Was 90s home decor more homely/ homey?

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Megadriver here and today we're gonna talk about furniture! *gasp* no car talk today.

Recently my mom sent me some pictures of various celebrations (birthdays, guests, etc) from the 90s and one thing that struck me is how much more extravagant and decadent our furniture and general home decor was.

Everything had patterns, sofas were gigantic, round tables were a living room standard, golden trim on display cabinets with glass doors, showing everything that was inside... Most display cabinets having a dedicated place for your TV, VCR and giant hi-fi system. Everything somehow felt warmer and homely.

I hate industrial minimalism and even tho I strive to buy higher quality, more decadent looking furniture, my sofa is basically a gray and black rectangle, my coffee table is glass with polished metal legs, TV stand is light wood, rectangular with no kinks, or unique design features. Basic ding table (solid wood), but still basic. Basic chairs too...
I don't even have a hi-fi system, just some speakers and it's all hooked up to my old laptop I use to stream music, movies and internet tv onto my tv.

Our dining table from the 90s has decorated legs, the chairs have individual cushions that are not joined in any way. Even the arm rests have tiny cushions/ pads and all of the upholstery was sculptured. Lots of detail in every single design element in every piece of furniture.

Looking at my living room now, I see that it is not that much different from the plain modern, semi-minimalistic standard. The only unique features really are the rugs, paintings, captains wheel on the wall, small decorative clutter and the curtains...

You simply don't get any of the 90s/ maximalism furniture nowadays.

Was it more homely and unique, or am I talking nonsense?

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Comments ( 20 )
  • wigz
    2 years ago

    Well, there were a few popular styles in the 90s. (US-specific)...

    "country" "farmhouse"-geese, floral wallpaper, wallpaper layers/borders/multiple patterns together, cornflower blue, mauve, golden/honey oak cabintes/floors/furniture, beige/tan tile, tile countertops, fake flowers, antiques, frill/lace, stencils, overstuffed multi-colored couches.

    "Masculine"...hunter Green, maroon, Stickley/mission-style furniture, marble accents, columns, pedestals, leather, ducks, tab-top curtains, darker wood stains, oiled bronze

    "Modern"...overstuffed couches and chairs, metal-framed/legged dining and accent furniture, brass, glass, cool-toned pastels and tan, floor lamps, tall vases, wall sconces

    Then there were some really specific but smaller trends, like "African safari", "beachy" and "hunting lodge".

    I'm sure I'm missing some stuff but that's what I got off the top of my head and I was a teen to 20 years old in the 90s, so that's from personal experience.

    In my opinion, the 90s were the worst for home decor, there's nothing I'd want to put in my house now. I decorate with 50s thru 80s items and finishes throughout my house.

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    • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk
      2 years ago

      i still got my livin room rug that i bought at a gas station in the late 90s

      its an 12 x 9 foot arabian made with an oriental pattern in black white and hunter green

      what a great buy (200 bucks) it looks just as good as it did new and the dingo sheds on it daily

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    • bbrown95
      2 years ago

      I love the first one you listed. That's what my grandparents' house is like and I've always said if I couldn't find the '60s/'70s retro dream house I always longed for (luckily, I did find it and buy it, and am writing this while inside it!), this would be my second choice! Perhaps it's because I grew up with it, but it has a great feel to it IMO.

      I do love '50s through '80s as well though, and my personal favorite is '60s/'70s. I'm a sucker for wood paneling, spindles, glitter ceilings, ornate fixtures and hardware, sculpted carpet, decorative linoleum, floral/patterned wallpaper, colorful appliances/tubs/etc.!

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      • wigz
        2 years ago

        One of my grandparents and aunt's houses were the "country" style as well, but I hated it even back then. I don't know why but I have zero nostalgia for it, it repulses me. I guess it feels very unnatural to me, like really "against nature", the colors, the textures, just the aura of it. I mean, I can get down with space/atomic age stuff of the 50s and 60s but that 90s country was something else, just lacking a real connection to humanity AND the natural world. I do enjoy looking back on decorating trends in general though, and that includes the 90s. It's a fascinating subject!

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        • bbrown95
          2 years ago

          It definitely is fascinating!

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  • Meatballsandwich
    2 years ago

    1970s Decor was even more homely, IMO. Lots of wood, brown sofas. Dat authentic grandma vibe. Can smell the cigarette smoke just looking at it.

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  • bbrown95
    2 years ago

    I definitely agree with your observation, and I do think that more dated homes have a more warm, welcoming, homey feel to them. My grandparents have a home that was built in the '90s and has all of the beautiful honey oak woodwork and floral wallpaper, along with really nice colors, that I think is just beautiful! Not a fan at all of today's very sterile and minimalist look, it's just too cold and boring for me.

    I have a '60s house that is super cozy and fits much of your description as well, and also has floral wallpaper, beautiful ash woodwork throughout, and nice colors. Also, everything is very ornate. Scalloped woodwork, fancy trim on the cabinets, beautiful decorative hardware and light fixtures, patterned carpet, etc. I love warm tones, plenty of color, natural woodwork, and floral stuff!

    I also love everything to be very ornate and decorative. My motto is that if something can be made to be pretty, it should be! Not a fan of plain, too boring for me! I do have a honey oak coffee table set with decorative legs (as well as a dining room table from the '90s that matches it very closely) that I love.

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  • 1WeirdGuy
    2 years ago

    I dont like modern furniture either. Especially the couches they are square and look hard as a rock. I like the oldschool 2000s couches that were big and fluffy. I like old school southern type furniture too because I grew up with that. My parents redid their house to keep up with the times and it looks more like a museum now.

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  • libertybell
    2 years ago

    Do you mean 'homely' or 'homey?'

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    • megadriver
      2 years ago

      Homely is British english for homey. It's the same thing.

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      • wigz
        2 years ago

        Homely means ugly in the US.

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        • RoseIsabella
          2 years ago

          Yes.

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      • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk
        2 years ago

        nope

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  • Tommythecaty
    2 years ago

    I suppose it was.

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  • JellyBeanBandit
    2 years ago

    I don't like how some modern houses don't have carpet anymore, it's all tiles and wooden pannelling. It's so hard and uncomfortable to sit on. We have an extra rubber layer underneath our carpet to make it extra soft, it's great. It's so comfortable, it's like the sofas blend into the floor.

    I also don't like leather sofas, they're cold to the skin, so you can't really sit on them comfortably in your underwear. You have to be fully dressed to sit on them.

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  • SkullsNRoses
    2 years ago

    I agree, modern houses don’t really feel like homes. I remember during the 2000s and early 2010s whenever I went to a more old fashioned house trying to appreciate it as much as I could as I could feel that style was dying.

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  • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk
    2 years ago

    i lived in dumps back then but dont really remember any of what you described

    i got my own place in lateish 90s bought unfinished oak livin room furniture and finished it myself and still use it every day

    ive needed a new couch for some time though and should get one at some point

    and i seem to remember years ago how people got real picky about spendin a shitload on humongous stereo systems but audio engineerin has come a long way and things are cheaper & more compact now and kinda an afterthought insteada a focus of an entertainment center

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    • wigz
      2 years ago

      Unfinished furniture, I forgot about that! That was definitely a big thing back then. My mom got her dining chairs that way.

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      • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk
        2 years ago

        my stuffs timeless

        except that dresser i stained stoned

        that thing looks like shit

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  • Somenormie
    2 years ago

    I'd say it was kinda unique, I didn't personally grow up in the 90s but the decor that was used back then looked simplistic. Now I also don't think you're speaking nonsense.

    Theres a lot more I can learn from the 1990's.

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