// Blog · Decor

From the 80s living room to your tableThe retro TV look is back, now in miniature and with warm light

There was a telly that ruled the living room. It weighed as much as a piece of furniture, had a bulging screen, proper buttons and a casing in a colour nobody would choose for an appliance today: cream, orange, green. It got warm. It made a noise when you switched it off. And everyone sat in front of it.

That telly is gone. But its shape isn't: it's one of the most recognisable objects of the last century, and that's why we've made it our own. Small, 3D printed, and with a picture of yours inside instead of the afternoon schedule.

4 min read

Green Brilla retro TV switched on, on a shelf next to a plant, showing a vintage wedding photo in warm light — The same old shape, in today's living room.

The telly that ruled the living room

Tube tellies had character. The curved screen, the rounded corners, the speaker grille, the chunky power button. They were design objects without ever trying to be: first, wooden cabinets that took pride of place in the living room; later, in the seventies, the plastic portables in colours we still recognise instantly.

The retro TV captures exactly that: the bulging screen, the graphite front and the coloured casing. It's fourteen centimetres wide and fits in your hand, but from across the room it fools you.

Coloured case, graphite front and curved screen. And on the back, the power button.

Why we keep coming back to retro

It isn't nostalgia for the programmes. It's nostalgia for the objects. What we miss about those sets is that you could touch them, they had weight and they took up a place in the room. These days almost everything we use is a flat black screen that disappears the moment it's switched off.

We've written about it on the blog before, with film cameras and cassettes: retro comes back because it has texture. A miniature telly with a picture in relief inside is, at heart, the same idea.

A telly that broadcasts nothing

And that's the charm of it. No channels, no notifications, nothing demanding your attention. Just a picture that appears when you press the button on the back, in warm tones, lit by an LED of less than one watt.

It's a telly to glance at for a second as you walk past. A screen that gives you your attention back instead of stealing it.

The same blue retro TV with a graphite front, twice: on the left switched off on a wooden table, with a devotional image in white relief on the screen; on the right switched on in the dark, with the same image in amber tones and the case glowing — Off, a white relief. On, the same image in warm light.

Where to put it

It works in any corner with room for a small lamp. A few ideas:

The bookshelf. Among books and keepsakes, glowing in the background. It's where it's seen most and gets in the way least.
The bedside table. As a reading light or a last look before sleep.
The desk. A bit of company where you work or play, next to the monitor.
The hallway. The first thing you see when you get home.

It needs a USB socket nearby. The USB-A cable is included; the plug isn't, but any USB-A charger will do, such as your phone's.

Choosing the colour

Four Brilla retro TVs switched on in the dark, in pink, green, yellow and blue, each showing a photo on its glowing screen: a sleeping baby, two cheering fans, a cat and a modern building — The Brilla retro TV in pink, green, yellow and blue. Switched on, the light draws your photo on the screen.

The casing comes in pink, green, yellow or blue, in pastel shades. Switched off, the colour is soft and blends in with almost any decor. Switched on, the colour comes alive.

If the room is light and neutral, any of them will stand out. If it has wood and warm tones, yellow and pink blend in best. If it's cooler, with greys and whites, green and blue fit in effortlessly. And if it's a gift, think about the person rather than the home: the graphite front goes with any corner.

Pick the colour, upload your picture and have a telly worthy of the living room again.