TELLY favourite Changing Rooms is back on our screens 25 years after it first aired – and not much has changed when it comes to its daft designs.
Episode one of the makeover show, now hosted by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Anna Richardson, gave us a wall of fake hair, a ceiling swing and pleather kitchen.
The Nineties and Noughties series had questionable taste and encouraged a nation of DIY decorators, sometimes with disastrous results.
Siobhan O’Connor asks how many of these popular Changing Rooms hacks you can remember, and which are still lurking in your home?
MDF
EVERYTHING on the show was made from medium-density fibreboard (MDF).
From a four-poster bed and Greek statues of topless women, left, to a futon or curved sofa – you name it, the designers could build it from this flimsy wood.
And of course have-a-go home decorators were inspired to do the same themselves.
MDF became so popular that the show’s presenters performed a “YDMF” song and dance – a parody of the famous “YMCA” routine – for the BBC’s Children In Need fundraiser.
BOUDOIR BEDROOMS
FORGET Fifty Shades Of Grey, Changing Rooms was the pioneer of boudoir bedrooms.
The team couldn’t get enough of silky sheets, crimson walls, and four-poster beds.
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While we thought it looked regal at the time, hopefully it will not be making a comeback soon.
MIRRORED WARDROBES
IN a 2008 poll, 53 per cent of those quizzed voted mirrored wardrobes as the biggest decorative turn-off, but 25 years ago we loved them.
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They saved space, made rooms appear bigger and you could check yourself out top to toe in style.
TERRACOTTA
THIS rustic, orange-meets-brown colour was the go-to for feature walls during the Nineties, not least thanks to Laurence and Co’s enthusiasm for the hue.
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Think terracotta floral wallpaper, tiles, furnishings and plants in terracotta pots.
STENCILLING/TAPE
FROM cherubs on bedsheets, right, to desert scenes on wardrobes or lettering on walls, stencils were essential kit.
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Masking tape was also big, to create Nineties-style geometric wall art and faux floor tiling. Who tried it at home?
RAG-ROLLING/SPONGING
IT was considered a chic way to get a marble effect, by dipping a rag or sponge in a different shade of the same colour before sploshing over the wall.
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Nice, but many may recall their own “textured” walls and be glad this trend is history.
SHAGGY SHEETS
THE designers introduced brown faux-fur and deep-pile shaggy blankets to the nation.
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The trend petered out in the Noughties but there was a resurgence in lockdown as stores including The Range, B&M and Ikea sold it.
FLOATING SHELVES
REMEMBER Linda Barker’s teapot tragedy?
The designer decided to construct a free-floating shelf for one of her house renovations, to hold the owner’s antique teapot collection.
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But when the shelving unit came crashing down, it proved to be a disastrous trend.
Until now, that is.
An Ikea favourite, the hashtag #floatingshelf has since racked up a mighty 31.4million views on TikTok.