Gran Designs! Gen Z turn their backs on ultra-modern interiors as they want their homes to look like 'Grandma's House'

Gen Z are turning their backs on ultra-modern interiors because they want their homes to look like 'Grandma's House'.

Britain's youngest generation of adults are embracing dark wooden furniture and patterned fabrics – the traditional tastes associated with the 1970s, according to experts.

Gone are the days of grey, minimalist interiors, with Gen Z instead embracing 'maximalism' - a desire for clutter, ornaments, vintage floral lamps and ceramics. 

The trend is in part inspired by A-listers embracing the grandma trend - such as Kendall Jenner, who debuted her 'granny chic' mountain home in Wyoming in December last year. 

Meanwhile, high street homeware brands such as Zara are going all out on the once dated aesthetic - selling crystal glasses, floral crockery, patterned blankets and vintage-style vases. 

Interior designers from My Bespoke Room have worked with dozens of 18 to 30-year-olds to transform living spaces inside their property. Experts at the firm have become increasingly aware of a new trend among the TikTok generation – one they're calling 'Grandma's House'.

Designer Milena Vallier said: 'Gen Z want classy clutter, mid-century furniture, brought up to date with modern tones.' 

This Gen Z bedroom features old wood furniture, bold vintage patterns, unusual lamps and ornaments 

This living room includes a £150 vintage storage system, a £60 leather armchair and a £10 globe 

Vintage prints are also popular among the younger generation. This living room features £5 small floral paintings, £10 framed artwork and a larger print for £35

Over the last year, My Bespoke Room have developed 42 living rooms belonging to Gen Z customers with an average spend of £965. Most (88 per cent) were full room design packages.

Most Gen Z customers wanted to transform their living room (48 per cent), while a quarter desired help with their kitchen (26 per cent) and one in six wanted an office or work space (15 per cent).

While the majority of Gen Z in the UK remain living with their parents, a recent study suggested more than a third (34 per cent) expect to buy their first home in 2026. 

Unfashionable hand-me-down furniture, the like of which their parents couldn't wait to cast off, are suddenly desirable again – particularly if it is an original 1970s piece picked up second-hand.

Rather than filling their homes with matching furniture, younger customers are demonstrating an eclectic taste - mixing colours, patterns and pieces from different eras.

Chocolate brown, burgundy, earthy green and butter yellow are among their favoured colours, often mixed with warmer neutrals and unexpected combinations.

Dark timber is also firmly back, alongside coloured glass, ceramics, chrome, brass and tactile fabrics.

Instead of keeping surfaces clear and possessions hidden away, Gen Z are decorating with books, prints, candles, ceramics, unusual lamps and ornaments.

Gen Z are embracing 'maximalism' - a desire for clutter. This living space includes a £50 rattan chair, a £75 green console table and a plant stand for £30 

This living room features an ornate mirror, typical of something you'd find in a grandmother's home 

Britain's youngest generation of adults are embracing dark wooden furniture and patterned fabrics

A kitchen and dining room features mismatched chairs that look obviously secondhand 

They are also more comfortable combining second-hand and vintage furniture with high-street purchases and expensive statement pieces.

That means a £40 vintage table can happily sit alongside a £1,500 sofa with no attempt to disguise the difference.

Gen Z homes tend to perform multiple jobs, particularly in smaller properties where one room is used for working, relaxing, entertaining and storage – while it must still look good for 'The Gram'.

Design inspiration for Gen Z comes from TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, interiors creators, restaurants and hotels, as well as second-hand marketplaces.

My Bespoke Room founder Laura Simpson said: 'While Gen Z may believe they're ripping up the rulebook, many of their favourite trends will look extremely familiar to their grandparents.'

Gen Z design trends 

Colour palette: Chocolate brown, burgundy, earthy green, butter yellow and warmer neutrals, often with more unexpected colour combinations.

Furniture: Dark wood, vintage-inspired furniture, quirky occasional pieces and statement chairs and lamps.

Materials: Dark timber, coloured glass, ceramics, chrome, brass and tactile fabrics.

Decor: Books, prints, candles, ceramics, unusual lighting and objects that actually say something about the person living there.

What they're bringing back: Dark furniture, ceramics, patterned textiles, decorative lamps, vintage pieces and traditional details.