London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Nov 08, 2025

10 Things From Your Grandparents' House That Are Back in Style

10 Things From Your Grandparents' House That Are Back in Style

Your grandma is trendier than you might have thought.

While you, like me, might have once looked to your grandparents' house as a stuffy (albeit comforting) space that was anything but on-trend, those chintz and needlepoint-filled interiors might well be worth another look. One scroll through the home section of a modern-day design site will show you just how cool your grandparents' taste actually is.

In 2019, House Beautiful defined the aesthetic of the grandmillenial as a stylish young person with an appreciation for granny chic. Since then, we've only seen more evidence to support this, with everything from 80s patterns to 70s color palettes reappearing in current interiors, products, and pop culture.

So, it just might be time to revisit that old blanket from Nana's which you never thought you'd want in your apartment. After all, as Rudy Saunders, designer at Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc, points out "there’s so much negativity in the world today-who doesn’t want to be surrounded by pretty, happy, comfortable things?" I know I do. Ahead, 10 things from your grandparents' house that are making a comeback.

1 Chintz




A timeless classic, chintz has once again become mainstream, making its resounding return in fabrics, furniture, and serving ware. "For nearly a decade, chintz was commonly associated with being either outdated or stuffy," explains founder of Sophisticated Style, Sophie Phelps. "Now that we've been spending more time at home, homeowners have rediscovered the charm of chintz and how it instantly elevates any room," she says. "Chintz has an air of familiarly and understated elegance that naturally draws you in and puts you at ease. Just look at any space designed by Mario Buatta, the Prince of Chintz!"—or this Dallas beauty by Cathy Kincaid.

2 Floral Wallpaper




The resurgence of chintz isn't limited to fabric: In fact, florals of all sizes are reappearing as sophisticated wallpaper options. With more people turning to wallpaper (as well as peel-and-stick options) as a way to add a touch of personality to their homes, familiar florals are making a major comeback.

3 Needlepoint




As needlepoint pro Rudy Saunders says "Grandmillennial mindset has taken over!" and subsequently, so has the age-old hobby of needlepointing. But don't expect the church kneelers or kitschy throw pillow canvases our grandparents used when looking for modern equivalents. "Needlepoint, just like the rest of the world, has changed a lot!" says Saunders. "Some people do more classic preppy canvases while others are more edgy-no matter your personal taste there is needlepoint out there for you!" Saunders believes that needlepoint, like wicker, always elevates a design "If something can be done in needlepoint, it should be."

Are you convinced yet? If you want to add needlepoint to your own space, Saunders has some ideas. " I think there are two different mindsets to integrate needlepoint into your home." he says. "You can take a minimalist approach or a more maximalist approach." While decking out your home in all things needlepoint might be your style (Saunders is currently working on a tabletop for a vintage cocktail table), smaller canvases like Christmas ornaments and framed phrases are also popular.

4 China Cabinets




While it's easy to gravitate towards mass-produced and often less expensive furniture, it's not exactly the most sustainable way to furnish a home nor do those pieces typically last very long. "Newer furniture is typically made out of engineered wood, which is much lighter than solid wood," explains Laurence Kirby, owner of Chapter Two Vintage. "It's typically held together by glue and other chemicals," she says. "Because old furniture is made from solid wood, it lasts much longer."

Not only is quality a factor, but people want a way to display their tableware in a way that goes beyond letting it collect dust in a cabinet. As designer Ariel Orkin says, "the dichotomy of displaying a modern array of collected dinnerware in an inherited hutch, for example, or vintage plates against a sleek Saarinen table, really play into the give and take that make collecting and layering so exciting." Just take this cabinet in Michael Maher's living room as proof!

5 Pink Tile




While pink tile might give you nightmarish flashbacks to bathrooms of decades past, contemporary takes on pink tiled rooms might make you reconsider why we even abandoned this trend in the first place. Pink subway or zellige tiles (like in this pink shower by ETC.etera Design) are the perfect way of incorporating the retro trend in a subtle, more current way.

6 Ornate Frames




Walking into my grandparents' house felt like walking in to an art museum. From the ceiling to the floor, ornate gold frames lined the walls. It was a stark contrast from the thin wooden frames that filled my Pinterest boards. If the everlasting obsession with Anthropologie's infamous primrose mirror is any indication of the popularity of ornate frames, then it's almost certain that this is a trend that's here to stay. And I, for one, know that my grandmother would be proud of me for swapping my mass produced frames for something with a little more character.

7 Decorative Plates




Forget gallery walls. A decorative plate wall is the statement-making wall decor your grandparents did best. Good art isn't limited to a frame, and your grandmother knew that. "The days of allowing our fine china to gather dust in the cupboard are long gone and homeowners have rediscovered the joys of adding color, pattern and whimsy throughout their homes in a variety of ways," says Phelps. "Decorative plates add that extra dose of beauty into our lives that we all crave," she says. Just look at the effect it has in a bedroom by proud Grandmillennial Clary Bosbyshell here.

8 Colored Glassware




Originally created during the Great Depression due to colored glass being cheaper than clear alternatives, colored glassware (it's often referred to as "depression glass") has made a comeback in a big way. Despite its origins as a lower quality glassware option, modern adaptations have popped up all over Instagram, even being sold in stores like Pottery Barn and Urban Outfitters as a unique take on glassware. So, you might want to hang on to those cups that likely lined your grandparents cabinets.

9 Quilts




"Repurposing family heirlooms is such an incredibly special way to let family history live on through design in your home, and what better way to do that than through your grandmother's beautiful handmade quilt," says Orkin. And if you don't have grandma's original, quilts in retro patterns are widely available.

10 Pintuck Pillows




was scrolling through the home section of Urban Outfitters recently and saw a pillow that vaguely reminded me of something I'd seen so many times before in my grandparents' home. Proudly placed atop my grandparents guest bed was a round, lace, pintuck pillow that looked like it had been around forever (which, let's be honest, it probably had been). While modern versions are much trendier than my grandmother's aged lace variation, the round pillow trend is definitely back.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
×