For so many, the ’90s’ interiors take us straight back to childhood, whether that was the floral wallpaper in grandma’s living room, or the TV cabinet with doors big enough to keep a small child occupied. Millennials and Gen Z today may be a little confused and a little in awe of some of these home trends of the past, to which they may never have even known existed.
But for anyone who remembers living through it, these were not just furniture or wallpaper – they were iconic and a history of design. Today’s interior design is minimalist, sustainable, and tech-savvy, but the ’90s had their own charm. Let’s go back in time and revisit some of these ridiculous trends that Millennials find just as confusing as dial-up internet.
Pastel Everything
You couldn’t escape the ’90s pastel craze. Every room had its own pale pink, green, or blue. Soft and welcoming, pastel was considered a good thing, but now it seems a little dated with the heavy use of these colors. Or millennials have gone bolder with colors or all out neutral.
Beaded Door Curtains
Beaded door curtains were a fun and quirky way to give a space some bohemian soul for the ’90s bohemian soul. They were walking through them, and it made you feel like you were walking into a secret, mystical room. They were noisy, got tangled easily, and didn’t really provide any kind of privacy. Today, you’re more likely to see beaded curtains in a thrift store than in a modern home.
Floral Sofas
If you stepped into any ’90s living room, you would have probably found a floral print sofa as the centerpiece. Everything — couches, in particular — was covered in big, bold blooms, as if the entire garden had moved indoors. It was a look that said ‘cozy’ and ‘homey’ and maybe ‘overwhelming’ by today’s standards. These sofas said something — usually not what you were expecting —, and they’ve since become a relic of a bygone aesthetic.
Wall Stencils
Wall stencils — who needed wallpaper? In the ’90s, people weren’t making a commitment to a full-on wallpaper job; they would grab a stencil and some paint and paint their walls with borders of ivy, or vines, or even fruits. The wall decor was a DIY project that worked to bring a little garden path vibe indoors. These days, most people would just grab some peel-and-stick decals or minimalist wallpaper.
Wallpaper Borders
There was no ’90s home without a wallpaper border on the top of every wall. These borders were nearly compulsory, a finishing touch that was either a strip of flowers, stripes, or some other repeating pattern. Today’s decor wants clean walls or an accent wall, but what about wallpaper borders? They’re as old as pagers.
Glass Block Walls
In bathrooms, kitchens, and even as room dividers, you’d find glass block walls. These semi-opaque glass blocks allowed privacy and light to enter. But let’s be real: they also made every room look like a dentist’s office. Most people today prefer clearer, sleeker design choices that serve their purpose.
Inflatable Furniture
There was nothing ’90s teenage bedroomier than a bright pink or blue inflatable chair. These were pieces of furniture that were incredibly impractical; they squeaked, they deflated, and they would not sit on. They were still fun, and for a while, everyone thought they were the coolest thing ever. Inflatable furniture is now a thing of pool parties, not living rooms.
Vertical Blinds
Vertical blinds were the height of sophistication, once upon a time, even if you had a sliding glass door. You could pull them open and close with a pull chain, a sound of “clack-clack” as they moved. They were notorious for getting tangled and for the individual slats breaking off, too. Today, Millennials want breezy curtains or sleek roller shades.
Fake Fruit Bowls
That one bowl of fake fruit in every ’90s kitchen that no one was ever supposed to touch was every ’90s kitchen. That was usually a collection of shiny, plastic apples, bananas, and grapes that sat there collecting dust. They didn’t look real, but the idea was to bring a little bit of life to the kitchen. Now they are more likely to leave real fruit in the bowl, or no fruit at all.
Terra Cotta Decor
Terra cotta was a staple material in ’90s decor, from floor tiles to flowerpots. The terra cotta was not only a popular material for kitchens and patios, but it also brought a rustic, earthy feel to the ’90s, and if you didn’t have at least one terra cotta piece, were you even living in the ’90s? These days, you don’t see so much orange-hued clay indoors because more neutral and natural materials have replaced it.
Track Lighting
In the ’90s, track lighting was considered modern and trendy, found in kitchens and living rooms. Those weren’t exactly subtle, bulky, clunky lights that ran across the ceiling. Today’s lighting is recessed or minimalist fixtures, and track lighting goes to the decor archives.
Bathroom Carpets
Yes, carpets in the bathroom were the norm in the ’90s, and yes, people liked them. The idea of having full wall-to-wall bathroom carpet seemed cozy, but it seems downright baffling now. Millennials shudder at the thought of all that fabric soaking up bathroom humidity and growing mold. A bath mat will do just fine now, thank you very much.
Entertainment Centers
When TVs were big, big boxes, they required a big, big box to house them, so we developed the entertainment center. Often, a single wooden giant would take up an entire wall, and they would contain everything, from VHS tapes to family photos. Even you could close them up with doors, hiding the TV behind doors like it was some mystical artifact. The behemoth units of today’s flat screen TVs on a wall mount are a far cry from these.
Ruffled Bed Skirts
You may remember ruffled bed skirts and the feeling of your feet getting caught in them as you tried to make your bed. In the ’90s, these dust-catching skirts were a must-have, hiding bed frames beneath layers of frilly fabric that made every bedroom look like it had a soft pastel cloud around the bed. The thought may make Minimalist Millennials wince, as they would rather have a sleek, platform bed with nothing hidden beneath it.
