Decorating for a disco-themed party can be fun and relatively simple. The outlandish outfits that were popular during the 1970s, from leisure suits to Angel Flight disco jackets, will spice up the room if you get all your guests to come dressed in appropriate attire. But for the finishing touch, doll up the room with vintage album covers, a disco ball and a good-sized patch of shag carpeting that can serve as your dance floor. Does this Spark an idea?
Hit the Party Shop
Most party shops have sections devoted to disco-themed decorations. You can also shop online, at places like the Oriental Trading Company (see Resources, below). Pickup napkins, plates and cups and a few strobe lights will really get everyone in the disco mood.
Disco Ball
One of the hallmarks of the disco era was the disco ball, a multi-faced mirrored sphere that hung in the center of the ceiling over the dance floor as dancers did The Hustle or The Bump. The sphere reflected the lights, beaming them back down on the dancers in a staccato burst of light. Genuine disco balls are available at online party shops like E.Party Unlimited (see Resources, below), or you can make your own by covering a basketball with aluminum foil. Whatever the case, this is one disco-themed decoration you cannot do without.
Vintage Album Covers
Now the fun starts. Start hitting the thrift shops, searching for old record album covers from the 1970s. Aside from a disco ball, nothing says "disco" as much as old Gloria Gaynor, Bee Gees or Kool and the Gang LP covers or, if you can find them, 12-inch singles. You can generally buy them for cheap, as little as a quarter a disc, at most thrift stores, and then tack or hang them up on the wall throughout the party room.
Shag Rug
If the 1970s was the era of the fashion disaster, home decor was no less tacky. Shag carpeting was a mainstay of the disco era, the brighter the better--and it was common to see a teenager's bedroom decorated with a bright-orange shag rug and powder-blue walls (to match dad's leisure suit, one might presume). Shag carpeting is still produced today, in wall-to-wall and area configurations. Do a little calling around or Internet surfing and find the loudest area rug you can find, in hot pink or orange, and you're in business. Set it up in the middle of your party room and use it as the dance floor.
Bean Bag Chairs
Bean bag chairs were staples of 1970s pop culture, along with smiley faces and Goobers. All were faithfully adopted by the decade's disco-obsessed teens. Pick up a couple at Target or a furniture store and toss them into the party room.
Period Pieces
For the final touch, hit the nearest swap meet, flea market or antique mall. Be on the lookout for vintage lava lamps, Life magazines from the 1970s (there's even a few featuring disco on the cover), pop culture posters from the time (Farrah, Rocky, the Jackson Five) and, best of all, an old eight-track player and a stack of cassettes.
Tags: dance floor, disco ball, party room, album covers, from 1970s