As many of us head into the colder months and begin settling in for the winter, the ultimate nesting trend really begins to shine. Coined by House Beautiful back in 2019, Grandmillennial is the interior trend that combines everything you love about your grandmother’s house. Florals, frills, lace, embroidery, matching sets – everything that some may deem the wrong side of vintage finds its home in Grandmillennial.
What is the grandmillennial interior trend?
Image credit: Swati H Das/Unsplash
Grandmillennial homes take elements of classic retro or vintage styles, most commonly associated with a stereotypical grandmother, and celebrate them. This means an abundance of floral prints, lace accents, and ruffles. It also places a large importance on hand-crafted elements like embroidery, crochet, patchwork and needlepoint.
These elements all combine to create a layered, textured look that is the complete opposite of a more mainstream ‘neutral’ home. Grandmillennial devotees love the look because it’s full of personality and quirk and could never, ever be described as cookie cutter.
What do I need to make the grandmillennial style work in my home?
Image credit: Charlotte Jacklin
If you’re going all out and getting new furniture, go antique or vintage wherever possible.
For everything else, there’s textiles. A mix of floral prints is the easiest way to quickly achieve the look. Try layering larger scale florals with ditsy prints, adding texture with embroidery or applique details if you can.
Printed curtains are a mainstay of the grandmillennial trend but if you feel that’s one print too far, accessories that you can swap in and out will also get the look. Think throw pillows, throws, tablecloths and runners. Rugs are also a great way of bringing in colour, texture and print.
I need some grandmillennial inspiration
Image credit: Paula Sutton/Hill House Vintage
We got you. (Also, first port of call: your actual grandmother).
We love the way content creator Charlotte Jacklin has incorporated her love of floralsinto her home. Charlotte’s signatures are vintage-feel wallpaper accents, scallop accents and a shedload of beautiful handmade ceramics. Her judicious use of neutral backdrops and stripes keep the look from being overwhelmingly twee.
Instagram favourite Paula Sutton manages the look perfectly (though her beautiful country home certainly helps!) Her style is characterised by masses of fresh flowers, perfectly matched lamps, dinnerware and just-so mismatched florals and stripes. She even has a book out – Hill House Living, which promises to help you bring the best of country life into your home.
Do I really need a floral sofa?
Image credit: Ginny Stalker/Comfort Works partnership
Absolutely not. If you love the look, go for it, but in our experience a printed sofa can be shoutier than you imagine. After all, the sofa is the largest piece of furniture in your living room.
What can you do instead? Draw from your existing decor colour palette (or you desired colour palette) and choose a complementary shade. Obviously pink is a huge part of grandmillennial, but so are greens, blues and yellows. Find one that will form the most pleasing backdrop to your array of throws and cushions. You can even go one step further with a DIY tufting kit for a truly retro feel.
We love the look of a cosy velvet (Classic or Claw-proof, depending on your pet situation), to add texture to a grandmillennial-style home. Or for something that’s just as cosy but easier on the upkeep, our Comfort Chenille is also a great fit. Comfort Chenille’s pink-toned neutrals are a beautiful complement to the typical grandmillenial accents.
Need a fresh new backdrop to your new (old) grandmillennial additions? Take our samples for a spin!
What if the ultimate couch for every season could be in your living room right now?
Buying a sofa is one of the most important investments you’re likely to make for your home, but it doesn’t stop there.
The true quest is in maintaining and sprucing up your sofa… and what better way to do that than to choose the best material for literally any season?
Meet Comfort Chenille, our newest fabric
Image credit: Comfort Works
We’re always on the search for the best in sofa fabrics. This time, we wanted the impossible: a fabric that would keep you toasty and cosy on chilly nights, but also stay cool on warm summer days.
Turns out, it wasn’t impossible. Seasons change, but your sofa doesn’t have to. No matter what the weather may be outside, our all-new Comfort Chenille fabric will adapt to your needs. But how?
It’s super breathable
Image credit: Comfort Works
Cool or cosy? Get you a sofa that can do both. With a unique blend of linen and polyester fibres, this fabric’s super-breathability will help you stay cool in the summer yet keep you warm in the winter… all without the fuss of peeling the covers off and putting new ones on for every season.
