What Is Millennial Style and Why Will It Be Trendy in Our Homes?
Vintage, wallpaper, recycled wood: young people prefer decor that's affordable, cheerful and sustainable
Bea González
3 December 2021
Millennials – those born between 1980 and 1995 – are starting to make their mark on decor. The ingredients of their preferred style are no surprise and they define a growing trend: touches of industrial and vintage style, flexible furniture for multi-functional spaces, timber, personalised neon, wallpaper, plants and natural fabrics are set to conquer home decor in 2022.
Why is Millennial style trendy?
This generation feels comfortable in spaces that stand out for being flexible and cheerful with little financial investment. A 2019 article in The New York Times by Sapna Maheshwari suggested that this is the generation that rents – everything from clothes to stand-up electric scooters and furniture – not only to save money but also to consume less and recycle more.
“Most of my clients belong to the Millennial generation, and I think it’s because I respond well to their needs,” says interior designer Elisabet Brión, who created the interior pictured here and in based in San Sebastian, Spain.
“I just finished a project for a young couple who inherited a ’70s house along with furniture, which they didn’t want to throw away because of its sentimental value, aesthetics and sustainability. I opened the space up to bring in natural light, and in the end, we were able to keep all the furniture. This type of client wants character, and decor is successful when you mix items from the past and present and manage to bring them together.”
This generation feels comfortable in spaces that stand out for being flexible and cheerful with little financial investment. A 2019 article in The New York Times by Sapna Maheshwari suggested that this is the generation that rents – everything from clothes to stand-up electric scooters and furniture – not only to save money but also to consume less and recycle more.
“Most of my clients belong to the Millennial generation, and I think it’s because I respond well to their needs,” says interior designer Elisabet Brión, who created the interior pictured here and in based in San Sebastian, Spain.
“I just finished a project for a young couple who inherited a ’70s house along with furniture, which they didn’t want to throw away because of its sentimental value, aesthetics and sustainability. I opened the space up to bring in natural light, and in the end, we were able to keep all the furniture. This type of client wants character, and decor is successful when you mix items from the past and present and manage to bring them together.”
Millennials are a highly educated generation, who often speak multiple languages as a result of their travels, and have a deep awareness of climate change. Even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change was listed as the primary concern for Australian Millennials (33%) and Gen Zs (33%), according to the Australian 2021 Millennial and Gen Z Survey by consulting firm Deloitte.
“This approach not only borrows from the 1920s with brass, blues and all the energy of that time, but also updates that style and rediscovers organic forms for the sake of another goal – being more respectful of the environment,“ says designer Simona Garufi, creator of the Netflix space at the last edition of Casa Decor (pictured here) in Spain. Here, Garufi has put the Millennial style in the spotlight: neon lights reminiscent of ’50s and ’60s restaurants and cafes are another characteristic of these interiors.
Find an interior decorator or designer near you to mix styles and eras with an expert eye
Find an interior decorator or designer near you to mix styles and eras with an expert eye
Millennials: committed to sustainability and looking forward to owning a home
The home Spanish decor blogger María Vázquez of Dr Livinghome had rented in Madrid was an ode to the Millennial style. Pictured here is the living room with an adapted sofa from Maisons du Monde: Vázquez changed the legs and added a timber accent. She made the coffee table out of a variety of piping, including cut copper pipes.
The home Spanish decor blogger María Vázquez of Dr Livinghome had rented in Madrid was an ode to the Millennial style. Pictured here is the living room with an adapted sofa from Maisons du Monde: Vázquez changed the legs and added a timber accent. She made the coffee table out of a variety of piping, including cut copper pipes.
To decorate a home in millennial style, you certainly need affordable and often multi-functional furniture – but more importantly, it has to be sustainable. According to Ikea, furniture makes up four percent of the solid rubbish that ends up in landfills today. In response, the Swedish giant seeks to extend the life of its products through its Save the Furniture campaign.
