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.
Desirae says
The comment in the video about being a little San Francisco made me laugh.
Cara says
I remember decking out my bedroom in country. The wallpaper was little pink heart “flowers” and a checkerboard pattern. Wood hand painted cats from craft shows adorned the shelves. I used to want a picket fence headboard to finish off the look.
Over the top Victorian is also another memory with lots of flowered wallpaper and couches.
Burgundy and forest green plaids, aqua and salmon sponge painting, unnaturally shiny brass light fixtures and also white, white, white kitchens with the light oak accents – if it had vaulted ceilings and skylights all the better.
Shabby chic? Still going strong in Nebraska. I’ll give it another 5 years or so around here. I’m a little guilty of this trend though I can’t bring myself to faux finish furniture so I think I’m safe. I guess it all circles back to the 90’s country bedroom of my childhood.
cynthia says
i forgot the silk flowers, ferns, vines and trees everywhere inside, and if you had a modern 1990s house with high ceilings (as I did, built in 1992, south florida) you had useless display ledges built in, gigantic dust catchers where these silk plants hung over to “soften” the ledge, often accompanied by over-sized ceramic pots and urns.
floors were wall-to-wall carpeting or ceramic tile, or marble in the bath if you were a high status seeker. i think tumbled stone and marble started in vogue late 1990s.
thick tapestry fabrics for pillows and upholstery. Chenille was big, later in the decade. revival of earth tones late decade.
pam kueber says
yes: Chenille! That’s what I had on my sage-colored shabby chic style slipovered oversized sofa and chair-and-a-half!
cynthia says
yes, in the late 90s i had a huge monster taupe/beige chenille U-shaped sectional with chaise on one side, those big rolled arms, a monstrosity (which i loved at the time) made by mccreary modern for room and board and other retailers. it was 12 feet across the back!! the pillows wee chenille doesn’t wear as well as microfiber, which i love, though it’s not mid-mod at all. and yes, it did start to look shabby, but to my eyes, not chic!
Patty says
So that was the point of those stupid plants.
cynthia says
i agree, no point to silk plants or flowers! but back then, it was soooo popular and big business!
cynthia says
televisions hidden in armoires
“antique” pine case goods, finish removed, supposedly from england and europe
pickled or whitewashed wood for kitchen cabinets, furniture
over-sized upholstered furniture with big rolled arms
swags and poufed valances atop blinds and shades
extra-long, puddled side panels and drapes
stenciled and wallpaper borders
the country look
sponging and other faux paint finishes on walls
over-sized, exaggerated neoclassic furniture
white or off-white upholstery
neoclassic columns faux-painted to resemble marble
raised panel kitchen cabinets
jewel-tones
black lacquer furniture
glass-table tops and bases
Gabbie says
Yes!! I totally meant to mention the TV/armoire thing.
cynthia says
yes, we women insisted on hiding tvs as if they were a badge of shame! and forget anything that reclined – if you wanted a tasteful decor, that is – and much of it deserved due to ugly designs… all the ridicule of those poor men who wanted to relax in a recliner – though it did inspire some better design for reclining chairs and sofas (you can now get ones which don’t look like recliners). now we proudly display the tvs right in the open, and almost everyone has some sort of recliner.
Patty says
The bigger flat screened TVs killed that furniture. You can barely give it away.
pam kueber says
Pudding drapes — yes!
Gabbie says
Living and dining rooms painted cranberry red and/or dark green.
Amber says
3 Houses ago… I rented a house built in the mid 1990s and in truth I prefer my little 1970s bungalow now by far! The 1990s house had a white on white on off-white kitchen, cabinets, floor, etc (and boy did it show if you didn’t give the countertops and floor a *proper* scrubbing after just taking as much as a 2 second breath in the kitchen!)…
Another thing I also recall is the fake Chandeliers in both the bedrooms and the living room. Talk about tatty!
Beige carpet in all the bedrooms of course. All in all I thought the house was very featureless and dull.
In the1990s I was a teenager. I recall my mother mainly buying furniture from Laura Ashley. And yes, Shabby Chic was another huge thing. We had a lot of yellow painted wood furniture. Ew much?
I definitely don’t miss the design aesthetic of the era that’s for sure!
pam kueber says
yours made me think of: Champagne-finish maple kitchen cabinets.
