While the interior design world continues to be dominated by the farmhouse home decor trend mixing stark white, minimalist interiors with black and natural wood accents, another smaller trend has recently emerged, and to say it’s the polar opposite is an understatement. Meet grandmillennial style, aka “granny chic.” Boasting more than 43,000 posts under the #grandmillennialdecor on Instagram, the trend has amassed a vigorously devoted fan club. More proof: The search phrase “grandmillennial decor” is up 13 times since this time last year on Pinterest.
What is grandmillennial style?
Marrying patterns and colors, textures and materials — and yes, even needlepoint and wicker — the aesthetic was first ID’d by House Beautiful, which described grandmillennials as being in their mid-20s to late 30s and “having an affinity for design trends considered by mainstream culture to be ‘stuffy’ or ‘outdated’ — Laura Ashley prints, ruffles, embroidered linens.” In other words, it’s for design lovers who are essentially trying to resurrect their grandma’s living room.
“Grandmillennial style is a generational rebellion against the sleek minimalism of midcentury modern design,” Rebecca Breslin, senior design manager for Wayfair Professional, says. “While the trend has been around for a year or two, we’re seeing it spread from living rooms and bedrooms to kitchens and bathrooms.”