One of its strategies is to fit in with the mentality of a generation who aspire to own in the future, even if they mostly rent now. Ricardo Sousa, CEO of real-estate giant Century 21, reports 84 percent of young Millennials and Gen Zs (born between 1996 and 2012) plan to buy a home someday, as noted in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Economista.
One of its strategies is to fit in with the mentality of a generation who aspire to own in the future, even if they mostly rent now. Ricardo Sousa, CEO of real-estate giant Century 21, reports 84 percent of young Millennials and Gen Zs (born between 1996 and 2012) plan to buy a home someday, as noted in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Economista.
What is Millennial style today?
A Millennial’s home might have industrial-vintage decor, pastel colours, one-off finds from weekend markets, and affordable furniture. So should it be called eclectic? Retro? Industrial-urban? It’s not yet clear how to define Millennials’ style in a single word, because it’s a blend of all those things. Why choose just one approach when you can combine several?
A Millennial’s home might have industrial-vintage decor, pastel colours, one-off finds from weekend markets, and affordable furniture. So should it be called eclectic? Retro? Industrial-urban? It’s not yet clear how to define Millennials’ style in a single word, because it’s a blend of all those things. Why choose just one approach when you can combine several?
This is what we see in the dining room Garufi designed for her exhibit at Casa Decor 2021 (pictured) in Spain, inspired by Millennials on the streets of Madrid. “Vintage is everywhere. It is becoming fashionable to reuse instead of buying,” she says.
Garufi has also proposed flexible and multi-functional spaces. The reduced floor space of apartments in cities in Australia and around the world has forced young people to design rooms that serve as spaces for work, get-togethers, and relaxation.
Garufi has also proposed flexible and multi-functional spaces. The reduced floor space of apartments in cities in Australia and around the world has forced young people to design rooms that serve as spaces for work, get-togethers, and relaxation.
In this image, we see the Madrid flat of interior designer and Millennial, Flor de Lis B. Ruíz, who defines her house as “clearly eclectic”. She takes inspiration from pastel tones, soft shapes and natural materials. In addition, the designer explains that she enjoys perusing weekend markets and has a soft spot for furniture from the ’50s.
Browse small and beautifully designed dining nooks on Houzz
Browse small and beautifully designed dining nooks on Houzz
“My clients see that I can save and freshen those pieces up because it’s part of my personality,” says Brión. “In Spain, we have long had a culture of throwing away the old and buying everything new, but this is changing a lot, and in 2022, preserving will be the dominant trend.”
A notable feature of her projects is the way she balances heavy wooden features with light and cheerful wallpapers. She also prefers a chromatic range of greens, dusty blues and pinks. “I do not stop working, to tell you the truth, and it is partly thanks to the orders of a generation that already makes up a very high percentage of customers,” she says.
A notable feature of her projects is the way she balances heavy wooden features with light and cheerful wallpapers. She also prefers a chromatic range of greens, dusty blues and pinks. “I do not stop working, to tell you the truth, and it is partly thanks to the orders of a generation that already makes up a very high percentage of customers,” she says.
Your turn
Have you noticed more Millennials’-style interiors and decoration in recent years? Tell us what you love about it in the Comments below. And remember to like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Struggling to store everything you need in a small home? Read up on 17 Storage Ideas for Every Room That You May Not Have Considered
Have you noticed more Millennials’-style interiors and decoration in recent years? Tell us what you love about it in the Comments below. And remember to like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Struggling to store everything you need in a small home? Read up on 17 Storage Ideas for Every Room That You May Not Have Considered
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I am in my late 60's and my style of decorating has always been what is now coined "the millenial style". When you live long enough, your personal style cycles back into vogue. HA!
Both born in 1946. Most everything in our house was purchased at auctions within the past eight years. We may have to wait longer to find exactly what we want but the best part is that no one would describe our decor as "generic"!
I’m shocked to see I make it into millennial. But I agree the travelled and collected home is here to stay. For me I don’t want cookie cutter, I care about the planet more than the latest trend, and I love contrast and colour.