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Celebrating the Grand Millennial: Ideas & Inspiration

This New Year we are challenging ourselves to grow, finding new ways to design, and celebrating all the victories! In 2020, I had the pleasure of working with Nicole Catherine, a young professional who was looking to build a home for her new family. Nicole is a big fan of mixing older items with a modern flare. She considers herself a Grand Millennial: a younger person who loves all things old AND new!

What is a Grand Millennial?

After working with Nicole, she told me, “Since I was a little, I’ve always loved to collect vintage pieces here and there. Now having my own home to make ours, I am always searching for the details that will complete the room and bring it character. I proudly wear the title of “grand millennial” a love for everything antique and what you might find in your grandmothers home. Combining decor from today and yesterday/year makes the home feel collected and unique. The hunt is also one of my favorite parts of collecting as well as watching a home come to life!”

Nicole’s Grand Millennial Home – The Dining Room

This view of her dining room gives insight straightaway into how vintage and modern items can work seamlessly together. People flooded her instagram calling her home, “a literal dream.” The French chest is a vintage piece, paired with an antique mirror and vintage oyster plates. The table and chairs are kept in a neutral tone to allow the eye to be drawn to the decor and beautiful chandelier. Lighter toned furniture and wood naturally feels more modern. And although the chandelier is also new, she’s matched the bronze with the bronze around the mirror. Green tones from the oyster plates match seamlessly with the green in her house plants.

The tiger statue is reminiscent of vintage decor, but provides a lovely pop of color against the grey vase, which matches the grey marble on top of the French Chest.

Needless to say, this Grand Millennial room is an absolute delight to look at, and even better to sit and have dinner in!

Grand Millennial Cushions

In a different corner of her home, she features cushions made by Kelley Astore Interiors! To help her achieve the Grand Millennial look, I chose a green and white check to be paired with the delicate green and off-white floral printed cushions. Going for toned-down florals is a great way to achieve a modern-vintage look. The floral pattern reminds you of older chintz, but the design is subtle. Pairing these cushions on this white bench with a shiny bronze mirror above allows them to fill the space without taking too much attention!

Upcycled Furniture

Another easy way to achieve the Grand Millennial look is by upcycling antique furniture! We had the pleasure of restoring these chairs (we were brought the image in the left and gave her the chairs on the right!). Restoring an item is more sustainable, and allows you to choose which features to keep. We stripped them down and gave them new springs, webbing, and fabric. But we were able to keep the beautiful wooden frame. I chose a green and white check pattern with some more neutral toned cushions. Once again, both of these patterns date back decades, but presenting them in brighter more neutral colors really does give them a modern spin.

Remembering the past, Looking to the future

We had so much fun working with Nicole, and we are looking forward to incorporating more Grand Millennial designs into our work in the future!

Interested in renovating? Head to our services page to see how we can help you create the home of your dreams!

Shop The Look: Young Lady’s Bathroom Transformation

I’m excited to share with you the final product of a Young Lady’s Bathroom transformation that we completed just before Thanksgiving in 2021!

The Before.

We took a few pictures before the bathroom transformation took place, and while there is nothing necessarily wrong with it, it was clear that a little bit of TLC would truly transform the space. Here, I feel the vertical stripes on the walls made the already-small room appear much smaller than it actually was, creating a slightly claustrophobic atmosphere.

The Colors.

The color palette is much more important than you may initially believe when it comes to bathroom design. In this case, I decided to opt for a rather simplistic color scheme, combining a bright white shade with pastel blue hues. These shades are commonly featured in bathrooms – and for a good reason. This is because they give the room a clean and hygienic feel, which is perhaps more important in the bathroom than anywhere else in the home!

In this instance, we painted the walls in the stunning Lily White shade from Benjamin Moore. As the color white is light-reflective, this instantly makes the bathroom look bigger.

Tiles.

My favorite part of this bathroom transformation is, without a doubt, the tiles behind the vanity. Handmade by Marble Systems, they feature a simplistic yet effective blue and white geometric pattern that adds a new dimension to the bathroom. We also installed unique ‘raised’ shower tiles in the back wall of the shower, which added a further dimension to the space.

