Home Design Trends Millennials have had enough

The home design trends millennials are most likely to reject have been revealed, with animal print their least favourite.

The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Realty ONE Group, asked 2,000 Americans for their interior design opinions and discovered the trends each generation likes and dislikes.

There are a number of features and styles that millennials aren’t fans of, but they’re most tired of animal print — 44 percent of this age group (born between 1981 and 1996) liked it the least, according to the survey.

In second place for this generation was word art, such as signs that read ‘live laugh love’, with 27 percent saying it’s their least favorite. Third place went to monograms and initials, with 21 percent of millennials rejecting the style.

However, Gen Z participants, who were born between 1997 and 2006, weren’t as bothered by animal print, with 37 percent naming it as their least favorite trend.

Even within the millennial generation, certain looks were divisive. While some respondents within this age group named granite countertops their least favorite design trend, for others it was their top choice; in fact, half of those surveyed said it was their favorite.

Farmhouse chic was their second most loved trend (33 percent), followed by midcentury modern (32 percent) in third place. Other features that appeared on the list of favorites included vertical blinds, Tuscan kitchens, Tiffany lamps, tiled countertops and pine furniture.

Interestingly, some millennials (16 percent) wanted to abandon a signature style of their generation, known as “millennial gray.”

A number of free responses were also given by those who took part in the survey, and among the trends this age group added as the most disliked were “farmhouse look”, “white kitchen” and “sofas with water wheels.”

While the trend that the largest share (39 percent) of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) said was their least favorite was fully carpeted homes.

When asked which “older” home design elements they disliked the most, popcorn ceilings came out on top for each generation — 44 percent of millennials said it was their least favorite.

Talker Research examined an equal distribution of homeowners by generation; 500 Gen Zers, 500 millennials, 500 Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1980) and 500 baby boomers. The survey was conducted online between November 15 and November 19, 2024.

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