Late this past summer, while contractors were at my home adding more insulation to my attic, a momentous thunderstorm swept through town. It was so fearsome that everyone stopped whatever they were doing and gathered in the garage to watch. We were there for just three or four minutes when BOOOOOM, right across the street a super-powered thunderbolt pounded into my neighbor’s front yard right. At least, it seemed that close… it was so fast. You could feel the strike deep into your reptilian brain.
Initially, there seemed to be no consequences. But when I drove down the lane on an errand a bit later, I saw that a humongous, old tree had been hit and fallen three houses down, at the intersection leading toward town. The entire DPW and firetrucks and gosh, everyone, was buzzing, it was some excitement.
Moreover, that night, when we went to watch TV: Nothing. No signal on two of the three TV sets in the house. Darnit, another project. Fast forward a couple days and a couple of service guys, and it seems the lightning came right through the (unground) cable and electrocuted the TVs. Today, we are proud owners of a big honkin’ flat screen with surround sound and high def and some variety of better cable service with 600 channels and which will be dissatisfying us by next year, I’m sure.
Our old TV was very old, so my husband likes to say, we have now left the 1990s and entered the 21st century. But not so fast. The first thing I want to look up, once I learn to triangulate the three remotes, is: Portlandia — a brand-new TV show where, yes, they they still dream of the 90s. It looks pretty funny. I like my satire. Note: Comedy/satire can be offensive… no political statement intended, not the purpose of the blog… and actually, in its way, I think this video actually pokes fun at all/both sides… Also, there is one reference to anatomical parts. Be forewarned.
Hey! My first post on the 90s!
I was bigtime decorating obsessed that decade. As I recall, the top trends included, (in no particular order):
- Pine furniture….
- Shabby Chic…
- Oversized slipcovered sofas…
- Corian countertops…
- Apron sinks…
- Arts & Crafts furniture…
- White kitchens with ivy trellis wallpaper…
- Huge prints of a pears…
- “Bringing the outside in” with architectural ornamentaion…..
What else, readers? I bet most of us were there! Note: BE NICE, everyone! This is not a post intended to diss the 90s.
wendy says
Oh how I HATED “shabby chic”! I hated the name, I hated the look, I hated that a friend had her entire home decorated with it and I always felt like there were paint chips clinging to my clothes after I left. Rachel Ashwell copyrighted the
phrase, so nobody else could use it. (eBay auctions were pulled…)
Here is what I remember:
Faux paint finishes
Stencils
Rows of framed black & white photographs, or one big Ansel Adams
Framed reproduction French & Italian liquor advertisements
Thomas Kincaid
Cement or faux cement geese on the front porch that had outfits that changed with the season or holiday. (My ex-MIL was actually going to get me one of these! Thankfully she asked my ex-h first, and he said nononononono!)
Not sure if these were 90’s or early ’00’s:
Accent walls, particularly in dark red
Floor to ceiling shelving painted black
Ann-Marie says
I wanted my house to look like a cottage in Maine (in Texas, right? It didn’t work, with the 20 foot ceilings and the marble tiled fireplace and jetted tub, but I tried). Everyone kept calling it “Shabby Chic.”
Then comes the 00’s, and suddenly, everyone is doing cottage style…. except in Texas, where they will be stuck on Tuscany for the next 20 years.
I quit.
I show them pics of my “new” 1962 side split that I just bought, and they all say, “You’re going to gut the kitchen and put in granite and stainless steel, right?”
They all think I’m kidding when I say I like the birch cabinets, laminate and coppertone appliances.
pam kueber says
you go, girl!
Ann-Marie says
I will start my blog and send pics as soon I as I get up to Wisconsin where the house is. It doesn’t need much work at all. It is in nearly perfect condition.
Kate says
Where about in Wisconsin is your house Ann-Marie?
I have one in Glendale (just north of Milwaukee) and I blog about it on RetroRanchRevamp! (I’m on Pam’s blog list if your are interested)
Ann-Marie says
Kate, I will be in La Crosse. I used to live in Mequon, in a gorgeous Lannon stone house custom built in 1951 for a German man and his wife. Talk about time capsule! Only they took all their old 50’s furniture, and the O’Keefe and Merritt range with them.
We had to add on to it. We chose Junge to do the work, and they did such a fabulous job of adding on a second story that people couldn’t believe it wasn’t original to the house.
When we sold it to move to Texas, however, it the mid 1990’s, we didn’t recoup our investment. Only got $140,000 for it. I could just kick myself. The place is listed as being worth around $350,000 now.
I will follow your blog, and when I get mine up, I will let you know.
michelle says
faux finishing techniques, denim slipcovered furniture – and purple! omg, the purple “accent” wall in my family room. blech!
MaryE says
“Neutral” paint. Every imaginable shade of light brown, tan, beige, mocha, sand, or whatever else. Before greige, it was all tan neutrals all the time everywhere you looked, both exterior and interior. Oh, and panel drapery–decorative rods and finials with panel drapery.
MDG says
2-story foyers. I honestly beleive that a a lot of 90s houses were designed to be impressive when you walked in, but basically unliveable day to day.
Huge master suites and teeny tiny rooms for the children–actually saw some that had a wide space in the upstairs hallway where you could put a play area because the kids rooms hardly had any room after putting in a bed and a dresser.
No ceiling fixtures in the kids rooms.
wendy says
MDG:
OMG, yes. Those 2 story foyers are useless. And they always had a massive brass or black iron light fixture hanging from a chain. Also yes to the huge master, tiny kids rooms & hallway as play area.
Ann-Marie says
We actually built one of those monstrocities and thought it was the most beautiful thing we’d ever seen. Ten years and unbelievable amounts of rediculous electric bills later we came to our senses and moved into a much smaller home, with regular sized rooms and an entryway with a nine foot ceiling.
We weren’t able to convince the people in our old neighborhood that we hadn’t suffered some terrible reversal of fortune. We just didn’t need that lifestyle anymore.
That was in fall of 2006.
You can guess the rest of the story. Six months later, housing values in the old neighborhood crash, and rise in our new neighborhood.
pam kueber says
WOW!
Mary Trimboli says
Beige, beige, and more beige!
Jeanne says
Although I’ve always liked mid century/retro, I did get my “new” old house living room rag painted back in 1993 when we first bought it. Faux finishes were big in the 90s. I think that was the first step from totally bland post-wallpaper-stress-syndrome to some sort of patterned/textured walls to the wallpaper-friendly decorating trends today.
My boys were in school back in the 90s and both played hockey, so I spent a majority of my time in ice rinks oblivious to what was going on, LOL.
linda blackmore says
Was southwest the 90’s or earlier?
Carol says
What about decorative vinegar and herb bottles? I also seem to remember floral prints (think Laura Ashley home) as being huge in the ’90s when I was setting up my first home.
Kay says
Vulcan stoves and stainless steel everything else.
Early Martha Stewart influences. Dish soap in a glass bottle w/ a liquor speed pourer! (I still do this, LOL)
Amy Hill says
My previous house, circa June 1996, was a split-foyer with VINYL siding. I remember it was built in less than 3 weeks with as little craftsmanship as possible. I don’t know what we were thinking! It had pale gray carpet and vinyl flooring in the kitchen & bath, & a large deck off the upstairs living room. I remember I wanted the split foyer plan because my children were teenagers and we finished the downstairs into a huge media room with state-of-the-art surround sound hooked up to that huge television that weighed 200 lbs. and it was supposed to keep them home & entertained. It was a big house! I had a housekeeper in those days. Don’t need one now for the little mcm cottage I presently own.