Outdated Millennial Decorating Trends That Make Younger People Shake Their Heads

Does your house feature shiplap, lots of windows, large minimalist black-and-white areas, and carriage-style garage doors? If so, you’re probably a millennial! You probably love shows like Fixer Upper and have a living space inspired by a traditional farmhouse, just like Joanna Gaines. According to Gen Z interior designer Emily Shaw, though, this is just too simple and emotionless. She told website Insider, “We’re starting to move into something that’s not so straightforward, so it can be much more personalized to each person.” 

Everyone thinks mid-century furniture is cool again right? We hate to break it to you, but maybe not anymore. As long ago as 2016, author Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan claimed that it had become the “pumpkin spice latte of the design world.” Ouch! This was a dagger to the heart of millennials, who love the sturdy, clean-lined simplicity of this style. But it sounds like this trend may be a bit overdone at this point, especially if you’re a Gen Z-er.

A wardrobe that also doubles as a mirror? What’s not to like? According to some experts, this fun furniture style might not be to the taste of younger generations. Tap Warehouse designer Dom Lees-Bell told Grazia magazine, “Mirrored furniture was a popular furniture staple in the 1980s, [and] the trend has had a revival in the last few years. The trend fits a very glam aesthetic, which may be a bit over-the-top for the younger generation, with them naming the furniture outdated. So, if you want to impress Gen Z, use mirrors as decorative pieces rather than furniture.”

Turning a feature wall into an oversized chalkboard is a pretty fun idea, especially if you have kids. They can draw on it to their hearts’ content, and then you can simply wipe that bad boy clean! Yet Gen Z apparnetly thinks this unique look is something only millennials like — at least according to Buzzfeed user crimsonbutterfly. They posted, “The realtors did this in our kitchen to stage our home when my parents sold it in 2014. Looked ugly and seemed so pointless and messy.”

Clear plastic furniture — chairs, coffee tables, vanities — was all the rage for a while in the 2010s. But now even some millennials who loved the trend — as well as the younger generation — have begun turning on it. My Domaine writer Sarah Lyon wrote, “I’ve found that many Lucite pieces don’t age extremely well. Unfortunately, many of the items I enthusiastically bought for my old place began to show signs of use and scratching quite easily.”

Wooden signs that say “Live. Life. Love.” Pillows with the embroidered phrase “Give thanks.” Wall hangings imploring you to have “More wine.” These are all signs of millennial interior décor, and the subsequent generation doesn’t find them fun or empowering — they find them cheesy and overused! In fact, a Gen Z-er is more likely to cringe at one of these mawkish accessories than they are to laugh or feel their heart swell.

Beachy, lake house-ready nautical themes were all the rage with millennials, especially in places along the coast such as Cape Cod or Florida. These days, though, the look — mostly recreating identikit designs on social media — is dying off. Shaw told Insider she believed themes like this became less popular as people became more comfortable showing off their own quirky spaces on social media, rather than attempting to copy others.

The trend for plain, all-white rooms was prominent for a long time — but Gen Z craves color. Shaw told Insider, “This could include painting fun shapes on your wall with color, choosing a colored furniture piece instead of neutral, and much more.” She went on to note that it was simpler to make vibrant colors look good when they were separated by stretches of white, adding, “If you are uncomfortable with pairing multiple colors or scared to do too much, this is an amazing option.”

Buzzfeed user colincastle324 hit the nail on the head when he posted, “So. Much. Gray” as a trend he associated with millennials. He continued, “And I say this as a millennial who has some gray — but way too many people take it too far. Gray walls, gray floors, gray couches — and if not gray, it’s white!” He then finished with the heartfelt plea, “Please let’s bring some color back again!”

Millennials love marble in their homes — countertops, coffee tables — because it’s a classic look that will always be in vogue. Well, unless you’re from Gen Z, that is — those cool cats think marble is basic! Lees-Bell told British newspaper the Daily Mail that you can still use marble, though, as long as you’re strategic. He said, “Mix it up with coloured marble. Alternatively, opt for a marble with interesting veins that hasn’t been overdone.”

Don’t get us wrong — we love Ikea. But it maybe becomes a problem when everybody has the same flatpack bookcase, chest of drawers and office chair in the same room! Shaw told Insider, “With decor, there is an emphasis now on… unique and exciting furniture pieces that were thrifted or DIYed as opposed to the light-gray pieces that were seen everywhere and emulated.” The emphasis now is on being individual, not homogenized.

Gone are the days most people would only be at home in the morning and the evening — we’re all spending most daytimes there too. This is why Gen Z wants their spaces to be comfortable and easy to navigate, while millennials may have preferred aesthetically beautiful, formal design. Shaw told Insider, “Functionality should always come first,” and added that her generation benefits from “sitting down and evaluating what it is that you need most from your space.”

Have you spent the last decade drinking out of a mason jar with a straw? How about adorning your shelves with jars filled with candy, flowers, or pebbles? If your answer to either of these questions is “yes” then you are a millennial! Gen Z thinks the trend might have looked cute at times, but could also look super-cheap, and they’re more than ready for it to go bye-bye.

Have you ever walked into a living room and been confronted with Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling? These bulbs — modern versions of the vintage variety created by Thomas Edison in the late 1800s — became popular with millennials who wanted an industrial look in their homes. Why? No one really knows. They make a living room look very… un-living room-y and Gen Z definitely thinks they should’ve stayed in the commercial arena!

Alli Hoff Kosik of Real Simple magazine thinks Joanna Gaines and Fixer Upper are to blame for the millennial love of open-concept homes. Seriously, what is everyone’s obsession with knocking down walls? Kosik’s beef is that these open homes actually give us less privacy and only feel roomy when they’re almost empty. This is a bad thing for Gen Z, because they have no time for minimalism — they like having stuff around!

