Is 1990s Interior Design Making a Comeback? Here’s What Designers Say
If you were around for the 1990s, you likely view it as an expressive time both in fashion and interior design. But sometimes, you just can’t believe your eyes when you walk into a clothing store and spot the baggy jeans, platform shoes, and slip dresses of your youth.
As the saying goes, everything old becomes new again (just look at the antique trends for 2025 if you need proof!), and this is certainly the case when it comes to the ’90s trickling into today’s fashion trends. But what about home interiors? Are these starting to lean toward the ’90s, too?
Hallmarks of ‘90s Interior Design
As interior designer Alex Papachristidis describes it, the ’90s were a bridge between the “lush interiors and excessive decorating” of the ’80s and the “austerity” of the 21st century. With its visuals, the decade landed somewhere in the middle of these two approaches.
“The ’90s were when I really started noticing interiors and what caught my eye,” says Kristen Nix, principal of Kristen Nix Interiors. She affectionately recalls faux wall finishes, butter yellow everything, and various wood stains.
Noz Nozawa, principal of interior design firm Noz Design, says that warm neutrals immediately come to mind when she reflects on iconic ’90s interiors, including cherry wood floors, warm wood cabinets from natural oak to birch, taupe-speckled granite countertops, and camel-hued beiges.
“On the furniture side of things, taller sofa backs are what I remember fondly,” she says. “It correlates with how popular Blockbuster movie rentals, VCRs, and other at-home entertainment was in that decade.”
Interior Design Inspired by the ’90s
Some of these aspects are beginning to make their way into interiors, especially among those of the younger generation who perhaps weren’t even born yet during the ’90s. Nix points out that these ’90s decor touches are often reimagined these days.
“Instead of faux finishes, we are seeing a lot of limewash plaster, Venetian plaster, and scenic landscapes hand painted in spaces like dining rooms and powders,” she says. “Wood stains are also popular now, but in more muted tones like walnut and white oak.”
Nozawa has noticed more interest in “highly visually-active countertops,” something that she says she’s thrilled about, adding, “I’ll always love a sleek white marble with a major vein, but I’ve never stopped loving a speckled variegated granite.”
So, Are the ‘90s Officially Back When It Comes to Interiors?
Well, the answer depends on who you ask. For instance, Papachristidis believes that anything goes these days when it comes to interior design, and this includes ’90s-inspired accents, among other decades. He says, “I think we live in a time when people mix things up. Interiors have become like fashion where things are loose and fluid.”
Nix, who believes that we will always lean on the past to determine the future, is seeing a reinvention of the quiet luxury and minimalism seen in the ’90s. She says that while it might feel as if the ’90s are back as soon as you browse Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, this might not actually translate to real life yet.
“Because of the visibility, I believe people want to fully embrace a trend as their lifestyle,” she says. “I wouldn’t say the ’90s are back, but we are definitely most influenced by them currently.”
Nozawa agrees that ’90s interiors aren’t fully back, but elements of the era are undoubtedly reemerging. “I think the collective design hive is still not ready for dark granite or darker red woods to be everywhere again,” she notes. “It feels like, unlike midcentury, that only bits and pieces of the ’90s home are back.”
In other words? Whether it’s “back” or not, if you love the ’90s, we say go for it with gusto in your own home.
How to Get the Look
Whether you fully lean into ’90s interiors with cherry-hued woods and granite countertops in your kitchen or go subtle with a vintage-inspired bedding set, this trend is totally customizable to your home. It doesn’t matter if your personal 1990s design aesthetic leans more into sweet Laura Ashley florals or if you vibe more with the Practical Magic whimsigoth look, there are endless ways to incorporate this trend into your home. Here, a few shopping ideas to get you started.
1990s Dialogica Couch
Now 22% Off
Italiana Luce Floor Lamp Circa 1990s
Arts & Crafts Cherry Wood Sideboard or Bar Cabinet
Sunflower Removable Wallpaper
Alessi Kettle, Designed by Michael Graves
Lilac Velvet Custom Pillow
Estelle Drapery Panel
Now 25% Off
Shelby Deering is a freelance lifestyle writer who frequently covers home design and decor for national publications. She has worked as a full-time freelance writer for over a decade, and has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years, writing home tours, interviewing top designers, and beautifying her own home. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and when she’s not writing, you can find her at thrift stores and flea markets, running, or exploring local trails in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and corgi, Dolly.
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