Before smartphones dominated our lives, ’90s bedrooms showed our personality and how we spent our time. Looking through your old photo album, you’ll see how your room used to look before and how much you have changed since then in who you are today. Here are the 10 essential items that made every ’90s kid’s bedroom complete.
9. Groovy Chick or Lisa Frank Everything
One of the most iconic ’90s brands is Groovy Chick with duvet sets, wall stickers, and pencil cases. There’s also Lisa Frank’s rainbow-colored stuff that adorned your stationery supplies and study table. It simply represented the energy of ’90s kids.
8. A “Keep Out” Sign or Door Hanger
You used to have those clear “KEEP OUT” signs hanging outside your bedroom door. It was our first step towards the boundaries we’re trying to establish. Whether it’s a handmade or a freebie for a magazine, marking your freedom territory was essential. It’s a way of telling your parents and siblings to knock first.
7. Beaded Curtains or Fairy Lights
Those beaded curtains definitely made you feel like a movie star making a dramatic entrance. There were these shimmery room dividers that add personality to your doorway or window. Another is fairy lights for that perfect ambient lighting in your surroundings.
6. Posters Covering Every Wall
’90s room would never be complete without posters of your favorite bands and TV shows. There will surely be Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, where your wall turns into shrines of ’90s pop culture. Posters were the easiest way to express your personality and show loyalty to your faves.
5. Tamagotchi or Virtual Pet
The Tamagotchi craze was real! Kids everywhere have their digital pets in their rooms. They were handheld devices that allowed users to feed, play with, and clean up their digital pets. Kids were trying to keep them alive throughout the day, and you’ll likely see one placed in every bedside table of the ’90s.
4. CD Collection and Boom Box
If they aren’t in the living room, then they’re probably in the bedroom. This chunky portable stereo sits right in front of the tapes of your favorite Top 40 songs. Your CD collection likely includes artists such as Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. You’d ask your parents to get you an organizer to arrange all of your CDs in.
3. Inflatable Furniture
Remember those brightly colored inflatable chairs from your friend’s bedroom? They’re never comfortable, but they look cool. For some reason, these transparent neon chairs were popular statement pieces in bedrooms, especially due to their bouncy appeal. It’s a spot where kids would usually listen to music or read their magazines.
2. Lava Lamps
While lava lamps have been around since the ’70s, every kid from the ’90s keeps one in their bedroom. They were a mood setter with colored wax floating in a clear liquid. They add a psychedelic glow and were the perfect backdrop during sleepovers.
1. Glow-in-the-Dark Stars on the Ceiling
Remember those glow-in-the-dark pieces that we used to stick to our bedroom ceilings? They came with adhesive stars that absorb light during the day and illuminate rooms at night. Once your parents stuck them on your ceiling, they wouldn’t come off. And if they did, then there would be shapes stuck on your ceiling.
