The 70s had their plastic craziness that lasted for decades, because it was expensive at the beginning. But no, things looking like they are made of plastic is very hard to do well and bad most of the time. Things looking like they are made of wood is normally much better.
IMO, it’s less about the plastic and more about everything besides the plastic: the cool toned color palette with design shapes that stand out, the long benches and tables that chop out corners into various seats and small tables, etc.
Today, business architecture and interior design feels…bland isn’t quite the right word despite it being a good descriptor. McDonald’s today looks like the “modern” coffee shops at airports like 10 or 20 years ago. It’s that, like, “metropolitan” style with faux wood and stone with metal accents. Everything feels like an ouroboros of copying the homework of corporate minimalism that focuses on maximizing square footage and dollar extraction value while trying to look “professional” instead of a place meant for people. These places aren’t meant for you to walk inside and patronage, they’re just there to put the multi lane drive through on.
Looks cheap and uncomfortable.
The 70s had their plastic craziness that lasted for decades, because it was expensive at the beginning. But no, things looking like they are made of plastic is very hard to do well and bad most of the time. Things looking like they are made of wood is normally much better.
That said, yes, your modern example is bland.
Agree. This is nostalgia bait. It was cheap and plastic and the teal and purple was everywhere you looked.
IMO, it’s less about the plastic and more about everything besides the plastic: the cool toned color palette with design shapes that stand out, the long benches and tables that chop out corners into various seats and small tables, etc.
Today, business architecture and interior design feels…bland isn’t quite the right word despite it being a good descriptor. McDonald’s today looks like the “modern” coffee shops at airports like 10 or 20 years ago. It’s that, like, “metropolitan” style with faux wood and stone with metal accents. Everything feels like an ouroboros of copying the homework of corporate minimalism that focuses on maximizing square footage and dollar extraction value while trying to look “professional” instead of a place meant for people. These places aren’t meant for you to walk inside and patronage, they’re just there to put the multi lane drive through on.