Everyone Owned It In The '80s – Why This Gorgeous Garden Feature Is Making A Comeback

Depending on your age, what you owned in the 1980s may have included boomboxes and Atari consoles, or it may have been a decorative garden arbor. Regardless of what you recall about the '80s — or whether you were even born yet — if you are into lawn and garden décor, you should know that arbors are making a comeback according to design experts. If you're looking for additional shade but don't have room for a pergola, a garden arbor, also called a garden arch, may be just what you need.

"In the 1970s and '80s, there was a big revival of Victorian taste: floral decor, lace, and ruffles," says Sarah Stafford Turner, architecture and design historian, and editorial board member for the Journal of Design History. If you've ever seen an episode of "Dynasty," it might give you some sense of the luxurious extremes of this design trend. "Outdoors, the Victorian revival translated into a resurgence of formal gardens, with plenty of hedges and arbors." 

"The 'outdoor room' fad meant that lots of home gardeners invested in outdoor architecture, which included arbors as well as benches and gazebos," notes Turner. "Plus, the 1980s were a huge era for DIY home projects, which empowered a generation of independent-minded career women to tackle home projects themselves, including designing and installing their own home gardens."

Trends and fads often repeat themselves. Just as garden arbors became popular in the 1980s because of a revival of Victorian-era style, so, too, are they once again gaining traction as a garden feature, and for much the same reasons. Additionally, Americans' growing desire to create relaxing outdoor living spaces on a budget and fondness for multi-purpose products and features are contributing to the renewed popularity of garden arbors.

"The Victorian Revival style of gardening which became popular during the DIY arts and crafts movement of the 1980s is a great approach to achieving your own blend of indoor-outdoor space today," says Turner." The garden arch or arbor is designed to support climbing plants like grapes or wisteria. Or consider diving full-bore into revival: "Go for heirloom climbing roses: The ultimate marker of a Victorian garden," suggests Turner. "As your roses grow, they can be 'trained' by pinning primary stems to your arbor, gently, with plant ties."

You can also decorate with what Turner calls "classically Victorian revival furniture," like a cast iron bench with frilly outdoor pillows. "Today, there is a growing trend for outdoor living rooms," she notes. Adding an arbor to the garden, with a few decorative touches, is an easy way to create a peaceful backyard oasis on a budget, "which in a sense is the same thing that DIYers of the 1980s and ladies of leisure in the Victorian age were trying to achieve: Spaces of relaxation, via eco-therapy, using architecture that is purpose-built to hold or sustain greenery."