Blush-pink walls and furniture became so popular with millennials for so long that Gen Z now refers to it as “millennial pink!” In fact, The Guardian poked fun way back in 2017 by saying the color “represents a kind of ironic prettiness, or post-prettiness. It’s a way to be pretty while retaining your intellectual detachment.” Meanwhile Elle Décor said it believed the practice had long since gone out of style — yellows and muted greens are much more on-trend. 

Finding a photo of a room you loved on Pinterest and doing your level best to recreate it in your own home is a no-no for Gen Z. Shaw told Insider, “I’ve tried so hard not to use Pinterest in the normal way.” To her, it’s better to use the website for inspiration. She said, “It’s not necessarily copying the different decor elements but using it more as a way to find forms and shapes that can translate into a unique space.”

At some point in the last few years, people grew weary of the metallic bar carts they previously loved. That’s okay, though, because Gen Z thinks they’re totally basic anyway! To be fair, the carts — displaying booze openly — were only aesthetically pleasing. In a practical sense — due to their clunkiness, the dust they attract, and the fact nobody actually mixes drinks on them — they don’t make a lot of sense!

If you want to sit on a millennial’s couch, or lie on a millennial’s bed, chances are you’ll have to engage in a lengthy pillow removal process. “Why,” you may ask, “does this person need eight throw pillows of varying colors, shapes, and sizes on this couch? Now I feel bad for rearranging them to sit down!” Luckily, this is not a problem with Gen Z, who don’t see the point in this preposterous pillow proliferation. 

Brass lampshades, bowls, doorknobs, drawer handles and cutlery — many of these are likely to be found in a millennial home. Why? Well, according to Olivia Bloom of blog Food 52, brass is “wrapped in a nostalgic haze,” and feels like “the best kind of throwback.” It also looks more lived-in and distinguished as it gets older, but this is something Gen Z has no interest in, as it’s purely an aesthetic choice.

Walls adorned with tribal prints have long been super-popular with millennials seeking a bohemian look in their homes. But Gen Z is pushing back, according to Lees-Bell. He told the Daily Mail, “Tribal often means various patterns from different tribes across the world, which can be problematic as indigenous tribes can’t simply be grouped together under one umbrella.”

Gen Z looks at the cold, clutter-free, sleek design of an Apple store and recoils in horror — yet many millennials wanted to decorate their homes that way! Shaw told Insider that Gen Z rejects this impersonal style completely, revealing, “I’ve been seeing a lot of people going towards eclecticism and maximalism. Utilizing different colors, shapes, patterns, and textures can really help stimulate people — especially while we’re indoors all day long.”

As Charley Ward of Cosmopolitan magazine put it, neon signs “have that magic combo of being a lil’ bit edgy and a lil’ bit glam and a lot bit Instagrammable, so one will look equally as cool on your walls as on your feed.” Having these signs in the home — which somehow look both beautiful and tacky at the same time — is an extremely millennial thing. We know Gen Z would definitely think they’re too tacky, though!

Geometric print walls? Chevron or hexagonal-patterned wallpaper? These things are all very off-trend for Gen Z. Luckily, Lees-Bell has a suggestion for those millennials struggling to fully let go. He told the Daily Mail, “Why not try herringbone? The pattern is similar, with zigzags arranged from rectangles, so will certainly add an effortless bold look. But, thanks to its ornate details, it is a lot more timeless.”

Tufted headboards make a bed look classy, luxurious, and expensive. To some millennials, it’s almost a way of recreating a hotel look in your house — but to Gen Z, this is exactly why the look isn’t suitable for the home. While the upholstered look is still fairly trendy — and is also used on couches — Insider believes it’s on the edge of played-out, so will go out of fashion very soon.

Millennials have come of age with cheap, flat-pack furniture — after all, how many of us have kitted out our entire first apartment with one trip to Ikea? This mightn’t necessarily be a good thing, though. Design expert Gail David told website My Domaine, “I explain to my clients that higher cost usually equates to higher quality and that in the end, this is an investment into your home. Purchasing disposable furniture is like throwing money out the window.”

Lees-Bell told Grazia magazine, “Macramé is a popular décor item that can be found adorning plenty of furnishings, from cushions, walls, plant hangers, and even light shades.” Gen Z says “nuh-uh,” though. He continued, “We can certainly appreciate the art and hard work of macramé, but if you wanted an alternative, why not opt for other handmade items for that bespoke feel?” The interior designer went to suggest pieces of embroidery and hand- or machine-woven wall tapestries as other potential solutions.

“Instagram homes are flooded with pampas grass: well, what’s not to love?” Lees-Bell asked the Daily Mail. Then he answered his own question by revealing, “Pampas is an invasive plant in some parts of the world, so the growing of it could push out other plants and vegetation.” He added this was partly why Gen Z had been rejecting it for other decorative grasses, such as “miscanthus, golden oats, or hare’s tail.”

In 2019 Los Angeles design label Transition State told Insider the millennial trend for filling every empty space in a home with plants was not going to continue in the 2020s. It hasn’t died out completely just yet, but Gen Z isn’t a fan, so we’d say the greenery’s days are numbered. Plants won’t totally go away — after all, there are a lot of green-thumbed people out there — but having them in overwhelming numbers will likely become a no-no.

Terrazzo — made from chips of polished marble or granite — is generally used as floor or wall tiles. Millennials, though, applied the pattern to more things in the home — even contact paper! E-design firm Modsy’s Alessandra Wood told My Domaine that the trend was most definitely not popular with the youth, though. She said, “Don’t get me wrong, I love a good terrazzo, but the use of the pattern on everything but actual terrazzo has made it feel a little overplayed.”