⛲️ + 👵🏼 + 🖼️
You know how when it is New Year’s, and people set goals or establish a word that will be their “word for the year”? This word is often the inspiration behind the theme of their year. It serves as a reminder for their goals and all they wish to manifest that year. For me, I have a life word. It shows up year after year. It has become part of my identity. And, it is grandmillennial.
Cue the fountain emoji ⛲️⛲️⛲️.
What is this darling life theme, beautiful design trend, and reason you and your grandmother are getting closer, you ask? Well, you have migrated to the right place. Today, I am diving deep on all things grandmillennial. By the time you make it to the end, you too will have eclosed into a beautiful grandmillennial butterfly (she needs toile wings AM I RIGHT).
If grandmillennial were an emotion on the emotional spiral 👉🏻 it would be happiness 🤗.
If grandmillennial were a song 👉🏼 it would be “Tea for Two” by Doris Day played on a record player 💿 in the parlor room with the windows open🪟on a spring afternoon.
If grandmillennial were a meal 👉🏽 it would be chicken salad mini sandwiches (no crust) 🥪 with cake teirs of lemon poppyseed scones 🍋 and fountains of tea 🫖 (whatever you do, do not forget the milk 🥛 and honey 🍯).
Okay, now that you have entered my grandmillennial brain, let’s actually get the facts. Merriam Webster defines grand as “lavish”, “ marked by regal form”, and ”fine in appearance” (4). It also defines millennial as that which relates to “the generation of people born in the 1980s or 1990s” (5).
Put it together and what do you have? Not bibbidi-bobbidi-boo . . . grandmillennial: the lavish and fine in appearance people born in the 1980s and 1990s.
This made me giggle. It makes it sound like you are walking down the street and can pinpoint the type of person. Even though this might be the case based on one’s puffy sleeve dress or toile printed skirt, I more frequently associate the term with interior decorating and home aesthetics. To me, grandmillennial blends traditional decor with modern and bright colors 🟠🟣🔵, bold patterns🐉🪻🎀, and glossy finishes 🖼️🪞⛲️. It mixes 🔁your grandma’s old chippendale chair with the present day burl wood coffee table. In doing so, it creates the safe space in which memories from the past 👵🏼 may coexist with memories of the present 👧🏼 and hold space for memories of future generations 👶🏼.
While I would have loved to be the creator of this clever adjective, trendy name, and way of life, I cannot take the credit. Grandmillennial originated from a 2019 article in House Beautiful by Emma Bazilian (14). Since then, its popularity has only increased and its trendiness does not seem to be going out of style anytime soon (boo-ya!).
What does it take to be granted the label of grandmillennial? Here are my own personal five requirements.
One. A minimum of two patterns mixed together.
🐉🪻🎀
This could be any pattern - from a Queen Victoria Herend Dinner Plate at your setting next to a Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Serving Bowl being passed around (to the right of course), to the orange gingham headboard pressed up against the classic blue toile wallpaper throughout your bedroom walls, to the multicolored and hand woven Oushak Turkish Knot rug that lies smoothly beneath your green and white large checkered couch. Each pattern is so different on its own, yet somehow look as if they were made for each when combined.
Two. A piece of furniture, heirloom, or antique from Grandma.
🪑🗝️👵🏼
Commonly, these pieces are repurposed or used as decoration. This may look like an old wooden buffet that you brought back to life with a couple coats of high gloss paint and gold hardware or her old jewelry box that now sits on your living room built-ins. For, it would not be grand without her.
Three. Bold and bright colors.
🟠🟣🔵
The grandmillennial color palette is usually monochromatic or a rainbow of colors. Typically, one to two colors are selected as the “main colors” with each accent piece fitting in with ease. One thing is for sure, even when the darkest shade of a color is used in the room, you still feel like sunshine when you are in it.
Four. Scallop Edging, Fringe Detail, and/or Skirted Bottoms.
🧶🪞🛋️
A sign that you may be walking into a grandmillennial room is that you stumble upon a scalloped edge on any linen, you notice a fringed detail on the bottom of the ottoman, or you brush past the skirted bottom that encloses the sofa. And, if you see all three, you have officially landed in a grandmillennial room (excited for you).
Five. Maximalism.
🖼️♾️⛲️
A grandmillennial is just that, grand. The shelves are fully stocked, the walls are fully decorated, and the tabletops are fully accessorized. While some prefer this to literally be to-the-max, my personal favorite is when the space is filled with just enough room for twirling around without worrying if a thing will be broken.
If you are stil not sure if you are ready to re-decorate, keep reading.
Here are five benefits to redecorating your space.
One: Psychological State. When your space is beautifully decorated, your mood will rise and your stress will fall.
Two: Confidence. When you effectively redecorate, your confidence grows making you want to share it with others.
Three: Property Value. Redecorating helps you in the short term and long term by adding to the value of your home when it is time to sell.
Four: Organization. Redecorating creates a need for assessing what you have, what can be released, and what can return in a new spot.
Five: Productivity. When you redecorate, you are creating a new scene that often encourages a little pep-in-your-step (15).
Now, picture this . . .
You glance around your living room and it finally feels like home. You walk into your home office and it finally feels organized. Then, you migrate over to the dining room and it is finally ready to eat in. You feel aligned and ready for endless and effortless conversation in the living room, productive and prosperous days in the office, and appetizing and appealing meals in the dining room.
Just a few short months ago, things were looking different. The living room was not even close to a reflection of you and your family. The office was so cluttered your brain could hardly function. The dining room was filled with boxes and the idea of entertaining was far-fetched. It was time for a change.
Today, you migrate from room to room feeling like each is a flawless representation of you and your family. You feel excited as you welcome in a new chapter, grateful for a space that is reflective of you, and a sense of peace and unity knowing that you have a place to gather.
Feel this and more when you redecorate with Alice-Hilton.
Follow the links to your favorite site or schedule a zoom consultation for a personalized plan.
⛲️ Gigi Frazier.
🗓️ Schedule a Zoom Consultation.
Thanks for visiting Alice-Hilton. Share this blog with someone who is doing great. We hope you leave here feeling like you have emerged into the beautiful butterfly that you are.
AND, YOU ARE DOING GREAT 🦋.
See resource link at the bottom of the Blog page for resources.