The often talked about but just as often misunderstood millennials influence much of the culture in our lives. Now ranging in age from 25-40, the trends millennials follow speak to what they find important, and their lifestyles. They also tend to guide many of the styles we see in contemporary home design. Plenty of design is influenced by millennial interior design, from the rise of the grandmillennial, the move towards function over form, and the love of mixing and matching styles, furniture, color and more.

Millennials Mix and Match

Although pieces still pop up, millennials are moving away from the beloved mid-century modern design of Boomers and Gen X. Instead, millennial design tends to be an eclectic mix of styles, most notably industrial and vintage styles. Millennial homes are decked out with beautiful metals and raw materials mixed with fun prints and antique finds. They’re unafraid to mix and match styles, and tend to focus on quality pieces that have stood the test of time. Prints are especially incorporated into millennial interiors, especially big prints used as focal points or to break up neutral spaces. Grandmillennial style, for example, utilizes a mix of vintage furniture, chinzy prints, and clean, well-made furniture.

The retro theme includes a love of unique and out of the box decorations that reminisce on the classics. Neon signs and lightboxes with encouraging phrases or cheeky sayings decorate many millennial homes, adding a touch of whimsy. Millennials are also into displaying their curated collections. Gallery walls and shelfie-ready bookcases line the walls of a millennial home, showing off their cool finds and creative obsessions.

Millennials Maximize Utility

Millennials are also more likely to live in smaller spaces or rentals. That means that they require their products to perform more than one function - every piece has to earn its place. Well-loved millennial home design features dining room pieces that can double as home offices (especially during the pandemic and the rise of work from home), furniture that folds away and out of sight, and hidden storage. Smart furniture tends to make an appearance in millennial interior design, from lighting that changes color with the touch of a button to furniture with hidden charging capabilities.

Much like the pieces they choose for their homes, the spaces themselves must be multifunctional. It’s not uncommon to find a room divider or two in the home of a millennial, sectioning off spaces to create more livable rooms, especially for those with roommates.

Millennials Move Towards Sustainability

Millennials have come of age during one of the most crucial times for the climate. This means that many of them consider sustainability to be one of the most important parts of buying something. The focus on sustainability is one of the reasons that millennials enjoy vintage finds, providing a second life to pieces that are already created. In this vein, reclaimed wood has become a mainstay in people’s homes, bringing its character and warmth to bedroom, living room and dining room furniture alike. It’s also why many millennials enjoy natural materials in their interior design finds. Wicker and rattan have made a comeback in millennial home design, along with linens and wool.

Bringing nature inside is also a huge focus in the sustainably-minded millennial, which is one of the reasons plants are a millennial home staple. Plants add life, color, and for some, meaning to your home. Many millennials dub themselves as “plant parents,” proving that filling your home with nature is more than just decoration; it can be another way to breathe life into your space.

As far as generations go, it’s hard to pin down just how influential millennials have been. Through all the thinkpieces, expectations, and interpretations of millennials, their intrinsic style shows us what is important to them: self-expression, functionality, sustainability and the ability to not take yourself too seriously. For those looking to pull a little inspiration from millennial style, it’s important to focus on these traits in yourself, find out what you love and surround yourself with it.

Read more home style blog posts.

New Trending: Grandmillennial.

Shabby Chic Design Ideas

Boho Chic Design Style.

How to Mix and Match Colors.