If you’ve spent any time on the internet over the last few months, then you’ve likely come across the term “’90s butter mom.” If, like me, you’ve been enamored with the casual, cool-girl imagery that often accompanies the ’90s butter mom posts—think a smiling woman with her hair haphazardly thrown up in a claw clip chasing a flock of chickens in her high-waisted, light-wash denim shorts or a baking scene in a classically country kitchen—then you’ve come to the right place. Below, I’m breaking down the season’s hottest trend, explaining who and what a ’90s butter mom actually is, and sharing how you can embrace the nostalgic style in your own home.
First—Who (or What) Is a ’90s Butter Mom?
Think Chessy from the 1998 classic The Parent Trap, or even Lorelai Gilmore. Butter moms are beloved because they’re wonderfully real—not hiding behind the perfect veneer of social media or society’s expectations. Their house is always a little bit cluttered, but that’s okay because a house is meant to be lived in.
While the trend started by celebrating moms who didn’t give in to the extreme diet culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, the term “butter mom” has morphed to describe a mom (or anyone, really) who loves slow living, gets messy in the garden, enjoys cooking, knows that nothing in her house is overly precious, and does it all with a firm “take-no-bull-I-can-do-it-myself” attitude.
She’s often pictured clad in denim overalls and flowy white shirts, and vintage J.Crew and thrifted roll-neck sweaters fill her wardrobe. She also has a good pair of muck boots perched by the back door, standing at the ready each morning when she needs to feed the chickens.
Below, I break down the four key elements to a butter mom-approved home so you can embrace this same breezy lifestyle, chickens or no.
1. Start with the Right Paint Colors
If you dream of a ’90s butter mom-style home, then you have to start with the right palette, which, of course, includes the perfect butter yellow. Try shades like Benjamin Moore’s Buttermilk or Behr’s aptly named Butter Yellow. Pair it with layers of warm texture—think woven wicker or worn wood (more on that below).
Creamy whites are also a must in any butter mom’s cozy farmhouse. Some of our favorites include Swiss Coffee by Behr, Timeless by Clare, and Harvest Moon by Backdrop. Accent your white walls with soft touches of duck egg blue and sage green for a just-right-amount pop of color. Oh, and the unexpected red theory works wonders in a ’90s butter mom’s home—even better if it comes in the form of red-and-white gingham café curtains.
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2. Go for Warm, Worn-in Woods
You’ll find no mahogany or walnut furniture in a ’90s butter mom’s house. Instead, warm or worn pine furniture reigns supreme. Nicks, dents, and scratches are welcome signs of a well-loved piece. In the kitchen, a butcher-block island or antique worktable takes the place of a built-in island. And in the living and dining rooms, expect to see hutches and secretaries filled with freshly thrifted treasures and dried organic ephemera.
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3. Pick Patterns with Personality
The ’90s butter mom trades in nostalgia, so her textiles are romantic, familiar, and anything but boring. You’ll of course find country staples like gingham checks and ticking stripes, but you’ll also find throwback patterns like paisley and ditsy florals straight from a dELiA’s catalog. Red-and-white toile de Jouy or chintzy roses are also favorite statement-makers. Expect whatever furniture silhouette they appear on to be overstuffed and comfortable.
4. Don’t Forget the Whimsy
An appreciation for whimsy is what sets the ’90s butter mom apart. She’s no stranger to a porch goose and has more than one wicker basket tucked into her makeshift mudroom. In a playroom, she has a DIY’d dollhouse ready for her kids to play with—this is firmly a “no screen time” household. She shares some qualities with a cottagecore enthusiast, but her style is decidedly less twee and a little more hardworking, even with all the whimsy.
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Anna Logan is the Deputy Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she has been covering all things home design, including sharing exclusive looks at beautifully designed country kitchens, producing home features, writing everything from timely trend reports on the latest viral aesthetic to expert-driven explainers on must-read topics, and rounding up pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about paint, since 2021. Anna has spent the last seven years covering every aspect of the design industry, previously having written for Traditional Home, One Kings Lane, House Beautiful, and Frederic. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. When she’s not working, Anna can either be found digging around her flower garden or through the dusty shelves of an antique shop. Follow her adventures, or, more importantly, those of her three-year-old Maltese and official Country Living Pet Lab tester, Teddy, on Instagram.
