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.
Tikimama says
I distinctly remember at the beginning of the 90s that the buzzwords were “green” and “nesting”. It was all about natural materials and a big reaction to the materialism and plasticity of the 80s. It didn’t really catch on in a mainstream way until more recently, but that’s what I remember from articles on home design.
Louise says
Monogirl: ah yes, the celestial motifs! Usually done on rag painted walls with lots of stencils:)
Louise says
I remember big fake leather sofas in shades of beige, peach and green being popular in the 90s (UK). My mum went mad for everything in her kitchen being blue and bright yellow. My parents bought me a cheap white bedroom suite and painted it to look like fake wood using the kits that were available in the 90’s. It was sort of a mint green wood…very strange.
Sabrina says
The 90s were my teen and college years, so I wasn’t really paying attention to decor and home design. I do remember oversized floral couches, lots of hunter green and burgundy (had a green crushed-velvet dress that I recall very clearly), and the country look. My mom subscribed to Country Living and Victoria in those days (actually, I think she might still); I remember flipping through those. Mostly I remember the fashion of the era. Early nineties was babydoll dresses with leggings (which are back again for who-knows–what reason) and a little bit of the skinny jeans of the 80s (back again, too! They were awful then and they’re even worse now, at least on my body!). By mid-90s, we were channeling the 60s and jeans had flared at the legs (Thank God!), and I dug out all of my mom’s home-sewn dresses from her teenaged years in the seventies and started wearing them, when I wasn’t wearing my mid-nineties Grunge uniform– either jeans ripped at the knee, or cut-offs with fish-net stockings, tank top covered with a plaid flannel shirt, preferably stolen from a big brother or boyfriend, and Doc Martens (mine were 20 hole green steel-toe; I actually still have them, but I don’t remember the last time I wore them). At the end of the 90s, I was almost ready to graduate from college and was still wearing vintage clothes and worn-in boot-cut jeans (but tried to avoid actual rips), but had dropped the Docs and the flannel shirts.
Patty says
Was that the dawn of the age of those big L-shaped couches? I can’t think of what they call them.
Is this also when big backyard decks became popular?
And what about those dining rooms that barely hold a table…making it hard to walk around and get into your chair, in the more modest priced subdivisions.
Jkaye says
Have the words taupe and mauve been mentioned? These wishy-washy colors are as hard to describe as they are to pronounce. But, they were a big part of decorating in the 90s.
Annie B. says
Martha Stewart’s Fire King Jadeite collection,
Koi swimming in outdoor water features,
Glass bricks.
MCMeg says
In my corner of South Jersey it was Country Primitive. Lots of hand-made-looking decor and furnishings. Angels, benches, ladders, stars, moss. People around here still cannot give up those stars on the house. Colors:cranberry, dark green and cream.
Who can forget “Country Victorian” whatever that was.
monogirl says
Early 90’s: Hunter green. Floral prints. Oak furniture leftover from the 80’s.
Late 90’s: Martha Stewart, Celestial motifs, Candles, candles, candles.
RocketGirl says
Two words: pineapple flags. Nothing like driving around wintry Pennsylvania and seeing a Hawaiian pineapple drooping on someone’s front porch to make a girl long for California sunshine.
I also seem to remember that the wooden fat-lady’s-ass-bending-over-the-roses standup came to popularity in the 90.