The before pictures are bourgie and give a 90’s generational wealth ick, but at least it still looks like there’s a human being living there experiencing something nearly recognizable as a human emotion from time to time.
Well said. The middle photo of the living room looks like white hell in the new version. Like one of those underground passages in the Hoth base with some Myst-era computer generated furniture spawned in the distance.
The thing is that the 90s shots are from a movie, the others are from a property listing. They have very different purposes. A movie needs to be visually interesting. A property listing needs to be as neutral as possible so people aren’t put off by the house before even looking at it.
I get your point but they’re both reflections of how the wealthy decorate in the different eras. The 80/90’s house would likely have been advertised with the same wallpapers and dressed up similar to the movie set by Realtors because that was the style.
I disagree actually. If you think this is what wealthy people decorate like in either era, you haven’t been around rich people.
For the movie set, you can’t forget that set and the photography of it is designed to help push the message of the movie and a sense of realism is rarely a priority. With the realty photos, they are marketing first, they want to emphasize a clean, neutral setting that is full of potential.
It is also important to remember that this grey aesthetic arose from the concrete homes that were in vogue with the rich in the 2010s. Those homes were grey, yes, but they also emphasized textures, unusual materials, and lighting. The home photographed here is clearly middle class because it has none of what made concrete homes interesting.
I could write an entire essay on this, but I think I have made my point. The only comparison that matters here is that both sets of photos are fantasy. One is literally a movie set, the other is an advertisement. Neither capture any sort of reality about rich people or even people. It is silly to say that the movie set looks lived in as an example. They are both, however, what middle class people imagine rich people are like.
Edit: And before anyone says it, yes, I’m sure some rich person somewhere decorated like that. The McAllister home is a real place after all, but it doesn’t negate that we are seeing what the director wants us to experience first.
In 1990 that was the height of sophistication. Today, Millennial white/gray is the height of sophistication. What can we learn? Trends in home design/decor are bad. Stick to something timeless and you won’t think it’s outdated every few years.
I’m really sad as a Millennial that this aesthetic has been dubbed “Millennial gray.” I’ve watched some videos on it that make the case that it’s a backlash from the 70s aesthetic we grew up with combined with poor financial prospects in early adulthood, meaning we couldn’t buy a lot of or very nice furniture. Now that I’m firmly middle-aged, I can afford better stuff and my husband and I are slowly turning over crap particle-board furniture for nice solid wood pieces (often secondhand) in the craftsman style.
Milennial gray works when you buy like a couch or something in grey, and then install colored accents around it. Red curtains with blue table lamps. If you do the entire place in shades of gray you’re just…dead.
I meant more that you can do the walls, ceilings and floors in bland neutral colours and then furniture, curtains, etc, can be changed out as the current popular style or your own taste changes. So you don’t have to rip out the floors and repaint the walls to change the color scheme.
Also that it’ll be easier for your (grand)kids to sell the place when you’re dead because it’s easier for the new owner to redecorate around the grey than around what’s on the “before” pictures here. I was originally gonna comment that but left it out because the world’s morbid enough without my sense of humour.
The all white aesthetic can be appealing in a “clear slate, calm mind” kind of way, but this works way better for me when it has a few gentle touches like rounded corners, plush furniture, warm lighting, and natural wood accents. No sharp edges or cold lighting or it veers into “ice razors” territory fast.
The new one is MUCH too white, but let’s be honest, the before pictures are pretty ugly too. That wallpaper is gaudy as hell.
The before pictures are bourgie and give a 90’s generational wealth ick, but at least it still looks like there’s a human being living there experiencing something nearly recognizable as a human emotion from time to time.
Well said. The middle photo of the living room looks like white hell in the new version. Like one of those underground passages in the Hoth base with some Myst-era computer generated furniture spawned in the distance.
I was thinking the place at the end of Space Odyssey, but that works too
The thing is that the 90s shots are from a movie, the others are from a property listing. They have very different purposes. A movie needs to be visually interesting. A property listing needs to be as neutral as possible so people aren’t put off by the house before even looking at it.
Two completely different genres of photography.
