A growing design movement called nestalgia is leading millennials and Gen Z to recreate childhood spaces filled with Y2K and 1990s items. Individuals like Lizzy Muñoz and Destinee Ristau are transforming rooms into nostalgic havens using toys, DVDs, and posters from their youth. Experts note that this practice offers emotional benefits, including improved mood and coping skills.
The term nostalgia was coined in 1688 by Swiss medical student Johannes Hofer to describe a painful longing for home, derived from Greek words nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain). Today, this feeling manifests in nestalgia, a trend where people redesign spaces to evoke childhood comforts. Lizzy Muñoz, 31, began her nostalgia room two years ago after receiving boxes of her childhood items from her parents, including DVDs, toys, and magazines. "I was looking through these boxes, and they held so much comfort and joy," she says. Her room features a pink and purple Disney princess TV, Tinker Bell and Bambi figurines, and records of early 2000s artists like The Cheetah Girls and Hannah Montana. "It’s a little time machine," Muñoz adds.
Destinee Ristau, 34, from Orlando, Florida, has a similar dedicated room in her apartment stocked with 1990s and 2000s toys, memorabilia, and media. IKEA Billy bookshelves hold VHS tapes, DVDs with neon Y2K spines, Littlest Pet Shop figurines, 1990s McDonald’s Happy Meal items, and Lizzie McGuire merchandise. "In just a few years, it’s gone from one or two creators to my Instagram feed now being flooded with people who have rooms full of dolls and other toys," Ristau says. She uses the space for movie nights and dinners, starting her collection in 2022 amid personal challenges and therapy to address an unstable childhood from her parents' divorce.
Nicole Randone, 27, known online as Miss 2005, has curated a Y2K bedroom for over 10 years, featuring posters of Chad Michael Murray and items like flip phones and Juicy Couture tracksuits. "It’s really to pay homage to what I wanted as a kid. I’m doing this for my younger self," she explains. Mai Pham, 23, turned her podcast studio into a childhood-inspired space with personal artwork and period additions, finding it healing. "I feel so safe when I sit in this room," she says.
Consumer research firm GWI identifies Gen Z and millennials as the most nostalgic generations, peaking during the transition to adulthood, according to psychologist Krystine Batcho, PhD. "Generally, nostalgia is good for you," Batcho says, citing benefits like better mood, self-esteem, optimism, and depression resistance. It also helps reframe past experiences. This trend aligns with cultural reboots such as Gossip Girl and iCarly, and brand activations like Airbnb's Polly Pocket houses and Bucket Listers' pop-up bars in cities including Philadelphia and New York.
