Granny Chic is the new design trend. Are you ready for a change?

F. Schumacher Cranley Garden Wallcovering

Just two years ago, all I was hearing, “my kids don’t want my stuff”. They don’t want old things passed down to them. They want new. They want what everyone else has, which is basically Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware or Arhaus.

Minimal design was and is still prevalent, and the grey, we can’t forget the grey… but I wish I could.

Real estate flips have had everyone convinced that wall paper is out. I heard it several times during consultations with clients.

Schumacher: Late 19th Century Bergere

Antique & Design Center High Point Market

Now, this new trend, also called “grand millennial”, encompasses all things old, vintage and collected. Partly inspired by all things sustainable and influencers who are posting their finds, what they wear, their homes and lifestyle changes. That’s not to say new things won’t be made to look old and fill that niche.

From fashionable crocheted sweaters and heirloom jewelry, to highly patterned and colorful fabrics mixed with the same in wallpaper and art. Collections of things are used to accessorize instead of singular items, creating a maximalist space that is carefully curated, instead of cluttered.

Antique & Design Center High Point Market

The carefully curated part is the key for this to work.

An eclectic design (“style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.” – Oxford Languages), also needs to be carefully curated to be appreciated and not be a mish mash of items in a room.

Just as whatever you see on the runway has to be reworked to actually be worn by everyday folk, this trend will also need to go through a process of being wearable and livable.

Antique & Design Center High Point Market

If granny chic piques your interest, you can set your limits. There is no rule that a room like this has to be filled to the brim. I, myself prefer a less is more approach, concentrating on the end result being “just enough” to get the look and feel desired for a space, whether it is granny chic, modern, traditional or transitional.

I’m actually looking forward to this trend, or at least my version of it. I have much of my own grandmother’s furniture that I will not part with. And there are a few pieces I have used successfully in my own home.

I think this may be the perfect time to reintroduce Heirloom Design.

Heirloom Design is about a specific approach I would take in my design process to go about sourcing and procuring all of the components needed for a design. It may be that everything is sourced locally from antique stores and my other antique vendors, or combined with your personal heirlooms and possibly mixed with more contemporary items.

Given the long lead times for product due to the pandemic, this is a great way to source and procure furnishings that are ready and available to be placed in your home.

If you know you want or need to move ahead with a home project, and you know handling it on your own is not the best option, please reach out to me. I am happy to listen to your needs and dreams so I can deliver the best results.

Let’s Make Home Your Favorite Place to Be!