Give Your Home a Granny Chic Makeover

Maybe you’re like me and had to look up what exactly chintz is only to realize you’d seen it hundreds of times. Or maybe you’ve never viewed chintz as having gone out of style (and some designers would agree with you). If you’re still wondering about chintz, it’s glazed cotton with a repeating design or picture – think a floral upholstered sofa from the 80s by way of example.

In any case, chintz comes in at the top of Kirby’s list. Chintz-type designs are being used not only on fabric, but on dishes and furniture, too. She points out that Sophie Phelps of The Traditional List values chintz for bringing “familiarity and understated elegance” to a space.

With chintz coming in at #1, it’s no surprise that floral patterned wallpaper is also seeing an uptick these days. Both large and small patterns are in vogue as homeowners turn to traditional wall paper as well as peel and stick products.

Have you put your grandmother’s needlepoint wall-hanging gifts in a closet or attic? Now’s the time to dust them off and give them the honored place on your walls that they deserve! Drawing on the expertise of needlepoint guru Rudy Saunders, Kirby delves into how needlepoint artwork can be traditional and pleasantly kitschy or more modern and edgy. Likewise, you can introduce it into your home in a big way – think table cover – or through small ornaments and accent pieces.

Speaking of treasured items that might be hidden away in storage, your wedding china could finally get its day in the spotlight (or at least in your china cabinet). As Kirby’s article points out, you could also choose to show off contemporary dishware in a classic china hutch. The pairing of old and new elements is integral to the granny chic style, and china cabinets help us achieve this. It’s also best to select an older, well-constructed hutch made of natural wood and to safeguard your displayed dishware from dust. Kirby’s featured hutch, for example, has clear cabinet glass on the door fronts to block dust while keeping the pieces in sight.

My grandma’s bathroom didn’t have pink tile (just an olive green sink!), but my parents tiled the kitchen floor with large mauve squares around 1990. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for that much pink again, but… Kirby points out that both pink subway tiles and pink zellige tiles are a good way to update this look for 2021. (By the way, zellige tiles are beautiful glossy tiles with varied coloration and slightly irregular edges. Even if I never use pink tile, I hope to use zellige tiles in the near future!)

Gold, highly decorative frames are challenging the streamlined simplicity of popular framing choices. These gorgeous frames are certainly evocative of a bygone era and bring more personality to the room than an understated frame. Adding an ornately framed mirror to your space is a great way incorporate this trend.

In another tip of the hat to the china hidden away in your cupboard, Kirby lists decorative plates as one more of grandma’s favorites to have a comeback. You can create stunning wall décor by hanging a curated assortment of plates, whether they’re part of china sets or were made to serve as decorative pieces in the first place.

Interestingly enough, colored glassware started out as a budget option during the time of the Great Depression. These days, though, it’s a popular choice that’s becoming more widely available in stores. (You could pair modern colored glassware with a vintage china hutch for a grandmillenial dining room focal point!)

Thanks to this trend, you may be able to save the money you were planning to spend on a new comforter set. Whether it’s an heirloom or a piece you or someone else made recently, a quilt is a cozy and stylish bed covering in line with the granny chic look.

Not sure what these are? Picture a round throw pillow with an indent in the center. Modern versions combine this old-fashioned pillow design with today’s popular colors and textures.