The special weave of the Chenille fabric gives it its temperature-regulating properties, so it can efficiently adapt to what you need; an upgrade from classic chenille fabric.
You can now take one day at a time in absolute peace and comfort with our super breathable Comfort Chenille. The fabric shifts seamlessly from one season to the next!
It’s wrinkle-resistant
Image credit: Comfort Works
You’ll never have to iron your sofa again. Promise.
Comfort Chenille never wrinkles or shrinks, even after washing and wear. Thanks to its strong, durable fibres, the fabric stays the same and always feels comfortable. That means not only will it look perfect the first time you put it on your sofa – it’ll stay looking perfect.
Zero ironing time = maximum relaxing time.
The best part about its super low-maintenance upkeep? Just toss it into the washing machine on low, and you’re good to go! Your covers will come out fresh and plush as ever.
It’s so stylish
Image credit: Comfort Works
With its silky-soft pile and luxurious sheen, our Comfort Chenille will instantly uplift your living space. Its plush texture doesn’t just feel luxurious, but makes any sofa look that much more inviting, too. Think of all the nap-time you (or friends crashing over) could have :)
From neutrals to statement shades, we have six beautiful, contemporary colours that would suit any home aesthetic.
Comfort Chenille Pebble: An all-round favourite, Pebble is a light, cool-toned grey that pairs perfectly with bold or neutral shades.
Comfort Chenille Cream: This natural shade features light and dark flecks for a complex take on a classic cream.
Comfort Chenille Sandstone: We love this warm grey with its undertones of beige and green.
Comfort Chenille Purple Mauve: This rich, warm shade sits somewhere between pink, purple and brown and will add a subtle depth to your decor.
Comfort Chenille Dusty Rose: This classic soft pink has subtle grey and brown undertones that make it easy to pair with neutrals.
Comfort Chenille Burnt Orange: A striking, statement shade of deep rust that pairs well with other warm colours or neutral tones.
Practicality & comfort – who says you need to choose just one?
Image credit: Comfort Works
In addition to the superpower of seamless changes between seasons, our Comfort Chenille thrives in being both durable and comfortable at the same time.
Durability doesn’t just mean tough materials and rough textures. Comfort Chenille’s unique blend has all the right properties to be soft but strong. Wash it and use it, and never worry about it shrinking, stretching or wrinkling.
In fact, among all the luxurious fabrics we have, our Comfort Chenille just might be the softest and snuggliest of them all.
Want to try it for yourself? Order samples to find the perfect shade of Chenille for your home.
Kenny is our go-to guy for all things design… and development (surprise!). With a background in IT and multimedia design, Kenny has truly worn many, many hats for Comfort Works since the early days.
He now leads Design, our biggest department comprising UI/UX, 3D modelling and branding. When he’s not in calls catching up with his team, Kenny’s reviewing photography set designs for the latest product launch or dissecting the website’s latest UI prototype.
We caught up with Kenny to learn about how he has mastered a range of skills over his nine (and counting) years at Comfort Works. He’s adapted to all the changes the company has gone through, from from startup to scale-up, and has developed a range of impressive skills along the way.
How did you get started at Comfort Works?
Kenny: Henry, the CEO, and I met through mutual friends in my college days in Australia. We would bump into each other at bars. Somehow, we just clicked over movies and cinematography which led us to become good friends over the years.
A few years later, I had just left my first job and I was sitting at a bar (what’s new?). Henry had just returned to Australia after setting up a production site in Shenzhen for Comfort Works. Comfort Works was probably about two or three years old then; still very fresh.
He knew I was available. And seeing how my background was in both IT and multimedia design, he pitched the idea of getting me to come onboard and oversee the new website design and development.
I was really interested in e-commerce back then because I was looking to launch my own clothing label and thought this was the perfect opportunity to learn. So, that didn’t take too much convincing!
To be honest, I was brought on for just one project. The plan was to launch the new website and bounce to start my own business. Now the running joke is that nine years later, that “project” of mine is still ongoing…
Henry and Kenny hanging out in Shenzhen
You have quite a wide range of experiences that led you to become the company’s Head of Design. How did those experiences shape the designer in you today?
