The Boom Boom Era Is Back—And It’s Redefining Design

Sean Monahan captures it perfectly in his brilliant Substack, 8Ball, especially in his piece highlighting the return of high-sheen glamour via Hyundai’s 2021 Heritage Series Grandeur, La Tête d’Or—the new Daniel Boulud spot that oozes opulence—and even the oxford loafer’s resurgence. These touchpoints aren’t random; they’re symptoms of a broader cultural reawakening. One that’s hungry for rich texture, sensory indulgence, and a touch of polished excess.

It’s showing up everywhere: steakhouses are surging, grand dining rooms are staging a comeback, and Hillstone—ever the bellwether of laid-back American luxury—is once again a favorite. Why? Because they deliver the classics, and those classics just feel good. We want wedge salads with blue cheese and bacon, ribeyes cooked to perfection, hot fudge sundaes served in footed glassware, and full-bodied wine poured without pretense.

I first clocked the shift while watching Monsters—a docudrama that unwittingly felt like a love letter to the heyday of Boom Boom living. What was once dated or gauche suddenly felt relatable again, even aspirational. That's how the cycle goes: nostalgia gets rebranded, elevated, and reborn.

In fashion, it’s all oversized blazers, power shoulders, women in ties, boxy silhouettes reimagined with new swagger. Monahan calls it “the fetishization of the past,” and honestly, there’s no better phrase. It’s obsessive, maximalist, and dripping with intent. It's not unlike the Trumpian design language—loud, gold, unmissable—but now, if you are on the right side of things, it’s filtered through a more artful, self-aware lens. Less garish, more considered opulence. You want to look back on this moment in history and not, cringe.

So what does this mean for interior design?

It means we move away from the austere and embrace the evocative. We blend Art Deco’s symmetry and metallic shimmer with the softness and wit of postmodernism. We marry rosewood with chrome, lay pastels over bold architectural shapes, and layer in preppy prints that wink instead of shout. Think Ettore Sottsass meets Kelly Wearstler in a cocktail bar designed by Dimore Studio—Spring 2025 has a look, and it's big.

“More is more” is no longer a threat—it’s a design directive. In hospitality, this translates to spaces that wear many hats: a restaurant that doubles as a retail showroom, a bar that hosts a podcast studio by day, or a café that moonlights as a gallery. Single-purpose design is out; hybrid utility is in.

The ethos of “work hard, play hard” is roaring back, albeit rebranded. The cocaine and martinis of the '80s have been replaced with microdosed mushrooms, low-ABV cocktails, and curated gummy assortments—but the energy? The pace? It’s uncannily familiar. The late ‘80s and early ‘90s moved fast and lived loud. We’re racing toward that same cultural tempo again.

So buckle up. And design like you mean it.

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