details will give you a truly mod look that can fit into a range of mid-century designs. This mirror-and-storage combo is ideal for a small bathroom or an entryway as is, but I happen to think it looks tons cooler in those 1970s shades of orange and brown. 

The next time you’re in IKEA and you see a plastic piece that doesn’t quite match your vintage style, just take a note from Erica and give it an easy, nostalgic update using a retro color palette.