Do you ever wish it was the late 90s or early 2000s again? These bad design trends will remind you that we’re truly living in the golden age of interior design. Check out these terrible Y2K design trends and say “good riddance” with us.
Tuscan-Inspired Kitchens
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we say “Y2K interior design”? For us, it’s this disaster of a design decision that was all the rage.
Stepping into a freshly renovated Y2K kitchen would make anyone want to eat grapes off the vine and sip a glass of grocery store vino.
If your kitchen didn’t look like something straight out of Tuscany in the 2000s, you just weren’t up with design trends. And honestly, that was probably for the best.
Beaded Curtains
OK, this Y2K trend might be slightly more controversial than Tuscan kitchens. Some people are die-hard beaded curtain fans (including some of us here at Blossom)!
But for others among us, the sound of those plastic beads clanking together as you pass from one room to the next is the stuff of nightmares.
Maybe it’s because we Millennials have traumatic memories of the beaded strings getting irreversible tangled up, while Gen-Z still has to learn that lesson the hard way.
Textured Walls
You can’t have a Tuscan kitchen without at least one textured wall in the home. The two go hand-in-hand as the perfect storm of Y2K interior design BFFs.
Did you ever have the unique pleasure of taking a sponge or balled-up newspapers to your walls? While it was fun to do, it wasn’t fun to look at.
What’s worse is that textured walls always seemed to come in unsightly colors like mustard yellow. deep blood-red, or slime green. And good luck getting rid of it!
Vertical Blinds
We’re reaching for our inhalers just looking at these vertical blinds. Every single one of them got impossibly dusty, no matter how hard you tried to combat it.
But these curtains were all the rage in the late 1990s and early 2000s, so you had to deal with the dust as best you could.
We will say, though: there was something oddly satisfying about running your hand down the row of vertical slats like some kind of giant Xylaphone.
Granite Overload
We get it: you like granite. Granite countertops are great, but there is a point of diminishing returns. When the granite starts creeping up the wall, you’re there.
Something about the 90s and 2000s made people really want to show off how much granite they could get their hands on, and unfortunately, it’s stuck around.
Another trend was dark gray or brown granite countertops, which tends to make the whole room look a bit dungeon-esque. We’re glad to move on from that.
Boxy Entertainment Centers
Speaking of dust, these things were absolute magnets for it. And as a kid around Y2K, it was always your job to dust and polish it.
There was something odd about a boxy TV just sitting out on its own, so we get the reasoning. Plus, you needed that storage for VHS tapes.
Still, we’re glad these goliath pieces of furniture have seen their heyday come and go, if only for the sake of our backs when moving furniture around.
Matching Furniture Sets
Having a matching bedroom furniture set at the turn of the century was the best way to let family and friends know you’ve finally made it.
Rather than piecing together furniture that complemented itself or consulting a designer, you would just walk into your local furniture store and buy it all at once.
It’s sad to think about all of the matching bedroom furniture sets that have been broken up and given away or sold piecemeal over the decades since then.
Carpeted Bathrooms
The rest of the house was always carpeted in the 90s and 2000s, so why not the bathroom? Because it’s a bathroom. That’s why.
No one wants to sink their toes into soft carpeting while going about their business. Even back when it was considered acceptable, no one liked it.
If you look closely at this image, you can see that the toilet seat is also cushioned. It’s still better than the carpeted toilet lids that also existed.
Fruit and Vegetable Decor
In the 90s and early 2000s, you had to question everything. Especially when it came to fresh fruit—because it might be made of wax.
You didn’t want to make the mistake of grabbing an apple off of Grandma’s kitchen counter and sinking your teeth into that waxy, plasticky texture.
Add to that the fact that home often had fruit-themed wallpaper or tablecloths to go along with it, and it was all just a little bit too much.
TVs That Were Way Too High
If you didn’t have room for a bulky entertainment center, and you were fortunate enough to have an early flat-screen, you had to find other solutions.
Unfortunately, the complementary trend of high, vaulted ceilings led to a situation where TVs crept higher and higher until, eventually, you got this.
There’s just no way that those of us who grew up in the 90s or 2000s don’t have neck issues from inclining our necks 90 degrees to watch Rugrats.
Overly Themed Rooms
We can tell you put a lot of time, thought, and effort into your home design when the wallpaper matches the kitchen towels, which match the cookie jars.
But is that a good thing? For some reason in the late 90s and early 2000s, matchy-matchy rooms were all the rage. Everything had to match precisely.
Even more baffling is the fact that most themed kitchens followed one of two popular themes: apples or chickens. After a while, it’s just a lot.
Brown on Brown on Brown
Another way to make sure everything in your home matched was to just choose a color and run with it. And often, that color was a sad beige.
