7 Things Every Living Room Had in the 1990s

Most millennials remember their childhood living rooms in the same way because the '90s trends for entertainment and home decor were very pronounced. Every home in the '90s had certain items in the living rooms that almost seemed like they were standard features that came with the house. In trying to "keep up with the Joneses," our living rooms began to look like carbon copies.

With the latest technology of the time and the interior design trends, all of our living rooms reflected the life and culture unique to the 1990s. We may look back on them now and cringe, but there were so many good memories made in those spaces, often due, in part, to the specific furniture, decorations, and home goods that dominated the era.

Large Wooden Entertainment Centers
CRT TV
VCR
Stereo System
Video Shelves
Floral/Plaid Furniture
Potpourri

Large Wooden Entertainment Centers

Today's sleek, minimalist TV stands would likely be crushed by the monstrosities that were entertainment centers of the '90s. They took up most, if not all, of one wall of the room, and went from floor to ceiling. There were cabinets and shelves galore, with the centerpiece being large enough to fit a TV. It was truly a feat of strength and patience to feed wires through the holes in the wood and desperately plug them into the correct outlet while flattening yourself against the entertainment center.

CRT TV

If you remember TVs from the '90s, you most likely also remember the nickname "boob tube," though it's actually much older. Watching TV made you a boob, or an idiot. The tube part came from the cathode-ray tube, or CRT television, that used a vacuum tube to beam images onto a screen. These TVs were heavy, bulky, and easily broken, but they could be found in every '90s home, usually in one of those giant entertainment centers.

VCR

Accompanying your CRT TV was the VCR, enabling you to watch all of your favorite videos at home. VCRs, or videocassette recorders, finally became more affordable in the late '80s, and by the '90s, were in almost every household. It was great because not only could you watch classic movies outside of movie theaters, but you could also record your own videotapes. The VCR was there to replay your childhood memories, from the heartwarming to embarrassing by the second.

Stereo System

The ultimate '90s home entertainment system was not complete without the stereo and blocky speakers. It was the coolest thing to put in multiple cassette tapes or CDs and have the stereo system switch between them. And we all tried turning the volume all the way up at least once just to see how loud it actually was. Of course, we only did that when our parents weren't home, since we weren't supposed to "play" with it.

Video Shelves

Even with the shelving from the entertainment centers, '90s living rooms often had extra shelves for the wide variety of VHS tapes. Some families didn't even bother going to Blockbuster to rent a movie because their house was filled to the brim with videotapes. In the '90s, parents often didn't hide their rated-R movies, but displayed them on the same shelves as the Disney VHS tapes. It was definitely a different time.

Floral/Plaid Furniture

Was there an unspoken rule that every '90s home had to have either a floral-patterned couch or a plaid one? Because they were literally everywhere. Some florals and plaids looked decent in our living rooms, but more often than not, we saw the gaudy-looking ones. Could this be why millennials became obsessed with gray and beige interior decor? They just wanted to get as far from the tackiness of their childhood living rooms as possible?

Potpourri

Before scented candles or Scentsy wax warmers, we all had potpourri to add fragrance to our living rooms. Becoming popular in the mid-1980s and continuing through the '90s, mothers and grandmothers everywhere placed a bowl or mini crockpot of dried flowers, fruits, and cinnamon sticks on a shelf. Mix in the smell of dust, since the potpourri sat in the same spot for years, and you have one of the nostalgic scents of a '90s living room.