Patty says
You may not miss it now, but you might 30 years into the future. A lot of my retro stuff I grew up with and inherited from deceased relatives.
Laura says
That’s an interesting point, Patty, and one that I think about all the time. I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s and even when I was young I had an affinity for things ‘vintage’ and ‘antique’. But when I consider the 80’s and 90’s decor there is very little that I can say was interesting. There was much even at the time that I didn’t like, though it was new and fashionable.
Most of what I have in my house came from Goodwill and Estate/Garage Sales. The ‘new’ items I purchased are retro or classic in design, such as my sleigh bed. Lately it feels as though I’ve been drawn to mid-century pieces, whether decor or furniture, but I don’t feel as though I’m limiting myself to them, I just pick out the things that appeal to me aesthetically (and will definitely work in my house) and I don’t worry about if they are particularly trendy. But I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really an item want it if it is new.
I guess what I’m trying to figure out is this: Do I find the items more interesting because they are more than thirty years old, and therefore more rare? Or did I always know that things made before 1980 were far more interesting than things made after it? Because I do tend to like things that are older, will there come a time where I’m longing for hunter green and burgundy? I tend to think no, since I’ve kept SOME from that era as well as having hung on to my mom’s cast-offs and the items I bought second-hand.
Sorry for the rambles.
James Cobalt says
Every decade has great design, but most of us aren’t surrounded by it during that decade. What survives the ages are the great pieces and collections that defined that decade in pop culture; not what defined our own apartments and houses.
Think of what your home looked like in 1985. Then look at these 1980s spaces:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pP6EUIu0Wvg/TTXxx4kF3fI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/xJGdGL8pCIw/s1600/goldden.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pP6EUIu0Wvg/TTXxxojNrcI/AAAAAAAAB5I/LEiJIAHqLLM/s1600/kat-liv2.jpg
http://static.squarespace.com/static/504eb63d84aebc810115092d/t/51a50629e4b062a74b5a642e/1369769514507/tumblr_mg3zf67g7u1rd2b09o1_500.jpg?format=500w
pam kueber says
Re Country and country-southwestern, Mary Emmerling was my goddess. She still is.
BlueJay says
I remember my mom being into country. We had moved from New Mexico, so my mom phased out her southwest decor in 1991, and moved on to country~we had a country themed den, complete with pine end tables (the body of the tables were painted, the tops finished in a honey oak). Everything was country, down to the lamps. Geese were big; I saw a comment earlier and I remember my mom having quite a few items with geese on them.
Patty says
Some people STILL dress those geese.
pam kueber says
And what about lighting – in the dining room, kitchens and bathrooms?
CouldBeVeronica says
Brass carried over from the ’80’s, often with glass. Simple traditional style candelabra chandeliers in the dining room and entries, simple lantern shaped glass fixtures as ceiling lights and on the outsides of houses. Glass and brass lamps in bedrooms. Country style rooms used similar styles in black. And yes, goose lamps with blue bows. I also remember a comeback for Tiffany style lamps, in ceiling fixtures as well.
Jane / MulchMaid says
There was a huge influx of Craftsman fixtures, starting with high-quality reproductions from sources like Restoration Hardware, Rejuvenation and Schoolhouse Electric, and then moving to lower quality and price in Big Box stores.
pam kueber says
What were folks doing with their windows? Roman shades… ?
wendy says
Balloon shades
Those touch up/down accordians
Patty says
I never did like those balloon shades and valances.
CouldBeVeronica says
Vinyl mini-blinds! Many of them toxic, as it turned out. These came in burgundy and forest green, as well as neutrals. Vertical blinds were very big as well, and not just on sliding glass doors in apartment complexes.
Someone else mentioned valances and rods–window scarves were also big. Lace and sheers in Shabby Chic interiors. Jewel tone solid or floral panels in pseudo-victorian style rooms with floral wallpaper. Waverly trellis print panels and valances to go with that ivy wallpaper and placemats.
Jane / MulchMaid says
I saw lots of cellular blinds on windows, along with drapey scarf effects, huge curtain rods and draperies that didn’t actually close.
Patty says
Lots of huge windows with no window treatments and people can see in at night. Also those half circle windows. You may not have taste, but you have money.