INTRODUCTION

By Jean Lin, 14 October 2011

WGSN looks at how a generation of American Millennials are settling down and defining a new, carefree aesthetic for their homes.

The home of Cheri Messerli and David Rager, New York

Garden of Dan Martensen and Shannan Click, upstate New York

WGSN TAKEAWAYS
The Millennial generation follows Generation X and are the children of the Baby Boomers This generation is the most diverse and tech savvy to emerge in history Older Millennials are starting to settle down and create homes for themselves The Millennial home is one that incorporates a hybrid of styles and products Influencers of this generation are creatives who value individuality

Millenni-whos?
Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are the demographic group that follows the famed Gen X, whose gritty subculture sharply contrasted with their own predecessors: the ambitious Baby Boomers. While there are no precise dates for any of these generational subsets, Millennials - the children of Boomers - were generally born between the mid-1970s and the mid-90s. This is the first generation to come of age in the new millennium, thus earning their name. "They are the first generation in human history who regard behaviours such as tweeting and texting, along with websites such as Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding." The Millennials (12/11/2009), by Scott Keeter and Paul Taylor, Pew
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Research Center "They are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort of youth in the nation's history. Among those aged 13 to 29, 18.5% are Hispanic, 14.2% are black, 4.3% are Asian, 3.2% are mixed race or other, and 59.8%, a record low, are white." The Millennials (12/11/2009), by Scott Keeter and Paul Taylor, Pew Research Center

Source: As seen at www.pewresearch.org

Source: As seen at www.pewresearch.org

Of the over 50 million Millennials in America, the oldest are starting to reach an age where they have left behind the mistakes of their youth and are faced with the realities of adulthood, such as choosing domestic partners, considering home ownership and making basic lifestyle decisions. In a comprehensive study of Millennials in 2009-2010 by the Pew Research Center, these lifestyle decisions, political leanings and general social behaviours have been charted and compared with those of their predecessors. One in five Millennials is currently married (21%) and just one in eight (12%) is married with children at home, half the numbers (42% and 26%, respectively) of Boomers at the same age Half of Millennials favour gay marriage, while a third of Boomers and a quarter of older Americans support this change Only 5% of Millennials oppose interracial marriage, down from 26% among those 65 and older Millennials are more likely to live in central cities than are older generations - 32% of them do, compared with 23% of the Silent Generation (born 1928 through 1945) - Pew Research Center Suburban living continues to grow in popularity, with 54% of Millennials now living in suburban areas compared with 41% of Boomers who lived in a suburb in 1978 (41%) and the share of Silents who lived in a suburb in 1963 (31%) - Pew Research Center While it is natural to compare each generation with its predecessors, Millennials believe their generation is unmistakeably unique. Due to a natural savvy and understanding of technology and new media, Millennials as a group value individuality very highly. "Most Millennials (61%) say their generation has a unique and distinctive identity." - Pew Research Center

The Millennial home

Individuality is a theme in the Millennial home. In a time when it is possible to buy furniture and collectables from all over the world, this generation is filling its dwellings with an endless array of hybrid styles that set each home, or even room, apart from all others.
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The home of Pietsie Campbell and Stephen Hootstein, Los Angeles

The home of Jamie Isaia and Anthony Malat, New York

During hard economic times, he younger generation has developed a money-saving mix-and-match attitude that combines midmarket pieces with vintage and the occasional designer piece. "The recession has hurt all Americans but has been particularly hard on the Millennial generation. As jobs vanished and businesses closed, Americas newest entrants into the labour force have often found themselves among the last hired and the first to lose their jobs.... even those Millennials who are working say times are tough. Among members of this generation who are employed full-time or part-time, less than a third (31%) say they earn enough money to lead the kind of lives they want. That judgment contrasts sharply with the majority of workers aged 46-64 who say they are satisfied with their current income (52%)" - Pew Research Center A reverence for older generations echoes in the home. Vintage pieces are treasured, acting as centrepieces that often outshine newly bought items. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Millennials said it is an adult childs responsibility to allow an elderly parent to live in their home

Millennial influencers

WGSN 2011

The home of Cheri Messerli and David Rager, New York

The home of Cheri Messerli and David Rager, New York

Creativity is treasured by Millenials and this comes across in the thoughtful yet carefree ways they decorate their spaces. Design blogs such as DesignSponge and The Selby feature the homes of designers, artists, photographers and design-minded trendsetters. These blogs often conduct their interviews through hand-written correspondence, and the true creative energy of this generation emerges.

Handwritten interview on The Selby

Handwritten note by Anne Ulku to DesignSponge

WGSN 2011