Colours of the 1990s

Fashion and decor reflected the dirtier colours and minimal look of Gothic, Grunge and Hip Hop.

A classless society developed due to the economic recession, businesses fell on hard times and the electronic age altered lives. The world wide web was born in 1992, waistlines of mens’ pants dropped lower than the interest rates, cargo pants, cowboy boots, floral skirts, stonewashed denim were de riguer and smaller was better – laptops and mobile phones and pay rises.

Neutral colours were paler and bolder colours swung wildly to reflect ‘holiday dream venues’- Greece, France, Tuscany and Thailand. Wallpapers were faux paint effect in rich ochres, terracottas, reds and friezes featured Aztec/ethnic pattern and the celestial influence - stars, suns and moons - were featured in fabrics and art. Black and white started to appear in wallpaper. The race to the Millenium was both feared and desired.

Bright colours of the era were (from the Multifinish collection):

Resene Deep Koamaru	Resene Mariner	Resene Genoa	Resene Pelorous
Resene Tom Thumb	Resene Xanadu	Resene Atlantis
Resene Monarch	Resene Fire	Resene Rock Spray
Texas Rose	Chardonnay	Resene Golden Glow	Resene Drover
Resene New Orleans	Resene Shalimar

Paler was better - the new Whites colour chart featured tints, hints of colour, such as:

Resene Tide	Resene Alto	Resene Half Spanish White	Resene Geyser	Resene Black White
			Resene Red Haze Resene Tint Of Orange Resene Green Squeeze, Resene Yellow White Resene Purple Haze Resene Aqua White Resene Umber White Click to view colours

Muted colours embraced nature, sea and sky in hues such as:

Resene Ship Cove	Resene Echo Blue	Resene Jordy Blue	Resene Sail
Resene Rainee	Resene Gin
Resene Gimblet	Resene Mint Julep
Resene Cape Honey	Resene Buttermilk

Information thanks to Carolyn Atkinson.