In less than 5 years, the oldest millennials will be turning 40. By then, this generation will make up a considerable part of the population, taking up much of the workforce, consumers, and key positions in shaping the world in the near future, hence the talk about their values, habits, beliefs, and traits. Liberal, passionate about the environment, and tech-savvy, millennials like to combine the old with the new. Take these unique traits and apply it to millennial home designs, and suddenly, you’ll see a trend going on.

These people take good interior design seriously, and their home-related needs differ a lot from their predecessors due to these factors: 

• The millennial generation typically doesn’t make as much money.
• They move more frequently than their parents.
• Their values largely differ due to various historical events that affected society.
• They generally live in smaller spaces than the past generation.
• They are heavily influenced by the internet and social media.

These differences indicate a huge shift in home design trends to meet the needs of this generation. Here are a few of the millennial home design trends that resulted from the demands of their time.

Top Millennial Home Design Trends

Smart home technology

The millennial generation has been born and brought up in an age of technology. It’s clear that Wi-Fi-connected technology throughout homes is key for more reasons than one: school, work, freelancing, entertainment, and even home security. The advent of smart devices and smart automation have taken things to a new level altogether for the millennial home. There are units in the home that can be controlled via smartphone apps to make life much easier. Lighting, heating, smoke detectors, TVs, and speakers can all be monitored from handheld smart devices. Millennials also require “technology friendly” spaces, which mean lots of outlets and charging stations.

Sustainability

Millennials care for nature and Mother Earth, so they reconnect with her in the best way they can. This is because going out to nature is not always possible anymore due to growing time constraints. This generation is also more informed about the effects of climate change, hence their nature-conscious buying habits. This design trend includes using organic materials in interior design, ranging from reclaimed hardwood floors and natural stone walls to house plants, which purify the air naturally and make the space look more vivid. Succulents are especially popular. 

Millennial home trend favorites

From pink flamingos to yellow pineapples, millennials like to add a little personality to their modern minimal homes. After all, however much they desire functional organized spaces, they still want their homes to look beautiful. But this requires a little curation. Here are some current trend favorites:

• White ceramics
• Matte finishes
• Colors in mustard, neutrals, and millennial pink
• Lots of brass
• Mid-century furniture
• A feature wall with art

Size-conscious furnishing

Due to the ever-increasing population growth in urban areas, the average millennial is often left with small apartments to move in. Remember how baby boomers enjoyed suburban rustic home design trends that were warm and rich with accessories? Today, millennials stick to their mantra of functionality and prefer minimalistic design that is devoid of all clutter mainly because this generation is more about efficiency, reasonable use of energy, and saving money. Another reason behind it is that smaller houses require more illusion of spaciousness and more skillful uses of space that include multipurpose furniture and hidden storage units. The increased use of technology also contributed to the trend; many accessories and clutter that were once physically needed in the home can now be found in their smart devices as apps.

Low-maintenance living

This generation is more and more conscious of the time, energy, and expense that go into the upkeep of living spaces due to the influx of information and opportunities they receive on a daily basis. This means that millennials are championing the move to high design at low cost, which doesn’t require regular maintenance. This explains the popularity of succulents and, partly, their preference for minimalism.

Conclusion

Millennials are the most active property buyers and consumers right now and for decades to come, so you’ll be seeing these home design trends take over malls, news feeds, and the world one year at a time.

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