It could be spruced up with some wine-red and mustard-yellow, but often, it was just brown and beige as far as the eye could see.
There’s something oddly comforting about these beige interiors for those of us who grew up in the 90s and 2000s. Still, it’s time to say goodbye.
Bad Wood-Grain Laminate Flooring
Imitation-hardwood laminate has come a long way since the 2000s. Back in the day, it looked almost nothing like real wood. And it was impossible to clean.
It essentially felt like your floor was made of plastic, with a photograph of wood grain crudely pasted on top. It was not exactly aesthetic.
Today, we’re just grateful that early woodgrain-laminate flooring survived so that today’s high-quality, super realistic, but inexpensive flooring could run.
Venetian Plaster Walls
If textured walls weren’t quite eye-catching enough, you could also opt for Venetian plaster to give your walls the look of stone or marble.
Unfortunately, many people thought this was a brilliant idea in the 90s and 2000s, and it resulted in millions of homes sporting weirdly shiny walls.
Sure, there’s something to be said for high-gloss surfaces to add accents to a room. But this method rarely resulted in a uniform, aesthetic shine.
Textured Ceilings
To go with your textured or Venetian plaster walls, you needed a textured ceiling. These ceilings are a major pain to get rid of, sometimes even being toxic.
If you grew up with one of these ceilings, you know that they offered the unique experience of finding faces and weird shapes in your ceiling.
Especially when you’re falling asleep and looking up, seeing one of those eerie faces peering out of the texture of your ceiling was the stuff of nightmares.
Floral and Lace Curtains
Lace and dainty floral curtains were part of the Shabby Chic trend of the Y2K era, and for that, we will forever love them.
But you couldn’t just throw lace curtains up in any old room. If you did, it could very easily end up looking like a retirement home.
Fortunately, the overuse of lace curtains is a trend that has mostly gone by the wayside, except in those cases where they add to the shabby-chic decor.
Laminate Countertops
Laminate floors not offering you quite enough of this magical material? Why not top off your countertops with laminate, as well?
Laminate countertops were a popular alternative to granite in the 90s and 2000s, offering a workable surface at a fraction of the cost.
The downside was that the laminate was often patterned to look like granite even though we all knew it wasn’t. It just didn’t look good.
Glass Block Walls
Did you ever want your shower or dividing wall to look like neatly stacked ice cubes? In the Y2K era, it was all the rage.
Glass block walls actually originated in the 1930s and 40s during the Art Deco movement. They became especially popular in the 1980s.
But if you were around in the 2000s, you know that these cubes did not go quietly. We just hope they stay gone for a while.
Swag and Jabot Window Treatments
You might never have heard the term “swag and jabot,” but you’ve definitely seen it before. They are sometimes also known as “festoon and cascade.”
These window treatments have the fanciest name out of any window treatment style, for good reason. It matches their attention-stealing aesthetic.
Surprisingly, you can still find swag and jabot window treatments for sale today. If you want that 90s vibe, it’s a good place to start.
Inflatable Furniture
If you grew up in the Y2K era, you can smell that plasticky rubber smell just from looking at this image. It’s like pool furniture, for your home!
Part of us is glad we don’t see a lot of blow-up furniture in today’s day and age, while the other part is filled with nostalgia.
We wouldn’t be too mad if blow-up furniture made a comeback just for a season. But let’s be honest, it’s probably for the best if it didn’t.
Grunge Decor
If you didnd’t have a Nirvana poster on your wall in the ’90s and 2000s, you just simply weren’t cool enough for the grunge movement.
The only problem with grunge decor is that, well, it doesn’t look good. Typically, these were dark, dank rooms with way too many posters coating the walls.
Windows? Who needs them? Just throw up a black sheet, adn you’re good to go. We’re glad this trend has gone by the wayside.
Zebra Print and Pink
If you’re prone to migraines, you might want to go grab some Advil after looking at this picture. For some reason, this color scheme was all the rage.
Not only was it extremely common to pair hot picnk with black, but it was also essential to get as much zebra print into the room as possible.
What’s even worse is that the beadspread matches the wall, matches the curtains, matches the phone. Ever heard of coordinating, not matching?
Busy Countertop and Backsplash Tile
If you already grabbed the Advil after looking at the last picture, don’t put it away quite yet. Another eye-watering trend was busy kitchen tile.
Don’t forget that every tile needs to match, from the countertop to the backsplash. We have to admit, it’s an impressive dedication to matching.
Still, if we owned a house with this type of bewildering tiling everywhere, we would have to put a kitchen reno at the very top of our to-do list.
