Call it grandmillenial: New design trend mixes old with the new

New Traditional design is catching on with new generations at a quick rate.

In times of uncertainty, change and stress, we find ourselves coping in many ways. One way is through nostalgia. We long for simpler times and the rose-colored glasses with which we view the past. Our brains make connections to places, things and scents that comfort us and make us feel at peace.

We are in the midst of a historic (and historically uncomfortable) event, and that has many of us dreaming of days long gone and searching for comfort and tradition in our everyday lives. Not only that, but now with all this time at home, many of us are looking for house projects to keep our hands and minds busy.

New Traditional style has many names, including grandmillenial, modern vintage and Neo-Traditional. But it all comes down to the same thing: mixing the old with the new.

A few simple changes can take a traditional heirloom piece and make it "new." A vintage daybed can become an updated showstopper with the change of a cushion. A hand-me-down cabinet can be made fresh with an arrangement of geometric ginger jars. And that old high-back sofa you thought you wanted to sell? It can be given new life with a fresh paint job and a simple reupholster.

Traditional pieces have distinct visual markers that bring back warm fuzzy feelings. For example, large wood pieces such as secretary desks have gone in and out of style more times than one can count. But even antique and ornate writing desks are once again being embraced, especially as a place to park a laptop.

While the new incarnation of these pieces allow small changes to keep them feeling updated, the overall impact stays the same and brings that same magic to today's spaces.

As homeowners redo their spaces during the pandemic, we are seeing that instead of stripping walls of the 1970s floral wallpaper, people are finding a new batik or shibori prints to replace it.

Decorators, designers and home design enthusiasts have been realizing they want to feel the warmth and safety that color and textiles bring to a room, not the cold starkness of modern decor.

Patterned window treatments, furniture skirts, throw pillows and art add an incredible amount of comfort to a home.

Spending so much time in our dwellings has gotten everyone to notice that maximalism, when done tastefully, can bring maximum comfort.