How to use 90s trends in your home

Step back in time with our comprehensive guide on embracing the iconic and eclectic 90s interior design trends. This guide is tailored for individuals who are eager to infuse their living spaces with a touch of nostalgia, boldness, and a dash of quirky charm. We aim to provide practical tips to create a visually engaging and personal living space.

What is 90s Interior Design?

The 1990s marked a significant era in interior design, where bold patterns, vibrant colours, and a departure from the minimalism of the previous decades took centre stage. As we revisit this nostalgic period, we uncover the mix of styles that defined homes during the 1990s.

90s design trends on TV

This was the era of ‘don’t move, improve’, when popular TV shows like Changing Rooms and Ground Force, showed ordinary people how to do it themselves and stamp their mark on their own homes. We’ve chosen some iconic rooms from TV series that’ll be instantly recognisable, and showcase the various designs that were prominent in 90s home décor.

Edina’s basement kitchen in Absolutely Fabulous

In 1992 we were first introduced to scatty PR guru Eddie Monsoon, her outrageous friend Patsy, and her mature, introverted daughter Saffy. They spent a lot of time together with Saffy’s gran in Eddie’s fabulously modern basement kitchen. If you wanted to copy their style, you’d need a huge, glass-topped table, high stool chairs, Italian designer gadgets and of course, fridges filled with booze.

As for the floor, we’d suggest a vinyl. Warm to the touch, our collections are available in a selection of styles that mimic marble, wood or stone, and their sophisticated patterns and textures wouldn’t look out of place in Eddie’s fash mags. Best of all, they’re slip-resistant so neither Gran nor Patsy needn’t worry about falling over from too much Bolly, darling.

The Bucket residence in Keeping Up Appearances

In the hugely popular BBC sitcom, which ran from 1990-95, Hyacinth was the lady of the house, whose surname was most definitely pronounced ‘bouquet’. She favoured floral wallpaper, which she matched to her furniture and even her bedsheets.

If you want to imitate her distinctive style, search vintage stalls or flea markets for a “white slimline” landline telephone, which you’ll regularly wipe down with a cloth while speaking. Put all of your glassware and prized possessions on display, particularly your Royal Doulton tea service “with the hand-painted periwinkles”.

Houseproud Hyacinth would also make all the visitors to her home take off their shoes before they even stepped inside. If you want to replicate her wooden floors, you need not be so worried. Our collection of engineered wood flooring is much more durable. It has a top layer of solid wood, bonded to layers of plywood or high-density fibreboard. This construction method enhances its stability so, with the right care and attention, you could have your floor looking as good as new for up to 30 years.

Nigella Lawson’s kitchen

During the 1990s, the voluptuous cook would be creating mouth-watering dishes in her huge Notting Hill kitchen diner, with all of her prized utensils hanging up on butchers’ hooks nearby. By evening, the whole room would be embellished with twinkling fairy lights, festooned from every surface.

In the original series, viewers were allowed inside Nigella’s real home, but in later programmes, she created her recipes on a proper set. To replicate her look, choose a mishmash of two different styles. Take the minimalism of uncluttered white counters and worktops, white walls and cabinets, and add a pinch of French country cottage-style elements like open shelving, showing off quirky bowls, or brass and copper pots to give that shabby chic feel. As for her naughty double entendres, we’ll just say that she always had large jugs (ceramic ones, naturally) on display.

You could enjoy a slice from Nigella’s kitchen style by fitting a pale-coloured flooring. We’d advise a laminate because, like Ms Lawson, it combines beauty with practicality.

Geraldine’s home in The Vicar of Dibley

When the female vicar wasn’t conducting services, sitting on the parish council or untangling her own love life, she relaxed at home in her living room. It was decorated with bold patterned wallpaper, a big red sofa, another in an oatmeal colour, with lime green accents in her curtains and furniture, and coordinated with pale wooden shelves.

Both citrus colours and natural textures and tones were two very distinct 90s trends, and this room highlighted both. While we can’t tell the gospel truth about what flooring Geraldine preferred, we’d suggest she had carpet, to keep the draughty vicarage warm, and somewhere to sink her toes into after a hard day in the pulpit. Our recommendation to copy her would be a cardinal red, or an ecclesiastical purple, although a textured herringbone carpet would work equally well.

Monica’s apartment in Friends

Unaffordable by most 20-somethings’ financial standards even then, neat freak Monica’s New York City kitchen area was surprisingly cluttered with sentimental items, accessorised with blue cabinets and shelving.

The living area was more sophisticated with antique pieces, including elegant lamps on side tables. Her furniture was pale, to offset the purple walls and inside of the front door. A large patterned rug created a dedicated seating area, and the floors were parquet-like wood.

You can replicate this look with luxury vinyl in an oak effect. Monica would appreciate how clean it stays, as it’s scuff and stain-resistant, and it’s available in an appealing selection of patterns and styles.

Get the 90s trend with Tapi

If this article has inspired you to revisit these trends or draw inspiration from the recent past while infusing contemporary elements into your home, we’re here to help. Whether it's the lush textures of 1990s carpets or the timeless elegance of engineered wood, we can advise you, to come and measure up and arrange the perfect fit.

Post author

Claire Murphy Copywriter Former lifestyle journalist, keen amateur upcycler, full of value for money ideas

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