Step Inside a Woman's Love Letter to the '70s

It’s not often you hear someone describe their home’s aesthetic as “disco pirate ship,” but that’s how Corbyn Wittig proudly introduces her home to strangers.

“I want it to be like the pirate disco kind of Las Vegas in the sixties and seventies,” Wittig said. “I want it to have a decadent dankness.”

Wittig’s house sits 15 minutes outside of Chicago. It’s reminiscent of — in her own words — a grimy oil painting of a pirate ship. And she would know, since she owns several of them. They hang off mustard-yellow walls and wood paneling around the house. Ebony stain coats nearly every door frame and window sill. Some of those doors and windows frame stained glass, giving pops of brighter colors. All of these elements come together to create a balance between dark and light, eccentrically so.

The living room of Corbyn Wittig’s 70s time capsule home. Courtesy Corbyn Wittig.

This is all in effort to make Wittig’s dream come true: living in a 70s-themed time capsule home. More than anything, she wants to be true to the decade she grew up in, drawing inspiration from the themes of her childhood.

“There was a real Mediterranean vibe in the decor at the time,” Wittig said. “It was super cheesy, lots of chunky carved wood, always with a dark stain. And the feeling to me was a pirate ship.”

And the house has been coming together pretty well. Hers is among the most well-known time capsule homes in the United States. Wittig has 72,000 TikTok followers, and another 25,000 on Instagram.

However, she had already gained much of her sizable following before moving into her current home. Her last house was a '70s time capsule as well. As was the one before that. Her previous house rocketed her to popularity, with a pink tile bathroom among its many unique features. And while that home helped Wittig learn how to create a time capsule, she felt that it wasn’t reflecting who she was.

“I was starting to feel that tug of wanting to get out of maximalism. I was doing too much gallery wall, too much ‘millennial does the seventies,’ and I am a seventies person,” Wittig said. “There's a word, verisimilitude — that's a real SAT word — but it's about true authenticity.”

With each of these houses, Wittig has honed in closer to her perfect aesthetic. And her current house — where all these photos are from — feels the truest to herself thus far. 

The art of creating a '70s time capsule

In fall 2024, Wittig, her husband, and their kids were moving from one Chicago suburb to another. When they first toured the home, Wittig wasn’t impressed. Its walls had been painted white in preparation for hitting the market, so it lacked the character Wittig wanted. But there was one detail that caught her eye and let her see the potential.

“When we saw this house listed, the photos made it look like the doors and trim were black gloss enamel paint. And I thought, that was a choice,” Wittig said with a laugh. “Then when we came and visited it with our realtor, I realized it wasn't painted at all. It's just a glorious ebony stain.”

Once they bought the house, Wittig saw this as her chance to start anew. Those white walls didn’t stay that way for long. 

“It was when I saw that dark stain and suddenly I was brought back to 1974, when my parents really did a lot of Spanish revival in their home,” she said. “I felt like I was moving from a watercolor painting of a sailboat to a grimy oil painting of a pirate ship.”

Wittig hired a painter to give those walls a touch of 70s dankness, and went with the palette that speaks to her: mustard yellows, browns, and deep limes. She didn’t know exactly what the house looked like in its previous lives, but the kitchen gave her an idea, because that remained largely untouched. All she did was add some art and macrame to the space. 

“The mural was here. It's iconically of its era,” Wittig said. “The light fixture and the Saarinen tulip table and chairs came with it too.”

The dining room in Wittig’s home came with a mural, the chandelier, and the dining set pictured. Courtesy Corbyn Wittig.

The room’s orange accent wall was already there as well, which gave Wittig an idea of what the home may have looked like before it went up for sale. But it doesn’t fit with her moody pirate ship vibe, so she plans to repaint it. As for the color, she’s undecided.

Once the rest of the walls were painted, it was time for furniture and decor.

Wittig has a fondness for mushrooms and ships, a theme found throughout her time capsule home. Courtesy Corbyn Wittig.

To encourage the 70s vibe, Wittig has gathered a collection of wooden chandeliers, accessories in warm tones, and, of course, pirate ship paintings. Her living room is stuffed with hardwood furniture, accent chairs, and plants. One of her most unique accessories hangs from the ceiling in this room: a vintage Tiffany glass-style lamp shade. Its panels depict mushrooms in pink, yellow, and orange. And she’s not the only one obsessed with it.

