Often on home listings, there are photos of a truly gorgeous house. Imagery of sturdy stair railings, high ceilings and beautiful marble countertops serve as examples. These features can all raise a house’s value by thousands of dollars. Surprisingly, these photos will all have one trait in common: gray walls often accompanied by white accents. According to the Wall Street Journal, this design is coined as “millennial gray” because young people- specifically Generation Y- have been creating colorless homes across the United States.
In order to not disclose too much information, I’m just going to describe the inside of my current house. My housemates and I also fell victim to a truly stunning, millennial gray home. All of the doors in our house are black, with gray walls spanning from the front entrance to each bedroom. There is also white trim surrounding each doorway and wall of the house. The decades-old tile in our bathroom is even painted over, having never been replaced. A Point Park alum told me his parents’ house is the same way, though the tiles were originally neon pink.
In this specific instance, these changes gently acclimate the house to the 21st century. However, businesses and family homes are starting to all adapt to the gray and white interior design trend. I’m not exactly saying we should bring back carpet walls or intricate wallpaper, but there is no individuality in this modern trend.
In Pittsburgh, this is most often seen in the luxury apartments which are being sold on and around campus. Everyone gets the same neutral-colored room. That way, companies and landlords don’t risk losing money because of an apartment’s colorful accent wall or playful decor.
This design sacrifice comes with houses having no personality. My house has well-kept stained glass windows and natural light, which really saves it from being another flip which wasn’t taken care of. In this way, my house has avoided the fate of many Pittsburgh houses. People should prioritize their aesthetic in their current home, or else you are just living in what the next resident might like about the inside.
The city’s houses are often known for their semi-Victorian architecture, with narrow stairways and plenty of rooms easily split into chunks for larger families. Now, some of these houses are split into apartments because the cost of living in a renovated house would be too high.
All in all, make your house the bubblegum pink haven of your dreams. Create a gothic lounge only the most secretive vampires would call their home. Decorate your home in dark green with golden accents if that is what you want to be surrounded by- whatever makes you feel good.
Simply, I find that researching DIY decor and furniture ideas only helps create more affordability, increase sustainability and create more playful homes. It is never too late to ditch the millennial gray lifestyle and bring back trends which would make older generations feel at home again.
