How I gave my living room a '70s vibe using only Temu products

The Advertiser

25-06-2025

These items are hand-picked to make your shopping experience easier. ACM may be provided with compensation from affiliate partners if you click through.
I was recently asked to create and share a home project using $200 worth of Temu products. I've always been interested in the hype behind Temu and I was curious to know why it was so popular.
For the uninitiated, Temu is a popular e-commerce app and website that sells everything from essential home goods and fashion to novelty items like decorative keychains and bobble toys - all at unbeatable prices.
While Temu only launched to the public in September 2022, less than one year later, monthly gross merchandise hit $1 billion according to Roy Morgan. Yes, billion. With prices so low, this is no mean feat. It's no surprise that their tagline is "shop like a billionaire."
And it's easy to see why Temu has taken off. Research from Omnisend found that 53 per cent of Temu users in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia cited low prices as their main reason for shopping at Temu, followed by ease of use (31 per cent) and special deals and discounts (29 per cent).
In short, people are looking for ways to save on items, and they're finding it on Temu.
For this assignment, I decided to build an at-home bar station on top of a bar cabinet that I have sitting in our living room. Leading with a theme seemed suitable, so I decided to run with a 1970s aesthetic - complete with faux flowers, a nod to this kitsch fad of the 1960s and '70s.
With $200 to spend, I found it quite challenging to reach the budget (I suppose this is the point), since most items are below the $10 mark.
I started by compiling bar inspiration videos on TikTok as well as created a 70s-inspired moodboard on Pinterest. This helped me to identify essential tools and decorative objects to complete the bar station. It also helped me to curb my overwhelm about the sheer number of products that exist on the platform.
Once I'd identified the core items that I wanted for my bar station - a cocktail shaker, glassware, a candle, a lamp, a trinket box and some (faux) flowers, I started trawling through the site to add items to cart.
If you know what you're looking for, the site is actually very easy to navigate. The items tend to be sorted by what's popular or highly rated, so you're generally going to be shopping items that have been tried, tested, and approved.
On this, it's helpful to look at the reviews before purchasing so you can check the quality of an item. People are quite vocal in the review section on Temu and often provide photos of their delivered product, so you can view it in natural lighting in home environments to see if it's right for you.
I placed the order through Temu on June 9 and it arrived nine days later on June 18. While the delivery time was not as swift as some other large e-commerce marketplaces that I have used before, it wasn't too bad considering I'd purchased a lot of small items.
All the items came in one delivery, which I appreciated. Sometimes retailers break up the order into batches, which can mean a few trips to the post office if you're not home for delivery.
I found the packaging was a bit excessive and my bins are unfortunately now filled to the brim. The upside of this, however, was that all items were well-wrapped, which meant nothing was broken in transit.
Temu now also has a local-to-local seller model, whereby Aussie businesses can sign up to the platform to sell their goods. For some goods, Temu also ships from local warehouses in Australia which can significantly decrease shipping times.
The quality of the items were as described. If anything, I was pleasantly surprised that all items looked identical to their pictures.
I could find no faults in the products themselves and I figured these items would easily pass for the quality of items found at popular retailers in Australia.
And for such a low cost, I'm not at all surprised why people shop here, as there's really nothing else that beats Temu on price. In fact, I would expect to pay four or five times the price for items such as the cocktail shaker at a Sydney department store.
Once the items arrived, it was easy to assemble them as planned. I ended up leaving out some of the glassware as the whole bar station became overcrowded.
While the finished product is a very specific aesthetic that may not appeal to everyone, the appearance of the bar station turned out exactly as it should have based on my preparation.
I did expect the lamp to be larger based on the pictures, but that's a fault of my own, as I didn't check the measurements properly.
Overall, I'm impressed by the quality of the Temu products, especially considering their price.
Will I be shopping here again? For the right items, I think I'm converted.
Shop this look:
The $200 Temu voucher was provided to ACM for the purpose of review. All opinions and reviews expressed in the article are 100 per cent independent and honest.
