16 Photos That Prove Each Generation Has A Wildly Different Approach To Home Decor

If I walk into a kitchen and see a ceramic chicken, then I know I'm in a boomer's house.

I've logged more hours watching HGTV than I'm ever willing to admit publicly, but trust me when I say it's a lot. I yell at the TV during an episode of House Hunters like it's the Super Bowl. "THE COLONIAL FIXER UPPER?!? OVER THE MOVE-IN READY COTTAGE???! NOOOO!" is the kind of nonsense my neighbors hear when things get heated. Basically, I'm really passionate about home decor and have a lot to say about it.

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As trends evolve, it's interesting to see which design and decor choices are requirements for one person but totally prohibited for another, and how it varies from age group to age group. Millennials might looove white cabinets, but Gen X might see them and immediately get the dark brown paint ready to go.

Here are 16 home decor trends that are total giveaways for each generation:

GEN Z: Cozy cottagecore

u/ewstinkyy / u/DownrightDirt-E / Via reddit.com / reddit.com

Gen Z is very into ~aesthetics~, and cottagecore is a major player. A staple of cottagecore are faux leaves and assorted mushroom decor that nestles them riiight in the middle of the woods, in the middle of their room. Cottagecore becomes *cozy* cottagecore with the addition of plushies and soft blankets, which is shown here with a cameo by a cartoon character that Gen Z strongly identifies with: Snoopy the dog. 

GEN Z: Dark academia

Jelena990 / Getty Images/iStockphoto / u/meadxwsweet / Via reddit.com

Gen Z loves dark aesthetics, reading books, and staying home — so of course another decor of choice feels like a gothic library where they can comfortably isolate in shadowy solitude.

GEN Z: "Big light" free zone

u/curiouslilpsychonaut / u/driedsponge / Via reddit.com / reddit.com

Another way to easily identify Gen Z decor is to count how many funky lil' lamps are scattered about the room. This generation would rather walk into the ocean than turn on the dreaded "big light," aka any overhead light.

GEN Z: Squishmallow central

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If you don't know what a Squishmallow is, it's basically the Gen Z equivalent of a Beanie Baby. The chokehold that they have on this generation needs to be studied, because they *all* have them. I don't trust them! Something about the blank stare behind those eyes... What are they hiding? Whenever I look at two Squishmallows side by side, I feel like one of them knows when I'll die and the other knows how I'll die.

MILLENNIALS: Plants on plants on plants

Bogdan Kurylo / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Us millennials are more likely to be plant parents before ever having an actual spawn of our own, but we will absolutely raise those plants like our own flesh and blood. Flesh and blood < grass and dirt. 

MILLENNIAL: Recovered Tumblr girl

u/Theazel / Thomasvogel / Getty Images/iStockphoto / Via reddit.com

If you see a mandala, you've entered the barracks of a millennial. To understand this trend, you have to remember that being a "hipster" was the standard for millennials when we were teenagers or super young adults in the 2010s. If you wanted to be cool, you had to decorate your room or apartment like you played mandolin in a folk band. I also blame Tumblr for this aesthetic. The tapestry, hanging bulb lights, and strung-up Polaroids just meant you had a loooong night of reblogging ahead of you. If you know, you know...and you deserve some kind of emotional compensation for that.

MILLENNIAL: Moody maximalism

u/Creamy_tangeriney / Via reddit.com

Listen, if you have a sign on your wall that says, "You can't make everyone happy. You are not a taco," then you are 100% a millennial. What Gen Z calls "cringe," we affectionately refer to as "quirky." Thrift stores are our best friends because we're all broke and sad, so it's normal for millennials to just throw everything they found thrifting on the wall and call it a day. 

MILLENNIAL: Crystal coven

u/Cronchy_Tacos / Via reddit.com

Crystals and moon decor are immediate giveaways for millennials. If you want millennials to let go of our crystals, then you can pry them out of our cold, dead hands!!! We're anxious, and they're soothing!! We just want to sit in our little lunar caves and clutch our happy rocks.

GEN X: Living room safari

Baloncici / Getty Images/iStockphoto / u/sophrosyne-and-chill / Via reddit.com

Since Gen X includes everyone born between 1965 and 1980, that means they were coming into adulthood and beginning to decorate their homes in the early 2000s. Of COURSE they couldn't escape the animal printification of Y2K. I'm talkin' cheetah print curtains, framed portraits of tigers, and of course, ceramic elephants. 

GEN X: Modern minimalism

Oxygen / Getty Images

While I fear and respect the Gen X'ers who are still dedicated to their cheetah print throw pillows to this day, the others had enough of hearing "Welcome to the Jungle" playing in their head the moment they entered any room. The beige couch, beige walls, and beige curtains are a perfect palate cleanser, and maybe a bit of a snooze fest in comparison...but they did get to keep their tribal vases.

GEN X: Goooo sports team!

u/PhillyPhanatik / Via reddit.com

This one might seem like a roast, but I've honestly never been in a Gen X'er's home that didn't feature a room bursting with enthusiasm for a very specific football team. It could be because Gen X is statistically more likely to be a football fan than other generations, so I don't see anything wrong with them expressing their identity through decor. Go sports!! 

GEN X: Tuscan kitchens

Annatamila / Getty Images/iStockphoto / Richlegg / Getty Images

🎶When the earth tones hit your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Tuscan kitchen🎶 — which this generation goes absolutely feral for. Earth tones, tall bottles of oil, and fake grapes are VERY Gen X coded.

BOOMER: Floral couches

Dmyto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

I refuse to say anything negative about this couch. I respect this piece of furniture as my elder. She's an icon. She's a legend. She's the standout diva in your Grandma's living room. This couch could be a judge on Drag Race. 

BOOMER: Chandeliers

Tony Anderson / Getty Images

No dining room in a boomer's home is complete without a chandelier. If this behemoth of a lighting fixture is watching over me during dinnertime, I just know I'm at someone's Grandma's house.

BOOMER: Country cookin' kitchen

Capturednuance / Getty Images

I'm convinced that boomers get their home decor inspiration from Cracker Barrel. You know what, though? I would gladly chow down on a plate from a kitchen like this. I think they're on to something here. As a millennial who may never afford to retire, I'm just going to vicariously live through the boomers who are living their best retired lives home on the range...even if "the range" in question is just their kitchen. No farm animals required, except the decorative ceramic chicken.

And finally...

BOOMER: Golf. Just golf.

My Masters bathroom😊 pic.twitter.com/syMRVUfkmD

— Gregg Thompson/The Pond (@golf69ski88) February 19, 2020

Twitter: @golf69ski88

That's it. That's the theme.

What do you think? Do you agree with this list? Let me know in the comments what generation you belong to and which decor choices you love and will always defend!