It goes without saying that tiles are the perfect choice for bathroom decor since they are easy to clean and resistant to the build-up of moisture. This makes bathroom maintenance a breeze! In terms of maintenance, we also decided to install a glass shower door, removing the old shower curtain previously hung by the owner. Again, this is much easier to clean and gives the space a more modern-finish, perfect for a young lady!

Mirror & Vanity.

As mentioned previously, the vanity became the focal point of the room once we added the handmade tiles. Here, you can see the prep behind installing a mirror within the space. We used blue tape to measure out the exact location of the mirror and sconces, which were then installed upon the tile for a clean, professional finish.

The vanity is painted white in order to match the rest of the space. However, it has a stunning marble countertop, which helps bring a bit of luxury into this bathroom and pairs nicely with the silver furnishings dotted around the space, such as towel racks and plumbing fixtures like the shower and faucets. The vanity is also on the larger side, with ten drawers meaning there are plenty of storage options for the user – whether she chooses to store make-up or toiletries in the space.

Once we had installed all of the fixtures, lighting was the step of the process. We chose to hang two wall-mounted lights in the bathroom, which are both sophisticated and practical.

Making This New Year Special: Tips & Reflections

2020 was full of lessons about coping with the unexpected and finding joy in the people we love. It seems that a lot of us have been waiting to say goodbye to 2020, looking forward to more hopeful times and the light at the end of the tunnel. And as we get ready to enter 2021, a lot of people are wondering how to mark this occasion. While this year won’t be like previous New Years, there is still plenty we can do to prepare for a fresh start ahead!

Last New Years

This time last year I was in New York City, taking in the lights and getting ready to welcome the New Year. I had the pleasure of visiting the Plaza Hotel for a fun evening with family, friends, and champagne (obviously!). I was ready for 2020. I had plans to embrace the new year with vigour and determination…interior design was on my mind. It was a lovely time, but nothing could have prepared me for the year that laid ahead. I hope that next year I’ll be able to return to NYC to take in more design and visit the Plaza Hotel again!

Bringing in 2021

Many of us have trouble imagining a New Year’s celebration without big parties and fireworks. While we won’t be able to celebrate as usual, there is still plenty we can do to start 2021 with the right mindset:

Set Intentions for the New Year

Setting intentions is useful no matter what time of year it is. Ask yourself questions like, who am I, what kind of life do I want to lead, and what can help me get there? These could be concrete goals (e.g. buying a house, changing jobs, getting in shape, etc), or more internal goals (e.g. practicing patience, starting meditation, etc). It’s good to lead life with intention and mindfulness, to help us cope with the unexpected.

Be Realistic

If there’s one thing we’ve all learned this year, it’s that you can plan all you want, but life will always have plans of its own. Realistically, life is not going to instantly get better on January 1st. Be realistic with how much you can actually predict for 2021, and aim to be kind to yourself with whatever may come your way. Making peace with the unexpected is definitely one of my 2021 goals!

Celebrate Safely

Although big parties have been cancelled, there’s nothing stopping you from getting a bottle of champagne to pop at home! Get dressed up, treat yourself to your favorite food, play some great music, and make a night of it! If you live alone, try to organize a video call with people you love. Alternatively, focus more on New Year’s Day. Plan to relax, clean your space, eat well, and really start off 2021 on the right foot!

A Lesson in Design

Life is much like Interior Design. You prepare for the design by finding inspiration, making plans, and setting goals. And once the project begins, unexpected twists and turns are sure to come your way. Maybe the paint color isn’t what you expected it to be. Maybe the sofa just doesn’t quite fit in the space. When you encounter these problems, the solution is not to throw the entire design away. You work with the mistakes, you reorder the sofa, and you keep trying until the design is perfect…in all its imperfections.

We can plan and set goals, but life has surprises for us, Global Pandemic or not. Let’s prepare to take those surprises and get ready to turn them into something beautiful. I’m confident that 2021 will be brighter for all of us. So get your champagne, and have a very happy New Year!

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