Busy, Beautiful Grandmillennial Wallpaper Is Having a Moment…Again
Upgrade boring white walls with fresh and fun color by pasting and papering them in graphic prints.
Courtesy of CW Stockwell
The new C.W. Stockwell showroom in San Francisco showcases the brand's iconic prints.
If you’ve noticed an unusual number of fabric skirts hanging under kitchen sinks, gingham tablecloths, painted porcelain, lace curtains, and print wallpaper swirling around the design universe, then you’ve already recognized the grandmillennial design trend. The shorthand description of this phenomenon is that 30-somethings have co-opted the style of their grandparents, in a look that’s the polar opposite of austere minimalism, and light years away from the white-washed farmhouse and cool-coastal looks that have been popular for years now. Whether people are craving more comfortable living spaces after more time at home, or if the pendulum is in full swing, it’s evidence that everything old can be new again.
What “grandmillennial” style looks like depends a lot on the kind of grandparents you’re channeling. We think the best example of this retro-cool aesthetic is drawn from swank places like Beverly Hills and Palm Springs from the ’60s through the early ’80s, when splashy, bold patterns were in fashion. And the most exuberant way to bring this trend home is to try a patterned wallpaper on an accent wall.
Courtesy of CW Stockwell
The opening of CW Stockwell‘s new San Francisco showroom this summer was timed well. Owner Katy Polsby is introducing the long-standing California brand’s bold look to a new crop of home decorators. Founded in 1905 by Clifton W. Stockwell, the brand’s paper and fabric has been hand-printed in Los Angeles for 115 years. You may recognize the Martinique pattern, the massive, green banana palm leaf print, from The Beverly Hills Hotel. The wallpaper has covered the famed pink hotel’s hallways—all 5 1/2 miles of them—since the late 1940s. But they have more than just a banana leaf up their sleeve. Their Kan-Shie pattern has a floral vase motif that would look great in a colorful kitchen or sitting room, and the fish pattern Sakana (which is also available in an outdoor fabric) was meant for a pool cabana. Here are some ways designers in the West have used a little bit of wallpaper to make a big statement.
Stair Apparent
The Residency Bureau designer Amy Vroom brightened up the stairwell of this Seattle home with a geranium-pink wallpaper designed by Scion Living.
Look Up
A twin bunk room in Manhattan Beach designed by Hunter Carson gets a shot of whimsy and color—on the ceiling—thanks to this vibrant Christian Lacroix wallpaper.
Nook and Granny
Nicole Michael Designs helped this Arcadia client install an elevator for their aging dog to reach the second floor of their family house. While that might be out of reach for most of us, this cute Hygge & West Dog Park pattern is a great pick for a puppy-friendly nook of any kind.
See Creatures
Lensman Robert Malmberg launched a photorealistic wallpaper line, Malmberg Studio, in early 2021. The digital patterns are saturated with color and feature unexpected iconography like aquatic life (see the Man-O-War pattern in blue here), fruit, and abstract animal prints.
Fit to Print
With 16 classic, hand-drawn prints in saturated colors, the CW Stockwell line is a throwback and a flash forward at the same time. Coordinate a room with matching fabric and wallpaper for maximum impact.
