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.
Leeann Wright says
GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!! And what about re ‘decorating’ every 45 minutes to follow the next trend…
Lauri Hutchins says
I also remember distressed furniture!! I didn’t like it at the time and still don’t, if I want my new furniture to look old, I’d buy something old. Patina on furniture needs to be earned, otherwise it just comes off contrived.
G. Boyd says
Black everything appliances, components, floors, walls you name it. But moving in the kitchen toward stanless steel by the end of the decade. I used to do residential insurance appraisals and was amazed at the ceilings in these giant houses, trayed, coved, vaulted, two-storied. Lots of shiny marble or granite and giant open spaces and open doorways. Then there were the silk plants and flowers on shelves and brackets trying to fill all those soaring spaces.
Maryanna says
The hunter green/burgundy/navy/beige color story will always stick in my mind as the defining design feature of the 1990s. And yes, IVY prints!
Mark G. says
in the kitchen, it was black appliances with touches of red. White cabinetry was the thing – high gloss – the more fingerprints, the better. And rather than clean and sparse, you required a display array of small appliances – cuisinarts, coffee grinders, blenders, bread makers, monstrous toasters, etc. At the end of the 90’s built-in appliance garages showed up in cabinetry designs to stop the clutter madness. Touches of Deco were everywhere in the house – Erte ruled.
Kay says
I worked for a small kitchen cabnet company in 1984 and we had appliance garages in our kitchens, so those had to be earlier, I think. (At least in Oklahoma and Texaas)
pam kueber says
In my former 1975 kitchen there were two appliance garages.
Tami says
The decade started out with ‘southwest’ themed stuff (remember the howling coyote motif?), then it seemed to morph by 2000 into ‘Tuscan’ stuff and everything beige/tan. Ponytails and vandyke facial hair on guys. Cajun blackened or Australian everything.
In the NW (I lived in Seattle), it was handwringing over clearcutting, spotted owls, and salmon. We watched Almost Live, shopped at Costco, envied the smug microsofties, parked in the free lots under the viaduct, and bragged about their latest Bill Nye sightings over coffees at Torrefazione. Oh, and remember Grant’s beers?
Dana says
White on white on white kitchens and casement windows … jetted bathtubs … volume ceilings …. I have all this stuff in my 1991 house and can pinpoint the construction year of a house based on these elements. My eye is turning to Early American coziness for relief!!
Belinda Roccaforte says
My first home was built and bought by us in 1989. The in-thing in Texas was hunter green, burgandy, English decor, floral print fabrics, dried flowers, country oak, and brass!!! I had a brick red painted living room (walls) with huge tan couch with red flower print fabric (tan background). Hunter green chairs, and matching curtains with the couch. It was formal and lots of crown moulding too. The kitchen was wallpaper. Wallpaper was big. And wallpaper border was big too. I had the “dried flower” theme going in the kitchen with herbs growing in pots. I believe it was rather Victorian. Floral arrangements were also dried flowers. Faux painting came in but I never braved that.
Joe G says
I was in the picture framing/art print industry from the late 80’s through the 90’s. Southwest and other pastels were mostly late 80’s, but some folks were still catching up with it into the 90’s. The hot colors in the 90’s were ‘jewel tones’.
Lauri Hutchins says
Hunter Green!!! I remember my first house I put the Waverley Ivy wallpaper and hunter green counter tops in the kitchen! I also went out on a limb with terra cotta tiles in the living room and dining room floors with shabby chic and antique furniture! Still have the antique furniture, that never goes out of style!