11 Pieces From Grandma’s Living Room We Love

Grandmillennial style has been having a major moment for the past decade, and many people are eager to take cues from the living rooms of the ’50s and ’60s when designing their own homes. What features from this period would interior designers most like to incorporate into their own projects? Keep reading below to learn about 11 looks in particular, many of which you may recognize from your own grandmother’s house.

Curved Settees

Curved settees of all kinds were fixtures of living rooms of decades past. Hallie Henley Sims inherited her own grandmother’s curved back settee and chose to keep the original orange velvet upholstery intact. “It’s the perfect perch for two,” says the founder of Hallie Henley Design in Houston, Texas, who refers to the furniture piece as “the gossip bench!” Sims adds, “I’m ready for a resurgence of furniture that fosters conversation between two people. Tête-à-tête anyone?”

Rocking Chairs

Rocking chairs are another type of seating designers wish would make a comeback. “Vintage rocking chairs have the best rocking mechanisms,” says Shani Core, the founder of Shani Core Interiors in Palm Beach, Florida. “I’m always on the hunt for pairs of rockers with unique features such as scalloped backs and then I have them reupholstered with longer, box pleated skirts and contrasting welts and tufting to give them more personality.”

Vintage Lighting

Vintage lighting pieces can be so eye-catching and unique, and Laura Umansky, the founder of Laura U Design Collective in Houston, is particularly drawn to statement brass lighting dating back to the 1960s. “Those bold silhouettes make a room feel so collected,” she says.

Umansky also loves Venetian glass chandeliers. “They bring an elegance and artistry that’s hard to find in new fixtures,” she says.

Dressed Up Accent Chairs

Marie Cloud misses when accent chairs were extra dressed up—”I’d love to see the return of the skirted accent chair—especially those with box pleats or fringe,” says the founder of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio in Fort Mill, South Carolina. “There’s something timeless and comforting about how they anchor a room with softness and grace,” she adds, noting that it’s more than ok to reimagine these pieces in more contemporary fabrics and bold prints. “These chairs remind me of the care and intention our grandmothers brought to every corner of their homes,” the designer reflects.

Atomic Decor

Valerie Darden, the founder of Brexton Cole Interiors in Ashland, Virginia, misses the “atomic decor” that her grandmother had in her own living room. “Atomic decor was brand new in the 1950’s and it was everywhere,” Darden says, noting that her grandma owned an atomic shaped sunburst clock and lamp. “These days, we don’t see it as much, but it might be cool to add a touch of it in our modern spaces,” she adds.

Secretary Desks

These workhorses of desks are a favorite of Elaina Darden, the founder of an eponymous firm in San Antonio, Texas. “The height adds drama and interest to a space,” she says. “Style as a bar for a contemporary approach or let the original details shine on their own.”

Bar Carts

And speaking of bars, bar carts are still around, but Darden would like to see them really shine. “My grandmother had a bar cart ( always stocked) in her living room,” she says. “The 1950’s bar carts had fun curvy styles that are difficult to find these days.”

Chintz Furniture

Bring back the chintz, says Bailey Ward, who remembers this being a fixture of her grandmother’s parlor. “While a lot of clients are afraid to splurge on custom upholstery and prefer to keep their fabrics ultra performance friendly, chintz is actually very forgiving with its bold floral patterns and colors and gives a room instant personality,” explains the founder of Bailey Ward Interiors in Atlanta, Georgia.

Danielle Domingues shares similar views. “I’d also love to see bold sofa patterns come back,” says the founder of Collins & Co. Interiors in Orlando, Florida. “Using a bold sofa pattern would be such a fun way to dress up a formal sitting room in a nostalgic way!”

Game Tables

Flip-top game tables are coming back in vogue, and Ward is already a big fan of them, explaining that they’re ideal for small spaces in particular. “Antique game tables can double as a small side table or console but with a flip and swivel of its top, it transforms into the perfect spot for game night,” she says. “Mahjong, anyone?”

Needlepoint Decor

Needlepointing isn’t just a popular hobby; the finished canvas also make for wonderful decor. Mary Clair Cumbaa, the founder of Cumbaa Design Co, is drawn to needlepoint pillows in florals and hopes to see more of them incorporated into rooms.

“Needlepoint is a great way to incorporate texture into a room, creating a collected feel,” the Jackson, Mississippi-based designer says

China On The Wall

Grandma was onto something with her plate wall! Cumbaa hopes to hang these more often in the homes that she designs. “It’s an easy and cost-efficient way to fill up a large wall space, bringing a different texture to the room,” she says.