You Know You're From The '70s If You Had These Things In Your Kitchen

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Ah, the '70s. That decade of disco, which saw the emergence of "Star Wars" and the disbanding of the Beatles, definitely had its own distinctive style — can you picture the bell-bottom pants and mood rings? When it came to culinary spaces, however, a '70s-era kitchen could be identified at a glance by certain telltale — and often very brightly colored — characteristics.

Of course, everything old is new again, and these days, elements of that classic '70s style still find their ways into modern spaces, including fun old-school lighting trends and vintage kitchen appliances. However, there are certain elements of the kitsch — avocado green literally everywhere, for instance — that most of us would just as soon leave in the past. Still, it can be fun to revisit the more endearing parts of the era, if only in memory. If you remember having some of these things in your kitchen, you are most certainly from the 1970s.

The 1970s had a very distinctive color palette, dominated by avocado green and harvest gold, supported by various browns and that unmistakable '70s orange. If your kitchen proudly displayed those colors, you were definitely dining in a 1970s culinary space.

Virtually every household had Tupperware canisters in the trademark '70s colors with the sunburst pattern on the lid. If you grew up in the '70s, you may have even inherited some of these containers from an older family member and might still be using them today.

If people in your household were coffee drinkers, you likely had a Mr. Coffee machine on the counter. These days, homes are often equipped with smart kitchen gadgets, but as the first in-home automatic drip coffee maker, Mr. Coffee took the world by storm in the 1970s, making it quicker and more convenient than ever to get that daily caffeine fix.

Unthinkably, many 1970s kitchens had carpeted floors. As impractical as that sounds — given spills and stains — the loud and colorful patterns were a hallmark of the time.

If you didn't have carpet, chances are you had linoleum. Shades of green, gold, orange, and brown were considered all the rage.

The early 1970s also saw the debut of the Crock-Pot, a brand of slow cooker that quickly became a household essential. The appliance found its way into millions of homes and has stood the test of time, remaining popular to this day.

The 1970s also gave rise to liquid meal products like Slim-Fast and Ensure, marketed for weight loss or nutrition. Instead of bacon and eggs, many kids dashed out the door with a Carnation Instant Breakfast in hand.

Brightly colored laminate countertops were another staple of 1970s kitchens. Though Formica was a brand, its name became synonymous with the material, which covered counters, peninsulas, and snack bars across the country.

Fondue was another craze of the decade — a communal pot of melted cheese or chocolate heated over a small burner, into which diners dipped bread and other foods. A proper fondue set came with a pot, base, burner, and forks, and many kitchens of the era had one.

And of course, 1970s appliances often went beyond basic white. Refrigerators, stoves, and other kitchen essentials came in those iconic shades of — you guessed it — avocado green and harvest gold.