Kenny: I guess you can say the accumulation of odd past job experiences gave me the skills I need today.
It started when I was in my diploma years. My first job was digitalising physical books for schools, so I learnt simple web page designing. I later graduated in Australia where I was working as a motion graphics editor for four days a week at an architectural firm, so I learnt 3D design from there. On Fridays and weekends, I would work as a floor staff at a skate shop – probably one of my favourite jobs. I got to learn about design trends, customer service, and generally how retail works: how products are distributed, bought, and sold.
Then here’s a fun fact: on alternate weekends, I was a personal assistant for an owner of a dry cleaning company. I lasted there for a good seven or eight years, until I joined Comfort Works.
When I started at Comfort Works, I learnt to be organised and I stepped up my Excel sheet game. Although tedious back then, it was probably one of the most practical and widely applicable skills I gained. I also partnered with a friend to approach businesses. We helped develop promotional video shoots for them.
Kenny’s work setup in the early days of Comfort Works, as the only designer
Among all the skills you mastered, were there any that had you stumped?
Kenny: I’m not a pro when it comes to 3D modelling. Working at that said architectural firm actually gave me exposure to 3D modelling. I would watch my colleagues using 3D programmes and they were kind enough to let me fiddle around with it.
The great thing about the role was the planning of video shoots. I had to incorporate 3D elements into videos so I got to learn how to do 3D composition, which helped me pick up skills like set design, movement, and lighting. This gave me the knowledge to create video and photo shoots for all of Comfort Works’ campaigns for sure.
I only understood the basics of 3D modelling back then. It’s only after I joined Comfort Works that I had to do it on my own. We used to outsource our 3D model creations to a different company. The outcome wasn’t so great, so I taught myself 3D modelling through YouTube and started fixing each one myself. It was not a pleasant job. And, since then, we’ve gotten our own in-house team to set the standards for our 3D models.
Kenny (far right) with the branding team in 2018
It’s almost as if you gained a boy scout badge in each of your previous roles. What “badges” do you think you’ve gained here?
Kenny: I’ve levelled up in my 3D modelling skills, so I’d definitely award that badge to myself.
The other thing I picked up over the years is definitely the “how to run a business” badge, which is probably the greatest experience anyone could gain. I was exposed to subjects like cashflow management, product development, and, most importantly, people management. Being in Comfort Works from the start, staying on for so long definitely gave me that privilege to witness how an organisation is built from the ground up.
There’s a lot more to explore, for sure. I may have become better in a lot of technical skills and have gained more insight on business strategy. But, leading a department with 3 sub-units and coaching every individual team member is something I’m trying to juggle each day.
What challenges are you facing now, adapting to the scale-up stage that Comfort Works is in?
Kenny: Scaling up the business also means expanding the team. There’s so much more to work on in order to stay on top of the game and to keep innovating.
You have to see new ways of working when you grow from a four-person team to now a 60-person company. What worked before may not work now.
So I ask myself, “How can I do things differently?” The organisation has definitely gotten more complex in structure with bigger departments and more cross-functional teams. These days, what keeps me on my toes is really building the dream team. The challenge is definitely hiring the right people and learning the ropes of a people manager for my team to be successful.
What aspects of design that you find most fulfilling, after experiencing almost all of them over the course of your entire career? Do you think you’ve found your voice in design?
Kenny: Being multifaceted has always been my nature. So, I can’t really name one.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop experimenting, really. My background in multimedia design has led me to appreciate every aspect of it; merging different disciplines even. I would call myself a multi-disciplinary designer – a product-related one who’s into manufacturing and prototyping.
2012 Kenny, before wearing multiple hats that led him to become Comfort Works’ Head of Design
What’s one thing your younger self would have done differently 9 years ago?
Kenny: Wow, I never really thought of that. I guess I would probably tell my younger self to try more things than I already have.
I’ve had a go at all kinds of roles. But, to me, it’s never really enough. I’m always looking out to see how I can push the boundaries even more. That said, travel. I definitely would have travelled much more – going beyond physical boundaries to learn.
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