The Iconic Design From '90s Fast Food That People Want In Their Dining Rooms Now

While parachute pants and frosted tips might be better off left in the past, plenty of '90s kids will admit that it was a peak era for snacks, toys, and decor. If there is one thing we have learned throughout the years, it is that trends always cycle back. While minimalistic dining rooms may be on their way out in this particular month, who's to say it won't see a major comeback in another five or six years? The design trend on everyone's mind at the moment isn't inflatable furniture or fake ivy climbing up kitchen cabinets — it's the bright pops of color and geometric patterns iconic to the Taco Bells of the 1990s.

Think bold, mismatching colors on the table and funky triangles, squiggles, and whorls painted onto the walls. This design trend involves pops of color such as purples, pinks, teals, yellows — those bright, eye-catching colors thrown all around the dining room, the same way you would see them when you walked into fast food restaurants in the '90s. Retro lamps on the bar, wallpaper borders along the wall, or even vibrant painted cabinets are just a few of the things making a scene in the current dining room decorating space. The 2010s may have been the time for modern farmhouse decor, but as we trudge through the latter half of the 2020s, people are interested in bringing color and fun into their dining rooms and leaving the wooden signs with kitschy sayings behind, along with 17 other outdated kitchen design trends.

This next generation of homeowners grew up in the '90s, grew up surrounded by the neon signs and purple pin-stripped booths of Taco Bell, before companies revamped to fit the "modern" aesthetic (here are what these nine restaurants looked like before their bland modern redesign). That means they are bringing that same style into their homes. The playful style of the '90s was influenced by the Art Deco and Pop Art movements of the 1980s, hence the big, whimsical shapes and mismatched colors. In a living room, this may look like oversized lounge chairs and deep-sunk sofas, but in a dining room, you are looking at oddly shaped tables and chairs, along with serving trays made from unconventional materials.

While you might not want to necessarily paint the zig-zags and circles popular on your dining room walls, you can begin by bringing in one or two fun pieces. Try finding a geometric-patterned rug for beneath the table or some vivid seat cushions that bring in a burst of color. If you are up for it, take that same color to your cabinets in orange or green, or line the borders of the wall with a similarly bright shade of wallpaper. Look for artwork in abstract shapes and patterns to complement the fresh colors you have chosen for the walls or the floors. As long as you don't make this rookie decorating mistake in the dining room, it is hard to go wrong when putting together a '90s-style dining room, since it is all about self-expression.