We’ve gotten a lot of questions lately about the Grandmillennial design aesthetic. What is it or what does it look like? Honestly, I had mixed emotions when I read the House Beautiful article by Emma Bazilian announcing to the the world that Grandmillennial was an emerging design trend. I have always had this design aesthetic, out of necessity, because of all the beautiful antiques I have inherited from my family over the years.
On one hand I was excited about the Grandmillennial trend taking off because people might begin to appreciate antique furniture and give it new life, but on the other hand, my style would no longer be unique and could seem even more outdated when people were over it. I really hope it is here to stay, because it is a great way to preserve your family heirlooms and find new excuse for treasure hunting at your local antique store!
If you’re picturing doylies and over stuffed furniture you would be half right, but it’s not really the full picture. I look at it as a puzzle trying to blend the vintage with the modern in order to showcase both!
Here are a few tips I use for making the look be more millennial and less grandma.
- Choose large scale print wallpaper. Not the tiny roses or fruit baskets on your wallpaper from the 70’s-90’s. Think bigger and bolder roses (maybe not the fruit baskets LOL)
- Bold bright wall color to brighten the brown antique furniture.
- Recover antique furniture in a large scale print fabric.
- Blue and White Accessories for your bookshelves or open shelving. Blue and white pottery like Ginger jars are everywhere at Home Goods these days. (I’m still working on my collection)
- Choose a few antique cane backed pieces. Caning is the woven material on the back on my dining room chair below. Right now caning can be on coffee tables, barstools etc.. both new and old that fit the grandmilliennial style perfectly.
- Reframe/rematte vintage prints to create an updated gallery wall.
If any of our readers are already grandmillennals or are working on it please share your designs with us!