Unfinished Basement Bedrooms and TV Rooms
If grunge style wasn’t quite grungy enough for you, you were in luck in teh ’90s and 2000s. Because back then, you could find yourself with a basement bedroom.
Alternatively, you might have a den or “entertainment area” in your unfinished basement. Either way, you want to make sure it’s as gross as possible.
For some reason, these spaces always had dirty rugs and a certain musky smell that results from being underground. Time to invite some guests over!
Zero Hidden Storage
Extreme clutter was a feature of every kid’s room in the 2000s, and to some extent, it still is. But it seems like storage just didn’t exist.
Maybe it was because we had fewer choices in electronic entertainment, so we had to have hundreds of small toys and books.
Those things added up quick, and you always ended up with a room that felt more like a hoard. We’re glad a more minimal, organized aesthetic prevailed.
Beige and Teal
Want to spice up your Y2K beige room? You could always throw in some teal to break things up. While it’s better, it’s not that much better.
You had to be sure that everything still matched, so use teal couch cusions, window treatments, wall art, and table decor.
And make sure that sitting on the couch is a nightmare by pairing a leather couch with satin throw pillows. It’s a Y2K dream come true.
Wannabe Princess
If zebra stripes weren’t your speed, you could always pair your pink decor with black-and-white princess accents, instead. Think fleur-de-lis and fake chandeliers.
There was nothing better than a set of hot pink tiara wall art pieces, paired with black, white, and pink table decor. Except maybe that bedspread.
Of course, you needed to tie it all together with an unfortunate bed skirt and striped wall paint, plus shelves that are way too high.
Chef Kitchen Decor
Remember how we mentioned that there were only two kitchen themes: apples and chickens? We lied. There was actually one more: jolly little chefs.
These chefs could pop up anywhere, from flatware to cookie jars. There was really no limit to the items you could purchase with this theme.
Maybe it was inspired by the Tuscan kitchen decor trend, because the chef was often featured in a Tuscan-style room. But we’ll probably never know.
Ultra-Frilly Living Room Decor
Sure, maximalism is making a comeback in modern decor trends. But we have to hope it won’t ever get to this point again.
This is the flip side of the tendency to match absolutely everything in a room to a T. In this scenario, it seems like the goal was for everything to clash.
Of course, you still have some matching elements, like the wallpaper and part of the frilly window treatments. But other than that? It’s a free-for-all.
Egg Chairs
Would you believe that the image above is actually from a modern home? Unfortunately, this trend from the 2000s appears to already be making a comeback.
Sure, sitting is an egg chair is fun once in a while, and it’s something we recommend trying at least once in life.
But having one permanently in your space? We’d rather not. Plus, it really limits your design options when you’re trying to decorate around an egg.
Burnt Orange
Possibly a spinoff of the Tuscan-inspired decor trend was the desire to use burnt orange absolutely everywhere. You couldn’t get enough.
Burnt orange can be a delightful color for your space if you want to add something bright and vibrant. But at a certain point, enough is enough.
To make matters worse, burnt orange walls were often sponge-painted for that extra flair. We just hope this trend is firmly in the past.
Futuristic Curves
When many young people today think of the Y2K years, they think of something like this: ultra-futuristic, sleek, and a little bit groovy.
In reality, as we have seen, this was only a small part of Y2K decor, and it was rarely seen in person. This image actually comes from a decor magazine.
Still, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention this as a Y2K design trend that we don’t want to see resurface. It just feels so cold and unwelcoming.
Sun, Moon, and Stars Decor
If you needed to warm up an overly futuristic or sterile space, there was no better choice than some sun, moon, and star decor.
These slightly smiling entities could be found in kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, bathrooms, and basically everywhere else, for seemingly no reason.
If you walked into a Pier-1 Imports in 2002, you couldn’t walk out again without picking up a few of these, either as wall art, flatware, or figurines.
Over-the-Top Matching Holiday Decor
The over-the-top matchiness of the early 2000s wasn’t limited to just your everyday decor. It also applied to your special holiday decor.
If you didn’t have a complete set of Thanksgiving decor, Halloween decor, and Christmas decor tucked away in an attic, you just weren’t living.
Each holiday meant stashing away your regular dishware, tablecloth, and table decor and replacing them with turkeys, Christmas trees, or pumpkins. Extra points for Easter bunnies!
Tuscan Bathrooms
The scourge of Tuscan-inspired decor didn’t stop at the kitchen. It also had to take over our bathrooms, too. Tile, bathtub surrounds, and beige.
As much as we enjoy a bathroom with some personality, we just can’t get behind these bathrooms that look like something out of an Olive Garden.
We can’t decide whether this trend is worse than the modern tendency to create completely white, sterile bathrooms, but it’s certainly close.