Dull. Abandoned. Washed out. Words that, in the 2000s, one would never use to describe the colorful and eclectic world of Lisa Frank. Frank, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s with the now-famous school supplies, was known for bright, vibrant pop-art-style illustrations of animals such as dolphins and cheetahs. Despite Lisa Frank’s heyday, the brand’s popularity declined in the 2010s, leading to its closure in 2013.
The Lisa Frank warehouse in Arizona, as documented by Atlas Obscura, stood vacant until the early 2020s. The wall-sized rainbow symbols painted on the building’s exterior, representing the seemingly forgotten millennial obsession, had faded under the desert sun. However, in 2026, with the return of 2016 era decor and design, the tides seemed to turn. A Lisa Frank Instagram account began posting a before-and-after of the warehouse, with a fresh coat of paint on the outside, teasing a resurgence of the brand. The sudden resurgence of Frank’s design begs the question: why now?
The answer lies within “nostalgia design.”
The abandoned Lisa Frank building around 2023. (Image via KLAQ.)
A recent photo of the Lisa Frank warehouse, repainted for 2026. The brand soft-launched a “comeback” on TikTok. (Image via KGUN 9).
What is Nostalgia Design?
Nostalgia design applies vintage aesthetics, such as 1970s layouts, 90s color palettes, or 1950s patterns, to modern interiors. Serving as a welcome alternative to all things digital and AI, nostalgia design is tactile and hands-on. It’s all about catering to the familiar, leveraging emotional connection and memory to appeal to our desire for simplicity, joy, and comfort.
Nostalgia Design in 2026
In 2026, many designers, architects, and brands are “riding the wave” of nostalgia design and marketing. Subtleties as minimal as the return of neon in graphic design are flooding modern spaces, and in the world of interiors and urban design, this is translating into Ikea bringing back vintage product designs, Home Depot and Wayfair selling retro-inspired appliances, and West Elm drawing from mid-century modern decor and a 1970s-inspired color palette.
In our experience, the demand for reimagined analog technology (we know all about this) is one of the strongest indicators that nostalgia design is thriving, with no indication of slowing down anytime soon. From the fabled return of Lisa Frank to the TikTok declaration that 2026 is the new 2016, consumers are feeling the throwback, and it’s up to brands to strategically (and authentically) position themselves towards nostalgia in a tech era.
Brands like West Elm (and West Elm Kids), Ikea, La Creuset, and Ford are taking full advantage of nostalgia design, with colors, designs, and patterns reminiscent of more colorful and eccentric times in design.
The Key to Nostalgic Design
The smarter, savvier consumer is eagle-eyed and already eager to point out how brands have changed (often, for the worse). Brands from Hershey’s to Burger King have been the subject of critical consumers asking, “Remember when….?” about quality and taste. While some brands are successfully pivoting (the CEO of Burger King personally took consumer feedback), others may struggle with one challenge: authenticity.
In our experience, the pressure points of nostalgic design that prevent authenticity often include:
- An imbalance of what was and how (realistically) that nostalgia is applied to modern spaces and experiences
- An overcorrection in one direction or the other (becoming too “offline” or too “online”)
- Not addressing the primary objections of consumers (there’s power in paying close attention to what the problem actually is)
- Compromising quality for nostalgic aesthetics, leading to products that can’t reliably operate or perform in a space
To find this careful balance, we travel back throughout the decades, finding inspiration in how spaces were designed and used.
From upper left to right: The Trail Theatre (image via Downtown Saint Joseph), Jacksonville’s Florida Theater (image via Jacksonville.com), Duwamish Drive-in (image via Ebay), and The Rodgers Theatre in Poplar Bluff (image via Rodgers Theatre).
Movie Theaters and Drive-ins in the 30’s and 50’s
The 1930s-1950s were marked by art deco, analog devices, and tactile instruments such as gauges, dials, and meters in cars and planes. Aesthetically, this created a rich design and material palette that included:
- Decorative brickwork and colorful tiles
- Mechanical or backlit marquees
- Vacuum tube amplification
- Muted jewel tones with contrasting colors such as mint green and bright red
- Geometric patterns
Now, we can experience echoes of this era through vintage theaters and drive-ins.
What it represented then: entertainment, vibrant urban grain that defined the architecture of a city block or neighborhood
What it represents now: a feeling of presence, revival, and craft
The 1930s-1950s-era theatres pictured above, including the Duwamish Drive-In in Seattle, WA, and The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, create an engaging collage of Americana, historic facades, and eclectic theatre design. In some cases, these spaces have been reopened and repurposed for the modern day, such as the Trail Theatre and Rodgers Theatre, both located in Missouri.