“I've had people basically throwing their bodies around because they want it so badly,” she said. “Any time I post anything where it shows that lamp, I have people saying, ‘I need details. Where did you get it?’ As far as I can tell, it's one-of-a-kind.”

Wittig’s living room incorporates colorful glass, an orange shag rug, and various nods to nature. Courtesy Corbyn Wittig.

And Wittig really doesn’t know where someone could get the same lamp shade, because she found hers for $50 on Facebook Marketplace. That’s how Wittig finds many of her coolest pieces. She said she’s always been a thrifter, as is the rest of her family. She said that if you know where to look and what to look for, you could end up getting pretty lucky. One day, she became determined to own a specific vintage appliance. And it called for every trick she knew.

“I joined forums, I joined enthusiast groups. I started searching Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace,” she said. “I looked under misspelled words.”

And that led her to her favorite accessory in the home: a peach-painted washer and matching dryer from ‌the 1970s. And she said they work like a dream.

“I am not overly precious about belongings; I'm precious about my people,” Wittig said. “And there are very, very few items where if someone swung a broom and destroyed it, I'd be genuinely bummed. And the washer-dryer are in that category.”

Wittig said her 1970s laundry appliances work better than the latest models on the market, in her experience. Courtesy Corbyn Wittig.

While the main floor of the home is a great example of what Wittig wants to channel, the basement is even better. It came preserved with bright red carpeting and wood paneling all around, and she said it’s perfect. All she had to do was add some furniture and decor, and she created what she affectionately calls “dank, hip, disco decadence” downstairs. 

“I've always been intrigued by the big Midwestern basement. I think they're a place where families let it all hang out because it was of low consequence,” Wittig said. “It wasn't a place where they greeted normal visitors. It was like if you think of a house as a mullet, it's the party in the back.”

Wittig, pictured here, said her basement is sometimes used for photo and video shoots that call for an accurate 70s setting. Courtesy Corbyn Wittig.

Wittig had to tinker with her interiors for decades to achieve this look. And there are others like her. Her favorite time capsule creator is the woman behind That 70s Austin House. While both homes aim to recreate what it was like to live in the same decade, they take different approaches, and have different results. While Wittig’s home has an off-the-wall, pirate ship feel, the other home has a more traditional, Americana '70s theme. But there’s still a lot of greens, yellows, and browns involved.

How to create your own time capsule home

There are a million ways to recreate your favorite decade in your home. Wittig stressed that finding pieces that are actually from your target decade is key to making your home look frozen in time. And it doesn’t have to break the bank.

“I only do vintage thrifted. There's almost nothing in this house — not tech-related — that's post 1985,” she said. “When it comes to‌ answering the Earth's cries, you should shop secondhand whenever you can. Goodwill doesn't sell furniture in most states, but Salvation Army does. And little mom-and-pop places and estate sales are really popular.”

And while interior design is very important in creating a great time capsule home, Wittig said architecture is even more important. There are homes for sale on Zillow that highlight their time capsule styles, like these: 

This 1974 home in Tennessee was restored to its original groovy glory, and includes a conversation pit – an iconic feature of the time.

Built in 1905, this home includes Victorian era touches like rich, solid wood and a wraparound porch.

This mid-century modern home was built in the 1960s by architect Joseph O. Michell, and still has many of its original features, including a dramatic ceiling-hung fireplace at the center of an open plan living room.

These throwback-style homes are staged (furniture has been arranged) to highlight the potential of the space. The good news is, if you’re a vintage enthusiast like Wittig, you can likely create a time capsule no matter what decade your home was built, as long you have the right accessories and are willing to put in a little extra legwork, like adding crown molding or hanging wallpaper.

“They've done some technological enhancements to wallpaper. It's easier to put up now,” Wittig said. “You can source vintage wallpaper. Urban Outfitters actually sells a really good replica of vintage wallpaper.”

If you want more tips on how to emulate specific decades, we’ve got suggestions. From the right type of couch for a '50s feel, to pastel hues straight from the '90s. Wittig said she’s found a lot of inspiration online.

“​​Pick your favorite social media. I like hanging out on Reddit a lot, but for photos, nothing beats Instagram or Pinterest. Follow the relevant hashtags like #timecapsulehomes. Follow the Time Capsule Homes Facebook group. If you ever find yourself on Facebook, you'll see people wheeling back the hands of time with their houses.”

Remember, it’s taken Wittig decades to get to a point where she feels confident in how she’s bringing the '70s back to life. So start your journey with patience, and don’t be afraid to be bold.