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!


Benefits of Bespoke Upholstery

If you’re remodeling, renovating, or designing a room or your house, furniture is a great place to start. If you are looking for a fresh and unique design bespoke upholstery is the way to go! From giving you more creative freedom to being sustainable, here are five benefits of getting bespoke upholstery made.

It’s more sustainable

Pre-made furniture and commercial upholstery often relies on glue and flimsy wood. However, older and antique furniture tend to have better frameworks, built to last. Why throw away a perfectly good frame? Older pieces can often be easily reupholstered to match your current design. If there’s an armchair or other piece that is looking outdated, reupholstering the cushioning and fabric will give it a new life.

Additionally, a lot of commercial furniture is made in bulk and then sold. This means that whatever doesn’t get sold inevitably ends up in a landfill. Bespoke Upholstery means that you’re using everything you’re creating, leading to less waste. Who doesn’t love a more environmentally friendly option?

It’s unique to your home

Whether you’re getting a sofa, arm chair, headboard, or handrails, bespoke upholstery guarantees that no one else in the world will have your design. Everyone loves having unique items. But more than that, it ensures your home doesn’t look generic or boring. You can cater the piece to your exact taste and personality, creating a better sense of home. Lastly, statement pieces start great conversations and leave your guests wanting to get some bespoke upholstery for themselves!

You have more control

Often when shopping for furniture and curtains, there are compromises you should expect to make. You may love the fabric on one sofa but find it uncomfortable to sit on. Or vice versa: you may find an armchair extremely comfortable but the color is two shades too dark. Getting bespoke upholstery puts you in complete control of the piece, especially if you decide to get custom framework made. Not only do you have control over the exact size for it’s designated location, but you have control of the frame and finish, fabric, and stuffing.

It provides more creative freedom

Perhaps the best part of bespoke upholstery is the amount of freedom it gives you. With thousands of fabrics to choose from, there are endless possibilities. You also have creative freedom over the finer details. You decide if you want to tuft the piece, whether it will have a skirt, a matching ottoman, and more. Additionally, bespoke upholstery is not just limited to furniture. From your curtains to handrails, it allows you more creative freedom in your design process. This is your chance to let your imagination run wild! Check out our tips for choosing the best upholstery fabric.

It’s creates a cohesive design

Along with the creative freedom that bespoke upholstery provides, it also lets you create a cohesive overall design. For instance, having curtains that match your cushions is a fine detail that can tie a design together. This often isn’t possible when buying pre-made items. Additionally, when you create your mood board, you can add fabric samples alongside paint samples to see whether they’ll actually work together. You won’t have to worry about whether you’re able to find the exact piece you’re looking for. Bespoke Upholstery allows you to create the exact piece you want!

Let us help you!

Unless you’ve had training, there’s a good chance that upholstering is not a skill up your sleeve. At Kelley Astore Interiors, we’ve been spending the past 20 years building relationships with the best upholsterers in the DMV area. Whether you’re looking for a one-off piece of furniture or an entire room, we can help! Head to our service page to find out more.


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Expert Interior Design & Renovation Services of Every Style.

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Northern Virginia, Washington, DC,
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