I get your point but they’re both reflections of how the wealthy decorate in the different eras. The 80/90’s house would likely have been advertised with the same wallpapers and dressed up similar to the movie set by Realtors because that was the style.
I disagree actually. If you think this is what wealthy people decorate like in either era, you haven’t been around rich people.
For the movie set, you can’t forget that set and the photography of it is designed to help push the message of the movie and a sense of realism is rarely a priority. With the realty photos, they are marketing first, they want to emphasize a clean, neutral setting that is full of potential.
It is also important to remember that this grey aesthetic arose from the concrete homes that were in vogue with the rich in the 2010s. Those homes were grey, yes, but they also emphasized textures, unusual materials, and lighting. The home photographed here is clearly middle class because it has none of what made concrete homes interesting.
I could write an entire essay on this, but I think I have made my point. The only comparison that matters here is that both sets of photos are fantasy. One is literally a movie set, the other is an advertisement. Neither capture any sort of reality about rich people or even people. It is silly to say that the movie set looks lived in as an example. They are both, however, what middle class people imagine rich people are like.
Edit: And before anyone says it, yes, I’m sure some rich person somewhere decorated like that. The McAllister home is a real place after all, but it doesn’t negate that we are seeing what the director wants us to experience first.
In 1990 that was the height of sophistication. Today, Millennial white/gray is the height of sophistication. What can we learn? Trends in home design/decor are bad. Stick to something timeless and you won’t think it’s outdated every few years.
Mudhuts will always be in. Don’t move with the flow, be the rock every drowning man needs.
I’m really sad as a Millennial that this aesthetic has been dubbed “Millennial gray.” I’ve watched some videos on it that make the case that it’s a backlash from the 70s aesthetic we grew up with combined with poor financial prospects in early adulthood, meaning we couldn’t buy a lot of or very nice furniture. Now that I’m firmly middle-aged, I can afford better stuff and my husband and I are slowly turning over crap particle-board furniture for nice solid wood pieces (often secondhand) in the craftsman style.
There was a thread recently where someone called it “Flipper gray”, because it’s actually being done by boomers trying to flip houses.
Been meaning to get into the Craftsman style, I’ve had a kind of shaker aesthetic going on with most of my projects.
I prefer rustic cottage theme. I never get tired of it and if someone else thinks it’s ugly… Cool, don’t live with me then.
The 1990 looks like 1890. I’d suggest that makes it the timeless decor.
Millennial gray is timeless!
You can decorate it with anything because it’s so neutral
Only partially joking
Milennial gray works when you buy like a couch or something in grey, and then install colored accents around it. Red curtains with blue table lamps. If you do the entire place in shades of gray you’re just…dead.
Yes, I’m a millennial.
I meant more that you can do the walls, ceilings and floors in bland neutral colours and then furniture, curtains, etc, can be changed out as the current popular style or your own taste changes. So you don’t have to rip out the floors and repaint the walls to change the color scheme.
Also that it’ll be easier for your (grand)kids to sell the place when you’re dead because it’s easier for the new owner to redecorate around the grey than around what’s on the “before” pictures here. I was originally gonna comment that but left it out because the world’s morbid enough without my sense of humour.
Millennial grey is outdated. It’s all about the 70s revival now baby. You heard it here first.
Wanted to say that. The new one could use a few colored highlights, while the top one is stuffy and overloaded as hell.
Hallway wallpaper is great, bedroom one is definitely a bit ugly though I agree
I think if you literally just remove the before wallpaper and change nothing else, it would look perfect
I’m mourning that wainscoting.
In isolation the new ones are ok, I think. But an entire house without an accent colour in any room is crazy.
I find the old ones kinda gross.
The all white aesthetic can be appealing in a “clear slate, calm mind” kind of way, but this works way better for me when it has a few gentle touches like rounded corners, plush furniture, warm lighting, and natural wood accents. No sharp edges or cold lighting or it veers into “ice razors” territory fast.
I might do a solid color on the walls rather than the textured wallpaper. The shot of the bedroom in particular, the wallpaper is just too busy.