GRANDMILLENNIAL: THE NEW INTERIOR TREND

Heather Nette King is a Melbourne-based interiors stylist and writer for many leading interior titles and newspapers. The hallmarks of her styling are colour and vibrancy, and she writes passionately about peoples’ homes and how they live in them.


Pour yourself a nice cup of tea and let’s have a chat about Grandmillenial Style!


Grandmillenial style is a fresh take by the style-setting Millennial generation that embraces a love of traditional style, and the smart, feminine, and well-put-together rooms that our grandmothers are known for. It’s all about the resurgence of ditsy florals, ruffles, layers of pattern in different colours and scale, and vases full of blooms. Some say this interior design style has come about as a reaction to years of white walls and minimalist styling, whilst others believe it’s due to a yearning for simpler times.

So, if you’re fond of a floral teacup, an oversized lacey collar on your shirts, a big vase of hydrangeas, maybe you’re a candidate for Grandmillenial style (or, Granny Chic) no matter what year you were born, here are my tips on achieving the look.

THE GRANDMILLENNIAL COLOUR PALETTE

There is nothing too strong or jarring about the colour palette. Colours tend to be pretty, but not too strong. Greens are nature-inspired, the blues are gentle, and you’d expect to see crimson instead of a harsh red.


THE GRANDMILLENNIAL PATTERNS

Pattern - particularly florals - play a huge part in the Grandmillennial look. From petite small-scale petal motifs, through to overblown blooms, they are very much a key feature. Other traditional prints such as lattices, toiles, and medallions also make an appearance in wallpaper, curtains, lampshades, and upholstery.


THE GRANDMILLENNIAL EMBELLISHMENTS

Texture, both physical and visual, is one of the most enjoyable elements of Grandmillenial style. Fabric’s - such as silks, chintzes, needlepoint, linens, chinoiseries and brocades - and embellishments - such as tassels, fringing and piping - are both eye candy and create a wonderful sensation for the fingertips.

WHAT ABOUT THE FLOORING?

Carpet and rugs were very popular in our grandmothers’ era – they were a marker of luxury and pride. Quite often a rug would be placed on top of carpet to create a luxurious and layered look. If I were to create a room like this today, I would layer the Carpet Court Evoke rug in ‘Carnival’ round on top of the Passionate carpet in ‘Celeste’. What a delicious combo!


WHAT ABOUT THE WINDOWS?

Even with window treatments, layering is important in Grandmillennial Style. Curtains (or ‘drapes’ as my grandmother called them) always hung to the side of a window frame, and were generally there purely for decoration, not for privacy or light control. What was important was the window blind. Usually they were roller blinds, and I adore the all-new Carpet Court Roller Range for its depth of colours, texture and light control. My top picks for some Granny Chic blind action would be the Austere Light Filter in ‘Stonewash’, or the Modern blind in ‘Lace’.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR FURTHER INSPIRATION?

Many of the major interior magazines and blogs have written great stories Grandmillenial – but you can check out the Carpet Court Pinterest page to see my edit of the look. If you like to read more on the history of the decorators that first pioneered the style, look to books on Sister Parish or Mario Buatta – he was known as the Prince of Chintz!


WILL IT WORK FOR ME?

If you’re a committed minimalist, or a lover of Brutalist design and live in a concrete bunker, then this may not be your cup of tea. But if you’re like me and love floral elements, have a love of heirlooms or a nostalgic approach to decoration in your own home, then maybe start with the addition of a few cushions, then maybe a lamp… then some wallpaper… Have fun!


NEED MORE INSPIRATION? 

View more of our Seasonal Trends articles or check out our Influencers Collaborations for more interior ideas and design tips.