These items are hand-picked to make your shopping experience easier. ACM may be provided with compensation from affiliate partners if you click through.
I was recently asked to create and share a home project using $200 worth of Temu products. I've always been interested in the hype behind Temu and I was curious to know why it was so popular.
For the uninitiated, Temu is a popular e-commerce app and website that sells everything from essential home goods and fashion to novelty items like decorative keychains and bobble toys - all at unbeatable prices.
While Temu only launched to the public in September 2022, less than one year later, monthly gross merchandise hit $1 billion according to Roy Morgan. Yes, billion. With prices so low, this is no mean feat. It's no surprise that their tagline is "shop like a billionaire."
And it's easy to see why Temu has taken off. Research from Omnisend found that 53 per cent of Temu users in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia cited low prices as their main reason for shopping at Temu, followed by ease of use (31 per cent) and special deals and discounts (29 per cent).
In short, people are looking for ways to save on items, and they're finding it on Temu.
For this assignment, I decided to build an at-home bar station on top of a bar cabinet that I have sitting in our living room. Leading with a theme seemed suitable, so I decided to run with a 1970s aesthetic - complete with faux flowers, a nod to this kitsch fad of the 1960s and '70s.
With $200 to spend, I found it quite challenging to reach the budget (I suppose this is the point), since most items are below the $10 mark.
I started by compiling bar inspiration videos on TikTok as well as created a 70s-inspired moodboard on Pinterest. This helped me to identify essential tools and decorative objects to complete the bar station. It also helped me to curb my overwhelm about the sheer number of products that exist on the platform.
Once I'd identified the core items that I wanted for my bar station - a cocktail shaker, glassware, a candle, a lamp, a trinket box and some (faux) flowers, I started trawling through the site to add items to cart.
If you know what you're looking for, the site is actually very easy to navigate. The items tend to be sorted by what's popular or highly rated, so you're generally going to be shopping items that have been tried, tested, and approved.
On this, it's helpful to look at the reviews before purchasing so you can check the quality of an item. People are quite vocal in the review section on Temu and often provide photos of their delivered product, so you can view it in natural lighting in home environments to see if it's right for you.
I placed the order through Temu on June 9 and it arrived nine days later on June 18. While the delivery time was not as swift as some other large e-commerce marketplaces that I have used before, it wasn't too bad considering I'd purchased a lot of small items.
All the items came in one delivery, which I appreciated. Sometimes retailers break up the order into batches, which can mean a few trips to the post office if you're not home for delivery.
I found the packaging was a bit excessive and my bins are unfortunately now filled to the brim. The upside of this, however, was that all items were well-wrapped, which meant nothing was broken in transit.
Temu now also has a local-to-local seller model, whereby Aussie businesses can sign up to the platform to sell their goods. For some goods, Temu also ships from local warehouses in Australia which can significantly decrease shipping times.
The quality of the items were as described. If anything, I was pleasantly surprised that all items looked identical to their pictures.
I could find no faults in the products themselves and I figured these items would easily pass for the quality of items found at popular retailers in Australia.
And for such a low cost, I'm not at all surprised why people shop here, as there's really nothing else that beats Temu on price. In fact, I would expect to pay four or five times the price for items such as the cocktail shaker at a Sydney department store.
Once the items arrived, it was easy to assemble them as planned. I ended up leaving out some of the glassware as the whole bar station became overcrowded.
While the finished product is a very specific aesthetic that may not appeal to everyone, the appearance of the bar station turned out exactly as it should have based on my preparation.
I did expect the lamp to be larger based on the pictures, but that's a fault of my own, as I didn't check the measurements properly.
Overall, I'm impressed by the quality of the Temu products, especially considering their price.
Will I be shopping here again? For the right items, I think I'm converted.
Shop this look:
The $200 Temu voucher was provided to ACM for the purpose of review. All opinions and reviews expressed in the article are 100 per cent independent and honest.
