From walls plastered with posters of grunge bands to shelves stuffed with creepy troll dolls, there was a certain amazing awfulness to the 1990s. OK, the Nirvana signage was pretty cool. And come to think of it, sleeping on satin sheets was preferable to the 1980s rage (remember the rise of waterbeds that transformed bedrooms across North America into bordellos?). But we digress. Let’s get to the ’90s with these bedroom decorating ideas that will make you feel all the nostalgia.
For more ‘90s inspiration, watch TED premiering Thursday, January 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase, also available on the Global TV App and on STACKTV with Amazon Prime Video Channels, fuboTV, Rogers Ignite TV, and Ignite SmartStream.
A Colour Explosion
If there’s one thing the ’90s brought to bedrooms it was colour. Poster-covered walls in bubblegum pink, purple and teal were common. Spice World, Nirvana, Beavis and Butthead, 90210. All of the gang is here loud and proud. As much as we love the minimalism trend, bring back some of the ’90s with pops of colour in your bedroom.
Related: 15 Design Trends We Loved in The ’80s (but Shudder at Now)
The Rise of the Lava Lamp
The lava lamp may have been cooked up in 1963 by British entrepreneur Edward Craven Walker, but they were ubiquitous in ’90s bedrooms. Who knows what accounts for their popularity? Maybe the satisfaction of watching goop lazily float around in liquid? You can still find them for sale online if you’re looking to inject some nostalgia into your bedroom.
The Ghetto Blaster and Clunky Phones
in the 1990s meant something else entirely than it does now. There was nothing compact and handheld about it. Think clunky phones that had to be plugged into a wall that you used in one location. And fat ghetto blasters (to blare that Run-DMC!). Maybe we can find some at the thrift store.
Your Own Personal TV
Speaking of outdated technology, do you remember our old friend the television set that weighed as much as a small car? Perhaps you can pick one up at a garage sale to play all the VHS tapes you’ve been hoarding.
Related: IKEA Recreates Iconic Living Rooms From ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Friends’ and ‘Stranger Things’
Tape Takes Over
Admit it, you have a soft spot for a VHS tape. We all do. Maybe you remember gawking at the brilliance of Pulp Fiction on a tape in the quietude of your own home. Or Wayne’s World or Home Alone. So many good ones. Don’t forget to rewind them all before returning the happy stack back to Blockbuster! If you’re not hoarding some, I’m sure you can find some in your parents’ basement.
Crushing Hard
It’s a surefire bet that your 1990s side table held a stack of well-worn issues of TigerBeat. The gossipy magazine was filled with teen dreamboats. Paging Kirk Cameron, come in Kirk Cameron! JTT, we need a fix! RIP TigerBeat, we’ll frame an old magazine cover for you.
Troll Dolls in the House
There’s nothing like waking up to a pie-eyed, smirking troll with gravity-defying hair. But in the ’90s, that’s exactly what you did. The troll doll, which came with variegated cottony hair – electric purple, bright pink and clown red – had a bizarre moment in the ’90s. They were actually created in 1959 by Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam and are said to bring good luck. May we suggest instead of the troll doll itself, a classy piece of artwork inspired by the mythical, cave-dwelling being?
The Nintendo Piques Interest
Hand hurt? It surely did in the 1990s from playing Super Mario Bros 100 times in one sitting. Nintendo consoles were everywhere and ’90s bedrooms always seemed to have the bulky contraption laying around. If you don’t want the gaming console in your bedroom today, there are plenty of Nintendo-inspired home decor items for sale, from coasters to planters.
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