Bring Back the ’80s Vibe to Your Kitchen with a Retro Lighting Trend

When you think of a retro kitchen, you might picture colorful bubble-shaped appliances or whimsical woodland decor, but nostalgic home design doesn’t have to go the mid-century route. Instead, you can explore aesthetics of the past in ways that feel modern. One trick is to look at kitchens of the 1980s for inspiration. One decor trend that’s totally ’80s but easy to incorporate into 21st-century homes is neon lighting.

Neon lighting was invented in 1910 and quickly became popular for outdoor advertising and signage. Neon lights are made of sealed glass tubes filled with gas (neon, argon, or a mixture) that illuminates with a unique vibrancy when connected to an electrical current. In the 1980s, this quirky lighting became a relatively common fixture in people’s houses.

When you consider the minimalist look of most kitchens these days, neon may not seem like a natural fit. On the other hand, with colorful LED strip lights trending in recent years, the idea starts to make a lot of sense. You see them lighting up the underside of upper cabinets or the toe kick of lower ones, for example. Like neon, LED strip lights let you change the vibe of the space with the flip of a switch. But neon lights have a certain authenticity and atmosphere that LEDs just can’t match – as long as you style them right. You want them to look fun and retro, not outdated.

Are you worried neon might be a bit much for your kitchen? Depending on how you use it, retro decor like neon lights can definitely feel overwhelming and make the space look gimmicky. A better approach is to use them as an accent rather than the main lighting – like a vintage neon lamp, a neon sign, or some playful under-cabinet lighting. Limit the neon illumination to just one spot, such as a countertop corner, a kitchen table, or a feature wall.

The size and shape of the neon lighting you choose will affect the price, with larger and more complex designs costing more. Expect a custom neon sign up to 2 feet wide to be $200 to $500. Go bigger, say 3 to 5 feet, and the price jumps to around $600 to $1,300. But there are more affordable alternatives, like this LED neon sign that’s only about $36.

Outside of getting creative with style and size, the real fun of neon lighting is in the wide variety of colors it comes in. Pink, yellow, orange, and blue are all popular hues. Orange can be a good choice for warm kitchens, especially if you want that retro feel, while yellows and blues create a cooler vibe. If your kitchen is mostly black or white, you can pretty much choose any color you want, but warmer tones work best in kitchens with lots of wood.