These items are hand-picked to make your shopping experience easier. ACM may be provided with compensation from affiliate partners if you click through.
I was recently asked to create and share a home project using $200 worth of Temu products. I've always been interested in the hype behind Temu and I was curious to know why it was so popular.
For the uninitiated, Temu is a popular e-commerce app and website that sells everything from essential home goods and fashion to novelty items like decorative keychains and bobble toys - all at unbeatable prices.
While Temu only launched to the public in September 2022, less than one year later, monthly gross merchandise hit $1 billion according to Roy Morgan. Yes, billion. With prices so low, this is no mean feat. It's no surprise that their tagline is "shop like a billionaire."
And it's easy to see why Temu has taken off. Research from Omnisend found that 53 per cent of Temu users in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia cited low prices as their main reason for shopping at Temu, followed by ease of use (31 per cent) and special deals and discounts (29 per cent).
In short, people are looking for ways to save on items, and they're finding it on Temu.
For this assignment, I decided to build an at-home bar station on top of a bar cabinet that I have sitting in our living room. Leading with a theme seemed suitable, so I decided to run with a 1970s aesthetic - complete with faux flowers, a nod to this kitsch fad of the 1960s and '70s.
With $200 to spend, I found it quite challenging to reach the budget (I suppose this is the point), since most items are below the $10 mark.
I started by compiling bar inspiration videos on TikTok as well as created a 70s-inspired moodboard on Pinterest. This helped me to identify essential tools and decorative objects to complete the bar station. It also helped me to curb my overwhelm about the sheer number of products that exist on the platform.
Once I'd identified the core items that I wanted for my bar station - a cocktail shaker, glassware, a candle, a lamp, a trinket box and some (faux) flowers, I started trawling through the site to add items to cart.
If you know what you're looking for, the site is actually very easy to navigate. The items tend to be sorted by what's popular or highly rated, so you're generally going to be shopping items that have been tried, tested, and approved.
On this, it's helpful to look at the reviews before purchasing so you can check the quality of an item. People are quite vocal in the review section on Temu and often provide photos of their delivered product, so you can view it in natural lighting in home environments to see if it's right for you.
I placed the order through Temu on June 9 and it arrived nine days later on June 18. While the delivery time was not as swift as some other large e-commerce marketplaces that I have used before, it wasn't too bad considering I'd purchased a lot of small items.
All the items came in one delivery, which I appreciated. Sometimes retailers break up the order into batches, which can mean a few trips to the post office if you're not home for delivery.
I found the packaging was a bit excessive and my bins are unfortunately now filled to the brim. The upside of this, however, was that all items were well-wrapped, which meant nothing was broken in transit.
Temu now also has a local-to-local seller model, whereby Aussie businesses can sign up to the platform to sell their goods. For some goods, Temu also ships from local warehouses in Australia which can significantly decrease shipping times.
The quality of the items were as described. If anything, I was pleasantly surprised that all items looked identical to their pictures.
I could find no faults in the products themselves and I figured these items would easily pass for the quality of items found at popular retailers in Australia.
And for such a low cost, I'm not at all surprised why people shop here, as there's really nothing else that beats Temu on price. In fact, I would expect to pay four or five times the price for items such as the cocktail shaker at a Sydney department store.
Once the items arrived, it was easy to assemble them as planned. I ended up leaving out some of the glassware as the whole bar station became overcrowded.
While the finished product is a very specific aesthetic that may not appeal to everyone, the appearance of the bar station turned out exactly as it should have based on my preparation.
I did expect the lamp to be larger based on the pictures, but that's a fault of my own, as I didn't check the measurements properly.
Overall, I'm impressed by the quality of the Temu products, especially considering their price.
Will I be shopping here again? For the right items, I think I'm converted.
Shop this look:
The $200 Temu voucher was provided to ACM for the purpose of review. All opinions and reviews expressed in the article are 100 per cent independent and honest.