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late 90s interior design

post #1 of 66
9/25/09 at 9:15pm
Thread Starter 
A decade later, what things would you say characterize interior design from the late 1990s and early 2000s (roughly 1998-2002)? My first thoughts were 1) all things by Citterio and 2) the use of now ubiquitous midcentury pieces like Eames as showpieces. What else?
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post #2 of 66
9/25/09 at 9:37pm
Accent walls? or is that more 2002-2007 and awful?
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post #3 of 66
9/25/09 at 10:44pm
I'll always associate this era with that ubiquotous "HGTV look." You know, bold (and bad) paint colors, Pottery Barn and Target furniture, stainless appliances (not bad in themselves,) dark kitchen cabinetry and granite countertops.
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post #4 of 66
9/25/09 at 11:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pennglock View Post
I'll always associate this era with that ubiquotous "HGTV look." You know, bold (and bad) paint colors, Pottery Barn and Target furniture, stainless appliances (not bad in themselves,) dark kitchen cabinetry and granite countertops.

Yes, the McMansion look.



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post #5 of 66
9/26/09 at 12:29am
It's the lighting that really ups the elegance. That and the grand staircase.
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post #6 of 66
9/26/09 at 12:36am
Such a grand foyer. It puts Mafoofan's foyer to shame.
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post #7 of 66
9/26/09 at 12:48am
All the Oriental rugs make me wonder if a SFer lives there. I can almost see the shoes.
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post #8 of 66
9/26/09 at 1:35am
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Originally Posted by DocHolliday View Post
All the Oriental rugs make me wonder if a SFer lives there. I can almost see the shoes.

Lots of white and dark brown -- white Barcelona chairs, dark wood tables (wengé or stained oak)

Also, organic shapes became popular. *Wallpaper magazine on every coffee table. B&B Italia Charles Sofa -- or anything with similar style feet.

Long and low sofas (Alfa from Zanotta) and consoles -- with ethnic and mid-20th century object d'art.

Arne Jacobsen 3107 chairs -- Pierre Paulin chairs -- and Vitra miniatures.
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post #9 of 66
9/26/09 at 11:32am
I don't think the mid -century modern furniture is going to go away any time soon.
But there are some oversized, overstuffed horrible sofas that seemed to find their way into alot of homes.
The "finer" models had a console with cup holders for your big gulp.
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post #10 of 66
9/26/09 at 11:41am
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Originally Posted by LabelKing View Post
Yes, the McMansion look.
Apart from the Polynesian artifact, I rather like this. Is there some reason it is lame?
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post #11 of 66
9/26/09 at 6:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hypersonic View Post
Lots of white and dark brown -- white Barcelona chairs, dark wood tables (wengé or stained oak)

Also, organic shapes became popular. *Wallpaper magazine on every coffee table. B&B Italia Charles Sofa -- or anything with similar style feet.

Long and low sofas (Alfa from Zanotta) and consoles -- with ethnic and mid-20th century object d'art.

Arne Jacobsen 3107 chairs -- Pierre Paulin chairs -- and Vitra miniatures.

That's exactly what I associate with the period: an over-edited version of MCM mixed with low and long Italian pieces.

I'd forgotten about the whole rise of the McMansion look, but I'm sure it's just trauma.

One of the houses we just passed on was a huge late 80s modern design retrofitted during the boom with all of the McMansion trappings (including a grand staircase)---one of the most incongruous and shameful attempts at remodeling that I've ever seen.
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post #12 of 66
9/26/09 at 8:10pm
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Originally Posted by Huntsman View Post
Apart from the Polynesian artifact, I rather like this. Is there some reason it is lame?
It's nice and there's nothing wrong with it all. It's just that it's generic in design, and I would guess that most new homes built in the US over the last two decades would be similar.
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post #13 of 66
9/26/09 at 8:32pm
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Originally Posted by Huntsman View Post
Apart from the Polynesian artifact, I rather like this. Is there some reason it is lame?

Huntsman, it's awful. I don't really speak in the language of architecture/design, my take is that the individual design elements are lame on their own, and looking at the picture as whole, it's an incohesive hodgepodge. There's no thought put into the design.

-There are columns and an arch in the entry to the dining room!
-Wall color is bad and the contrasting crown molding looks ridiculous.
-I dont think crown molding belongs on any ceiling lower than 9 feet, but that's a personal quirk.
-The shape of the balcony, what is that?
-That triangular skylight makes no sense above the rounded staircase and balcony.
-Stairs are in a bad spot in the floorplan. I know they're trying to create a 'grand staircase' look, but that's just not working with a 4 foot wide staircase.
-The lighting fixtures are bad. The curtains are bad. The picture framing is bad. The rugs are bad.

It's just the prototypical McMansion.
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post #14 of 66
9/27/09 at 11:40am
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Originally Posted by Pennglock View Post
Huntsman, it's awful.
In pretty much every thread on interior design here there is at least one post from you from saying how much you dislike whatever is being discussed. Can you please post some pictures of things you actually like? I do agree with all you listed above, but I'm really curious at this point what example you would give of a really well designed interior.
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post #15 of 66
9/28/09 at 6:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntsman View Post
Apart from the Polynesian artifact, I rather like this. Is there some reason it is lame?
The crown molding is too shiny and too big for an 8' ceiling. It looks to be made of MDF instead of real wood. The worst part is the mix and match of "custom" elements. Not only does it inadvertently show the lack of modern-day craftsmanship, it is just too much and doesn't really make sense. The lack of craftsmanship just really makes it look cheap. I mean a triangle? really??? I'm not sure how I feel about colored walls with white ceilings either. There is a bit too much two tone going on with that dark green on the wall, that makes it look contrived. I do like the rugs, floor and light splashed walls though.
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