If you consider yourself a maximalist, then grandmillennial style is for you — the colors, patterns, textures, and the mix of modern and vintage all work together to create a cozy, unique space that highlights the pieces of your home that are unequivocally you.
While you can infuse the style in any room of the home, we love grandmillennial living room designs because they make the space feel warm and cozy. It is perfect for entertaining guests or settling in for a family movie night, creating a space where all feel welcome and want to spend time. Here are some of our favorite looks shared on Instagram and how you can adopt a similar look and feel in your own home.
Don’t banish blue and white plates to the dining room
Grandmillennial decor pays homage to a time when minimalist designs and modern decor weren’t a consideration and everyone was tucked safely into their grandmother’s home enjoying the view. For example, we love this nod back to blue-and-white vases and plates, accompanied by old books and simple lighting. This would look stunning on a sofa table or on one living room wall.
Embrace floral overload
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For even more floral inspiration, we love the idea of mixing and matching patterns and textures like they do in this living room. If this feels like too much, you could pare back a few of the vases and keep the patterns on the chair only. You could also go the other way and add in boxed topiaries, skirted tables, and floral wallpaper for an even more dramatic effect.
Add a rattan chair or two
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Rattan has been having a moment — and a well deserved, one at that, too. It easily fits into green design trends and can be blended well with softer textures, bold colors, and patterned cushions and pillows to create a well-curated and cozy space.
Create a gallery wall
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If you’re looking at options of where to add this design to your existing living room and don’t have the budget to replace everything, start small. You can switch out decor pieces, throw pillows and blankets, and new curtains more quickly than you can replace big furniture items like sofas and chairs. We love this collage wall of pictures with vintage frames as a starting point, and landscape art is very trendy right now.
It’s all in the details
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Embroidered linens, like the ones on this side table, mixed with ceramic plates over the fireplace are foundations of grandmillennial style. You can also replace your lampshades with pleated ones, bring in rattan or bamboo side tables or baskets, and add toile and plaid pillows to your couch. If you simply must make a change to larger furniture, consider slipcovers for your sofa or floral table skirts draped over an existing table until you can replace it altogether.
Add furniture skirting
Add some skirting to your living room furniture for a vintage homey look that is quintessentially grandmillenial. Couch skirts are a great way to play around with fabrics and add an extra textile to your design. You can have the skirt match the sofa or opt for a floral pattern to make an eye-catching statement. You can also DIY your couch skirt. This TikTok creator raised her couch with furniture risers and then added a fringe, bullion trim to the bottom. Using a peel-and-stick fabric tape, she carefully ran the bullion along the edge of the sofa to incorporate the trim.
Don’t shy away from adding skirting in other places too, like on chairs, ottomans, or chaise lounges. You might also consider adding a small tablecloth to the coffee or side tables to invite additional fabrics into your design for a more cozy and flowy aesthetic.
While minimalist designs and midcentury modern styles have remained popular, many millennials are looking for more nostalgic pieces to grace their homes. Given the turmoil in the past few years, it makes sense that people crave a simpler time filled with relics from the past. Of course, you don’t have to go overboard by re-creating your grandma’s exact living room.
The fun part about this trend is that you can incorporate pieces into your living room in a new and updated way. You can mix and match prints, add toile and fringe in textiles, add a blue-and-white ceramic piece to your fireplace mantel, and throw in a rattan table or basket. This style also works well with boho, rustic, and farmhouse design styles, so don’t be afraid to center the room in one of those and add grandmillennial pieces to your heart’s content.
The goal of this design style is to make everyone who enters your home feel welcome and relaxed. It’s a nod to a simpler time, when pieces were collected over time or handed down through generations. It’s a way to pay homage to the past while still infusing your own personal style and design into your living room.
