Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
What millennials want
New homebuying generation likes to keep it simple
Millennials, who were born between 1982 and 2000, represent more than one-quarter of the nation’s population and are the next wave of homebuyers.
Jill Thomson, Las Vegas-based interior designer, furniture buyer and showroom owner, said it’s important to stage homes that attract millennials so they can picture themselves living there.
“Without furniture, it’s just a house, and they’re buying more of a lifestyle than a home,” she said. “Millennials have grown up with the design process and tend to have greater exposure to décor websites, which can be nice because they know what they want in their own home.”
Thomson said gray is a popular color that is being incorporated in homes across the country to entice millennial homebuyers.
“We try to keep things on trend and incorporate comfortable seating areas, beautiful art and keep the home light and airy,” she said about staging techniques. “Most people like white and gray color palettes with pops of color.”
Personalization is also an important element of millennial’s homes, Thomson said.
“They have an appreciation for statement pieces of art and like to display their collections from their travels so those won’t ever go out of style, and that’s what’s important in a home,” she said. “I’ve also had some who want furniture that resembles their parent’s furniture from when they grew up because it’s nostalgic, and a lot of them like the midcentury modern look too.”
Daniel Chenin, who has a fullservice architecture and interior design studio in Henderson, said today’s diverse households have impacted design.
“Households have evolved; you have empty-nesters, kids who moved back in with parents or friends living together in co-op environment,” he said. “What’s changing is the makeup of the home, but for the longest time the homes weren’t changing to respond to the emerging household typologies.”
Chenin said the millennial generation gravitates toward a mix of different designs and aren’t all looking for a clean, sleek and modern environment.
“Everyone is busy these days, so their home life is more sacred, and it’s an oasis that they want to retreat to so they want it to be simple and refined without any fuss,” he said. “They’re also sensitive to the environment, so they want things that are recyclable and are starting to question what’s in their home.”
Lisa Holt, interior designer and creative director at Dezignwrks, a design firm with offices in Napa Valley, California and Las Vegas, said millennials have an appreciation for sourcing and are turning to materials such as reclaimed wood to incorporate into their homes.
“I’ve done a coffee table made from reclaimed barn wood within steel frame and used a wood stump for a coffee table,” she said. “They have an awareness and respect for natural products and like to use them in a rustic way.”
Holt added that the rise in craft breweries and interest in mixology has seeped into home design.
“There are a lot of interesting trends coming up including incorporating bars into residences,” she said. “They become a feature in a room.”
When it comes to staging, Holt said eliminating strong, traditional pieces is crucial.
“You can’t change architecture, but you want to put as many cute little accents, paint and editing as you can to be able to get the space to feel contemporary with touch of rustic,” she said.
“I tend to put color in accessorizing and pieces that can be changed up easily because the key is to not have anything that stops someone from feeling like the space won’t work for them.”
Holt added that millennials tend to respond to open spaces that have a neutral palette with pops of color.
“The more you can open up a space, the better,” she said. “Millennials are very outdoorsy and active, so they like the indoor/ outdoor feel. Make it as open and natural as possible and as contemporary as you can make it.”