Las Vegas and Tourism in the 1940s and 1960s
While the first hotel opened in Las Vegas in the 1900s, kicking off a century of prohibition, gambling, and weekend bachelor/ette parties, the 1940s through 1960s illustrated a time of world-class entertainment, with headliners like Liberace, Elvis, and Frank Sinatra. In terms of design, Vegas-inspired:
From upper left: Las Vegas Welcome Sign (Canva Premium Elements), Pioneertown sign at Joshua Tree National Park (Pexels), and Route 66 Twin Arrows (Pexels).
- Neon signage design
- Futuristic-inspired symbols like starbursts and boomerangs
- Pre-digital, mechanical slot machines (the tactile pull of the lever)
- Hyper-saturated photography
- Lighting as a medium
Glimmers of the golden casino era can still be discovered along Route 66 and “Old” Vegas.
What it represented then: escapism, luck, risk, glamour, peak tourism
What it represents now: experiential branding, novelty, status, abundance
Not only Vegas but also hotspots such as Palm Springs, Atlantic City, Shinjuku (Tokyo), Times Square, and Dubai have mirrored this aesthetic, capturing the same balance between the lure of possibility and the kitsch of “Rat Pack” glam and overdone, oversaturated facades.
California Modernism in the 1970s
The sun-soaked 1960s-1970s in California is arguably one of the most sought-after “design” time capsules brands aim to replicate through furniture, decor, and aesthetic. In terms of analog technology, the time inspires memories of records, 35mm photography, and wood-clad speaker systems.
The contemporary organic style boasts a design and material palette that includes:
- Warm wood tones and rounded river rock
- Expansive windows with vast “mountain to sea” sightlines
- Vinyl records and turntables
- Handcrafted and carved wood signage
- Bauhaus and geometric art
From upper left to right: The Saddle Peak House (image via Boutique Life, Inc.), a 1970s. modernist interior (actually in Sweden, not California, image via Retro to Go), a California residence interior (image via Assembledge+), a mid-century inspired home on Long Island (via Decoist).
The “effortlessly” cool vision feels imaginative, bohemian, and connected to nature, inspiring modern designers such as Jonathan Adler. In 2008, Adler called the era “a time of freedom and an amazing time for craft,” traits that are reemerging in 2026 design.
What it represented then: sustainability, naturalism, off-the-grid living, anti-establishment
What it represents now: an aspirational “ecotopia”, decades of curation, luxury wellness
Today, visitors and locals can visit 1970s-inspired spaces such as the Big Sur Lodge, the Big Sur Roadhouse, and the Gregory Bateson Building, driving past private residences designed by “maverick” architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Mark Mills, and Mickey Muennig.
Anchoring a “Nostalgic” Space with Throwback Tech
For us, one of the best ways to avoid these challenges is to integrate a signature, functional element that provides an aesthetically appealing yet interactive anchor. When brands approach us about a custom, reimagined analog display (split flaps, inspired by the classic boards in European train stations), we find the most successful integrations are those that fit into both a space’s artisanal aesthetic and the customer experience, such as:
- Split Flaps reimagined as marquees, retro restaurant menus, and interactive cocktail experiences (when connected to our companion technology, Algorithm).
- Our image-based flip board, Picture Flap, is used as a statement piece, flipping through tourism photography and local scenery for a visitor’s center or hotel lobby.
- A custom-built all-color Chroma Flap installation in the foyer of a commercial building, resort, or retail coffee flagship.
So once a display is chosen to “anchor” a space, how does it fit into the design and form of a space?
Learn which display best fits the story of your space through a complimentary consultation with our team or using our Mechanical Matchmaker quiz.
Here are a few of our displays in interiors, capturing the same aesthetics as nostalgia design:
- A centrally placed, vertical analog display in our Classic Black or Modern White, recessed into the wall, amongst polished marble floors, gold industrial finishes, and matte accents, ala the Art Deco-inspired Walker Center.
- A horizontal, rectangular display in our Classic Black, mounted on a lobby “statement wall,” accented by the same detailed molding and millwork, bold colors, and patterned textiles of old school Vegas, similar to the personality-driven decor of Hotel Indigo.
- A 3 or 4-row display in our Classic Black, hung from a 1970s-inspired, contemporary slatted wood ceiling, mirroring the Starbucks Hacienda Alascia Split Flap.
With a custom analog display at the heart of a space, mid-century, retro, and vintage-inspired interiors find footing in the past and present.
