The Grandmillennial Living Room: 10 Essentials

Exploring the 10 essentials of the Grandmillennial living room for a fresh approach to traditional style.

Well Peonies…I think Grandmillennial style has finally made it! I’m seeing the term everywhere and not as a brushed off quip either. Hallelujah!

I like to think I’ve been a small but significant part of that blossoming, encouraging you all to decorate in the Grandmillennial style here on P&P and helping start the #grandmillennialdecor on Instagram. You’ll probably remember the first post I ever wrote about the movement was 8 Essentials of Grandmillennial Decor back in January of 2020, and I figured it was high time to share with you just how I’ve incorporated some of those essentials in my Grandmillennial Living Room.

Today, we are going to peek inside my formal living space in all its green and white chintz glory and explore the 10 essentials for Grandmillennial style in the living room!

This room has been a long work in progress for the past 5 years, and the design scheme if not the end goal has evolved and changed along the way. But I think that is natural and good as I slowly collected each element of this space.

The room features pale gray walls (basalt powder from SW), cream carpet (which we plan to swap for a hardwood eventually), a lovely traditional fireplace mantel, and elegant brass sconces. With that foundation, I decorated in a color palette of green hues (rich grass green and a pale celdaon) with hints of pale blue, coral pink, and sunny yellow. Patterns, particularly florals, abound in this space.

The layout is functional with enough seating to accommodate parties, but the groupings of furniture allow for intimate conversation. This is the room the hubby and I come to for Saturday morning coffee, and this is the room I love to read and write in. If I’m totally honest that daybed is my favorite spot for a disco nap on a sunny afternoon.

Art, antiques, and vintage touches are layered throughout this Grandmillennial space, particularly my favorite Chinese export porcelain — Rose Medallion. I also have my collection of Staffordshire flatbacks on display in here, and I enjoy featuring different figures on the two wall shelves bracketing the botanical gallery wall.

I’ll share sources for the decor at the end of the post. Now on to the 10 essentials!

10 Essentials of the Grandmillennial Living Room:

No. 1 Wonderful Wicker

Wicker is truly wonderful because it adds texture to any room! I also love the way it alludes to Southern gardens and porches, since that is traditionally where you find wicker furniture. My wicker daybed was an estate sale find, and I had the cushions re-upholstered in this gorgeous but inexpensive celadon green moiré fabric.

Whether you opt for a large piece of furniture in wicker or smaller accessories like trays, lamps, or baskets, wicker is a fun pop of texture and nature to add to your space.

No. 2 Charming Chintz

Can you tell I’m a fan? Florals abound in my living room, and the green and white chintz from Waverly called Fleuretta Spring is the central floral of the room. It set the color scheme, and just begged to be paired with a bold gingham!

While chintz primarily refers to fabrics, don’t be afraid to use the pattern on unexpected decor. Be sure to balance large scale chintz patterns with smaller ones or something more geometric.

No. 3 Frilly Fringe

I think a big part of the appeal of Grandmillennial style is the return to special details and extra little embellishments like fringe! I opted for a classic bullion fringe in bright white to adorn the bottom of my skirted tables. It gives a fun old school nod to the Victorians who fringed everything!

To keep the look modern, opt for fringe in bright fresh colors or elegant white and don’t go over board. One or two fringed textiles in a room is plenty.

No. 4 The Collected Look

An important element of traditional interiors is the mixing of styles and periods both in furniture and decor. Furnishings look like they span generations and have been handed down or acquired over time and from different locales. You don’t walk into Rooms-To-Go and buy a room to go!

We all have different tastes and interests…different life experiences, and your living room should reflect that! It should be collected!

No. 5 Needlepoint

Yes, this is totally a hallmark of the Grandmillennial style! Even though I do not practice the art of needlepoint, I love to showcase it in my living room because it is a way to show my appreciation for the hand-made and traditional women’s crafts.

Choosing needlepoint pieces with sassy little sayings creates a witty juxtaposition and adds some personality to the space.

No. 6 Awesome Antiques

Antiques are an important part of achieving the collected look! They immediately lend a sense of history and character to a space, but I don’t think you should decorate with antiques for that alone. Choose antiques that have meaning or resonance with you and truly speak to your style!

My living room showcases two of my collections: Rose Medallion and Staffordshire flatbacks. I use the mantel, wall shelves, and glass front book case to display these treasures.

No. 7 Happy Hues

I simply adore the way bright pastels make me feel! I’m partial to deep blush, spring green, and french blue combined with plenty of white and rich wood tones. A big part of the Grandmillennial movement is the push for more use of color, especially crisp bright hues.

Always balance out these colors with darker contrasts and neutrals. Warm mahogany or cherry wood stains. faded blacks, tan leathers, and leopard print are some wonderful balancers.

No. 8 Sentimentality

There are so many sentimental elements in my Grandmillennial living room, but one that I don’t talk about much are the books! I keep my favorite childhood novels in this room as well as a collection of coffee table books and other tomes that have particular meaning to me like this book of prose and verse from my alma mater — Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.

Why? For one, I’m never without something to read in this space and just seeing the titles of my favorite novels instantly makes me happy. Secondly, the books on display in your home tell your guests a lot about you and your interests, travels, hobbies, tastes, etc. Books can be a wonderful way to connect with and entertain your company.

No. 9 Blooming Botanicals

Florals are such an essential of the Grandmillennial style, I had to bring them up again! This time I want to point out that botanical art prints can enhance your walls. Here I chose to display my collection of antique camellia prints in a three over three grid gallery wall.

The gold frames are traditional and add a touch of glimmering warmth to the wall, while the camellia drawings themselves echo the smaller bouquet rose print on the two arm chairs. I adore the pops of pink these flowers bring to the room.

No. 10 Pattern on Pattern

In my experience Grandmillennial homes are filled with pattern and mine is no different. I love to pair different patterns for an interesting mix. Here on my daybed each end is anchored by a pillow in the Waverly chintz and then a smaller pillow in a different pattern. This grouping pairs a Chinoiserie needlepoint with a trellis of bows. They work because of the shared colors and the difference in scale.

Throughout the room I use color to tie the different patterns together, and I tried to keep a balance between floral and geometric.

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I’m so excited to showcase all of the recent updates I’ve made to our formal living room in this post like the new green skirted tables (how to post coming soon). I hope you feel inspired to spruce up your own living room and incorporate one or more of these essentials!

Get the Look of My Green & White Chintz Filled Space: