Gen Z vs Millennial Interior Design Trends | What Were We Thinking!? 

This is a good reminder that every generation goes through a stupid phase, but also the foam mirrors are on their own level of nope.

i saw a thing going around tik tok saying millennials likes minimalism because we grew up around clutter. i thought that was very true. i remember being a teen and couldn't wait to get a place of my own just so i could live clutter free and yes i have a chevron rug. lol

35 year old watching this with my fairy lights on and thinking of my freshly renovated bathroom with hexagon tiles. Love them.

I feel like our parents back in the 90’s/80s loved to collect/ hoarder things, so us millennials really went milimalistic because of that specific reason, we wanted clean spaces, clean lines etc. But gen Z now wants to put some colors and shapes into these clean lines, it’s funny because they directly influence each other

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of my fairy lights. I have the waterfall kind but I put them across the ceiling, like stars. If you like the look of them outside but not inside, I’d recommend adding more plants to your home, so you can live in a magical forest like me 🧚🏾✨

In defense of the mason jar; they’re an all-in-one plastic free drinkware and kitchen storage system. I’ll admit that they’re not the most “aesthetic” but in this economy, few things as practical and cost effective

What I see in Gen Z homes and living spaces is a really fun kind of eclectic maximalism that recalls the boho/60s fusion many of us had in the 90s. Yet again, everything comes full circle.

This is hilarious! When you said “we may not have Lived, Laughed, Loved our way through it” about the farmhouse, I died. As a later millennial, you roasted my entire design aesthetic. Gold pineapples, mason jars and twinkle lights had a chokehold on me and hexagons would have definitely been in my imaginary dream house.

You will pry my fairy lights from my cold dead hands! But seriously, I would love you to do Gen X. We need 90s and early 2000s style RIPPED APART

I gasped when you brought out the gold pineapples. I had forgotten completely but my god what a chokehold those pineapples had.

I'm a middle-millennial. Born at the end of the 80s, not so young, but not as old as the so-called "elder millennials." (Who also aren't old!). I am a mid-century modern/scandi girlie, no shame. I get overwhelmed by clutter, and the love of the look was kicked off by desiring a clean space that wouldn't make me feel like the walls were closing in on me. I will say that before I discovered Mid-century, I was into minimalist traditional Japanese decor for the same reason. I pivoted once Mid-century was introduced to me, but the under-pinning of minimalism is key for me. That said, I love the quirky stylings of the Gen Z group. Their style, "post-modern", doesn't feel like a massive departure from ours, in my opinion. To me, it looks like they just took scandi or Mid-century and then added tons of pastel colors and quirky wavy lines. It feels familiar, though. In its baseline. Some minimalist ideologies are still present, even in amongst the colors and shapes. I will defend these things: Mason jars. I don't even love the aesthetic, but I can get a 12 pack of Mason jars that I can store food in or drink out of for half the price of a glassware set. Should I invest in nice glassware? Debatable when my kid and husband keep breaking all my nice glasses, damnit. In this economy, I'm going for what's cheap, practical, and multi-use. Not necessarily what's most trendy. I never really got using them as an aesthetic choice, but I'll always understand using them because you're broke as fuck and they're a cheap multi-purpose solution. Fairy lights/LED strips - look, we need whimsy. We need fun. And I detest the idea that growing up means everything has to meet a certain "adult" quotient in order for it to be respected. We are living through unprecedentedly hard times. For millennials, we were promised a life of plenty and given war and strife instead. Gen Z didn't even get to SEE the "life of plenty", it's just a shitfest all the time. So if someone wants twinkle lights or fun synthwave/cyberpunk lights all over their room, regardless of their age, I say go for it. Life is too short and too hard to worry about how something feels "juvenile" to someone else.

(mid-to-young millennial) Going off my personal experience with why I was drawn to them, I feel like the thing with both twinkle lights and neon strip lights is that these both REALLY took off for dorm/apartment living, where light sources are often scarce or the placement of the lighting sucks. They're budget-friendly ways to light a space that both took off and became more exaggerated aesthetic trends as more people started doing them on purpose, or trying to make these budget-friendly lights into A Vibe. It just happens that neon strip lights for Gen-Z better cater to the sort of retro aesthetic they're bringing back.

As an older GenZ (on the cusp) I really love all the mushroom lamps I see online. Hopefully once the trend dies down they'll become more affordable. I actually never heard of foam mirrors, I mostly see moss mirrors, and decorating mirrors with fake plants.

came for the design insight stayed for the awesome socio-cultural commentary

"Do I like this shape? Nah" *hexagon lamp in the background*

I've never felt more at home in a video or comment section. Love you, millennials

As a Gen Z my home is entirely decked out in fantasy foresty elements, lots of mushrooms and plants and twinkly lights. I want to escape the hell that is the real world so my home reflects that. But I’m also obsessed with mid century modern so that is a theme running through my home too

Summing up the boomer style as simply “Tuscan Kitchen” was the best 😂. Gen x here 👋 hey over here👋👋👋. I grew up in a house with wallpaper on every wall and rebelled by having white walls and a scandi, mid century, eclectic mix. My Gen z daughter DESPISES white anything and has embraced a Dark Academia / post punk look in her room. Your comparisons are spot on Nick

Millennial style is based on necessity. We couldn't afford anything so we made bland, trash, minimalist style a major thing. This is why so many of us filled our spaces with plants against white canvas walls. We couldn't afford any real decor. But now that we've given up on the concept of homeownership, many of us are investing in luxury items for our rentals, and we're making it look good with personality and color. I think if we had the funds earlier (and the homes!), we likely would've gone this route from the beginning.

Gold pineapples plus cactus-themed everything 😅

I can admit that you're right - Gen Xers are used to being ignored - but you still need to do a Gen X follow up! It's a gold mine of futons and hemp. A million tie dyed tapestries are crying out to be seen!

I'm not sure if this is a Europe-only thing, but tbh, the Gen Z blob trend looks insanely close to what we teens/early 20-somethings would put into our spaces in the late 90s to early 2000s. We had the blob tables, blob stools, blob rocking picture frames (my mom still has an old one of mine), blob carpets, etc), along with some blowup comfy chair and a lava lamp. The aesthetic looks eerily similar with the only difference that our stuff was very saturated neon-esque poppy colors, while GenZ seems to be more into pastels. But the vibe is very very similar. I always thought of that style as very closely related to Euro-Techno aesthetic. Lots of poppy colors, lots of plastic, lots of rounded shapes or actual plastic or foam spikes. It was just 'young people interior design' in the early 2000s at least where I lived. Scandinavian and Mid-Century for us was more a 'rich people' thing. Nobody I knew would ever be able to afford interior design like that back then.

The gold pineapple was an architectural detail in Georgian/18th century decoration as well. It'll probably come back in another two hundred years. And the hexagons are honeycomb?

I like both the LED strips AND the twinkly lights. I just appreciate the vibes

I'm Gen X and my style is "whatever cheap and/or used furniture and decor I could afford at the time".

"It's kinda like hair extensions . . . stuff you shouldn't see." Pure gold! 😂

28 here 👋 I think both millennial and gen z trends were cute for its time and is/was what makes your home fun and what makes you happy. Who cares if it looks stupid for someone else. I don’t understand why our home must look universally good for every one

Nick! I am a Millennial from Saudi Arabia, and I laughed a lot! We are the same! Add to the pineapple thing the artichoke shaped everything!

It's funny how trends go in a circle. The other day, I saw some trendy bathrooms being advertised and to my shock, they were almost the same colour as the 1970s avocado bathrooms.

“Don’t get a blobby couch.” Best home decor advice ever!

As late Millenial (1996) I feel kinda in-between these styles and trends, I like scandy/japandi/minimalistic styles more, but I'm also into these colors, mushroom lamps etc. I'm trying to combine all of that, think it's gonna be good))

i think one important aspect that you touched upon in the beginning is that gen z doesn't have a lot of money. yes, we're still young, but in general we are less wealthy. which means less money is spent on interior design, except for those few who can afford anything. and those gen z-ers who can afford anything-and posting it to social media-are kind of treating design trends like fast-fashion micro trends. while the majority of gen z are slowly accumulating furniture (something thrifted, something from the street, something inherited/fb marketplace, some ikea). the slow process forces us take into account how we'll feel about the same furniture in 5, 10 years. the affluent ones are diving headfirst into whatever design trend suits them in the moment, and can dump it the next year. idk. maybe it was the same for millennials. but it feels like what's trending as "gen z design trends" aren't at all reflective of anyone my age that i know, except maybe in smaller affordable details (like the wonky candles last year). or maybe it's geographical, since i'm in europe.

As a gen X’er we don’t even care if we are included we just continue to keep our style full of irritation, bitterness and alcohol.

I’m a boomer. In the very large golfing community I live in in Scottsdale AZ, there are entire villages (neighborhoods) that were “Tuscan”, high end, architect designed, professionally decorated. You can date these homes using this method. 😂😂

My spouse and I are both 30. We just bought our first house together. We've been thrifting and shopping for homegoods. He keeps finding mid-century modern pieces and I keep picking out "boho" styles. Just found this video and I feel called out and seen and heard 😂

I love my drinking mason (with handle). being able to put a cap on and then carry it off without having to worry about it spilling is top-tier convenience.

As a Gen X'er, I feel Millennials did things better. I remember being young, poor and stupid but I did my best to create a "vibe" with hand me downs and thrifted pieces. I really appreciated this video because it explains so much about the styles I see in Big Box stores and who they are being marketed for... Not For Me. I love my rustic-vintage-cottage style and will probably die owning the same furniture pieces, and that's okay with me.

I still stand by that fairy lights are cute in a dorm room 😂

The video I didn't know I needed. Thanks for this, I had so much fun watching it!

You have the most delightfully uplifting roast on RU-vid currently. But this millennial is keeping her twinkle lights ✊🏻 (also much easier on the eyes than lamps for my hypersensitive eyes)

The release of Mad Men in 2007 and its subsequent popularity through 2017 was a HUGE factor in the push for mid century modern. It affected interior design AND fashion.

I'm the Millennial with the mason jar mugs with handles (my partner had them when we moved in together and I haven't managed to break one yet!) on my hexagon side table. I'd always assumed my love of hexagons and those prism-shaped decorative terrarium things was me restraining my Dungeons & Dragons nerd side. I see something that reminds me of dice, and I want it. I just don't want my home to look like a toy store. I also put fake vines with built-in fairy lights in my bedroom last spring. I knew it was silly, but i want some elf princess whimsy in my life.

As an older gen Z myself, one thing I think that may have been forgotten in this video is how my generation is much more open to displaying our tastes in media and our interests. A gen Z adult is probably more likely to have video game/anime/movie related posters and items in our room. We seem, to my knowledge, to hold this far closer than other generations seem to. We like our hobbies and we will show everyone that we like them with no shame. You can pry my D&D and anime out of my cold, dead hands.

I was not prepared for being so viciously attacked 😭

I may be old fashioned then, but there are some millennial trends that still look nice to me. The hexagon mirrors or tiles look cute, the fairy lights seem appropriate for creating a relaxing atmosphere (I was planning on setting some at the nursery), and the chevron shapes feel clean and nice too. I honestly don't have any of those at home, but I wouldn't mind it.

The gen z rooms make me think of romper rooms. The squiggle lines, padded furnishings and color schemes are absolutely perfect for a daycare facility! 😍

When I first heard about ‘millennial gray’ I never felt so called out 😂 my first apartment was millennial gray and white everything. As I’ve grown up I’ve moved to loving the mid-century modern style and since moving to an east-Asian country I’ve been loving some of the traditional decor with warm tones. I like coming back to my apartment and feeling relaxed and cozy. I love some gen z organic shaped wooden furniture though, it’s very unique and opens up the space.

You are hysterical. I love your vids. Keep 'em coming. Love the frankness! ❤

As someone born in 1996, I have the distinct pleasure of remembering the Mill trends as being for "old people" and Gen Z trends as being for "these dumb kids". Your videos always validate me in that there's really no use in being caught up in trends--just focus on creating a beautiful home filled with things that fill you with joy and will last!

Very fun! As a boomer, I burst out laughing at the "Tuscan Kitchen remark!" Thankfully, my budget has not allowed me to succumb to the shifting winds of trends and I feel very comfortable in my own style - refreshing it occasionally - but it has stood the test of the decades - neutrals, woods, texture.

This was surprisingly insightful! I am GenZ but growing up what I saw on the internet was mostly millenial homes so I really went through all these phases as well, even though I did not own everything myself I for sure loved for example the gold pineapple and fairy lights haha And now I feel myself more and more drawn to the fun and colourful GenZ interior style and I feel kind of called out because I was planning on crocheting something in a pastel checkerboard style lol

Mason jars are awesome and I will die on this hill. I use them for jam making/canning, liquid measuring, vases, drinking glasses, and food storage. They are classic, cheap, and sturdy, and come in lots of sizes, but have 2 universal lid sizes. Iconic.

"Boomers Tuscan Kitchen" Laughed so hard at this as boomer who lived through tuscan kitchens. As always, thank you for your wonderful sense of humor.

Nick: I think mason jars are finally done. Me: *guiltily sips water out of my mason jar*. (I do think they look dumb at weddings)

This was so much fun, thank you!

as a 1997 baby, my whole living room and kitchen are millenial coded and my bedroom is gen z coded lmao

I feel like European gen Z prefer far more subtle designs. I have also not seen that many mushrooms at European gen Z houses, but therefore we all have at least one framed image or drawing of a frog 😅

It's true that everyone ignores Gen X, I don't think we care though. Actually I think a lot of us rather like it, just watching from the sidelines with our popcorn..lol.

Thanks for the fun video Nick!

You seriously are the most hilarious interior designer I’ve ever come across. So funny. I come to you when I need a laugh, along with some insightful advice and commentary. Keep it up. Thanks!!

As part of "the silent generation" (that's pre/during early WW2,)we grew up with first traditional & blond furniture and then "Danish modern." I personally remember the blond woods rather fondly and to this day dislike what you would call "mid-century modern" and we called "Danish modern." It was everywhere and my parents got rid of some very nice pieces to flood our house with pieces similar to what I see behind you, Nick dear. Of course, as young adults we had our crazy stuff. For instance, my "practice" husband and I had a bright, bright, bright orange/yellow weave cloth couch in the early/mid 60s that we loved. I also had a dress of similar design.

"Trends are all kind of a little bit stupid. " Amen! 😄

Nick, this was one of the funniest and informative videos on design. You are so nice while admitting how stupid we were. I cringe anytime I look at anything geometric that I still have or when I think about the time my husband painted our rental apartment kitchen millennial pink. That’s one trend that could have been included. Love your videos, I’ve learned so much about design from you.

I feel so called out and I love you for it! I found your video hilarious and informative! I want to watch more LOL

Small hexagon tiles were the choice for floor tile in the 1920's. I would say they're classic.

Thanks for the laugh. Mushrooms are recycled from the 70s. Wonky checkerboard was hot in the late 60s, so were blobs.

such an adorable delivery. very fun video. thanks

Born in the middle of millennial generation here, does anyone remember how popular rope lights were in 1999-2003. The neon led light strips reminds me so much of the rope lights.

Gold pineapples are a symbol of hospitality. Mushrooms were popular in the 1960s...and again!

I like the fact that there's a hexagonal basket pendant in the background during all the video

As a Zillenial it was interesting to watch this. A lotta trends I clearly remember but am a little too young to have actually done and stuff I am currently doing in my home as well as other decor trends that confuse me. However you will pry the mushrooms and fairy lights from my cold dead hands

I'll continue to have my twinkle lights surrounding my plants indoors. I love the look & cozy atmosphere too much to only have it during Christmas❤ This year will be the 1st year I have my twinkle lights at night all year long🤣

I still have the twinkle lights in my living room and it gives such cozy little vibe. I’m not ready to let them go 😂

Blobs are everywhere 😂 And I feel personally attacked with the fairy lights ( I had them everywhere- on the crown of my bed, in the living room, on my balcony 😂).

Nick, absolutely loved this! You knocker this out of park. Yes, twinkle lights indoors - I would extend from Christmas to holidays. I kerp mine out for Easter and pull again for 4th of July. Somehow, twinkle lights are not suitable for me for Thanksgiving.😊

In defence of the fairy lights on the bedroom (yes, I am still single), I really like the warm and dim light it gives out at night. I find it relaxing. I can listen to music, or meditate, or just lay down and think. (Not read, it's too dark for that) it can be really cosy and calm me down after a stressful or tiring day. (Neon reminds me of parties and they can be too hash, I cannot describe it better, as a light source to calm me - I can appreciate them, but I would be buzzing instead of relaxing)

Great comparisons. Young millennial here (1992). In the 2010s I had neither the space nor the money or patience for any of these trends, except the twinkle lights. I was OBSESSED and had them in white, blue AND pink, in my dorm rooms and later bedrooms. No regrets ^_^ Now that I'm in my 30s it feels alienating to call the younger trends Gen Z trends. These trends mostly surfaced just before and during covid, when the very oldest members Gen Z were 24. There aren't too many 24 year-olds with the space and budget to curate entire living spaces like the ones we've been seeing. These newer trends are more of younger millennials, who are only now in the early 2020s able to curate their living spaces or who have been working as designers, photographers, editors etc. for a few years already. These vibes, designs and products were not invented by people barely out of their early 20s. But because they came after the mid-century modern stuff of the elder millennials, they were lumped in with the younger generation. I think that actual Gen Z trends are what we will start seeing in the mid 2020s. Of course the line between generations is blurry, it's not a hard cut in 1996.

That metal polygonal lamp in the background was killing me during the hexagon section lmaooo

Warm white recessed LED's will always be classy AF, totally agree w/ you

Watching this from my hexagon and chevron tiled bathroom.

I am a Boomer who grew up in a Danish Modern home. I love Mid Century/ Scandi and don’t care what’s in style. One of the nice things about being older. 😊

The gold pineapple!!! 🤣 I’m dying That is just so accurate.

this is so much fun. thank you!

I thought the mushrooms was subtle way to say you were a raver who likes recreational psychedelics 😂

Nick, serving interior style stand up while sitting in his living room. Favorite.

I'm a boomer. I was offended until you said, "Tuscan kitchen". After I got up from laughing, I decided you're right.

I'm a middle millennial with neon strips. They're programmable... so the color can be changed whenever you want. The neon color is just cool and makes for a good picture. I could get behind all the blob shapes if everything didn't look so synthetic/plastic.

Thank you for acknowledging GenX, even it was only to say that we are always forgotten

Older gen z here! I absolutely love Mid century modern, Boho and Scandinavian interior design mix with the academia/cottage core styled things. I feel like with most of us because we were entering adulthood when covid happened, i think we wanted our spaces to represent the outdoors which is why you see a lot of mushrooms and house plants being a huge thing. But also we all had older millennial/gen x parents who definitely like having everything painted white, black, and grey which is why there is a lot of post modern design, maximalist stuff out there. We are wanting to rebel against those greyscale colors

Nick, I love your sense of humor! Thanks!

Neutral hexagon tile on the floor, backsplash, or counter is classic. I lived in a 1920's apartment with a small-patterned white hexagon tile counter. The bathroom floor had the same small tile.

The Tuscan kitchen will always remind my millennial self as the location for under aged drinking with your friends moms in high school 😂🙃

I love your videos! I would also like to address the flip side of the coin. As a senior citizen, I want to say thank you to these younger generations plus the X generation. You came up with some awesome ideas over the decades that allowed me to purchase some beautiful items for my house.

I’m a mid-Boomer who spent my teen years in a avocado/harvest gold house built in 1967. Decor was mid-century modern with very uncomfortable furniture. House my husband and I bought when our kids were little was built in 1968, so we were right back in avocado/harvest gold finishes. With limited financial resources, I tried to get away from it as much as possible with furnishings, paint and accessories. Never had the chance for a Tuscan kitchen, and so thankful I missed that phase! Our elder Millennial son and DIL are still in the “Live Laugh Love” and twinkle lights phase. Not sure they’ll ever leave! Love your commentary, as we all get called out for bad design decisions-although many were the result of financial limitations. Note: husband and I have, over the past ten years completely stripped everything out of our house and started over. There is no avocado green or harvest gold anywhere!

While I was born in '98, I relate far more to millenials and this video sure did assign me as a millenial lol. Am I still obsessed with mid century modern? Yes. Do I still love a good mason jar? Yes. I'd say the only exception is mushrooms but that's because I'm studying to be a mycologist...

I feel old saying that I hate the blobs and pastels, reminds me of a playroom. But all the power to anyone who likes it!

Whyy did you have to call out my diy basket pendant with an Edison bulb from 2016-ish so specifically 😂

This Gen-Xer laughed through this whole thing. You're a gem, Nick. I especially loved how you gave style tips for the kids who you know can't resist the colored lights - even though we all know better. Kind + funny. Thanks!

This is fascinating! There really are some 1:1 examples!

Well, this video just confirmed I'm the most basic millenial :D I still love almost all the millenial trends you mentioned, except the gold pineapples. I feel both focused and relaxed when looking at a MCM-inspired interior, whereas the Gen Z spaces kinda give me anxiety with all the colours and shapes coming at me at once (no judgement, you do you). Thanks for the video Nick, this was fun!