Millennials Apparently Love These 6 Home Features, and I Feel So Called Out

From their penchant for “cringe” behavior to their undying love of side parts and skinny jeans, millennials are consistently getting unfairly roasted on TikTok by their Gen Z peers. But in one funny twist on the trend, a real estate pro is going viral for calling out the biggest features that sum up a millennial home in a hilarious roast — and as a millennial myself, I’ll confirm the accuracy by echoing one commenter’s reaction: “Yes, 911, I’ve been attacked.”

In a TikTok video shared by The Eminence Group, a member of the Denver-based real estate company rounded up the biggest traits that tell you that you’re in the home of a millennial homeowner. 

The poster began by poking fun at the millennial need to add black accents to everything in their home, from pendant lights to bathroom hardware. Yes, some home interior experts say this can make a home look dated, but several millennials were quick to defend their choice of black accents in the comments section, revealing that not only does the black hardware tend to be more budget-friendly, but it’s also the antithesis of the “cheap gold/brass doorknob of our parent’s home.” 

As a major hallmark of millennial home style, the TikToker gave “quartz countertops” a shout-out in the video, joking that millennials are drawn to the neutral-hued engineered stone “because real stone is too expensive.” 

Whether or not it was originally a cost-driven choice, it seems that the quartz aesthetic has overtaken its precursor granite, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s findings in 2023. Additionally, real estate pros revealed that buyers were increasingly expecting quartz when looking at higher-end houses and would even pass up potential forever homes due to the presence of granite countertops.

The TikToker also named a controversial home feature in the video, calling out millennials for the trend of painting over brick both in the exterior and interior of their home. 

While real estate wellness entrepreneur Farah Sutton previously told Apartment Therapy that some homeowners paint brick accents in their home as an easy way to “freshen up and modernize the appearance of the home” (a trend previously demonstrated on home improvement shows like Fixer Upper), many people in the comments section revealed that they prefer to keep their brick as it is to add vintage charm to their space. As home trends embrace more vintage features and accents that add personality to a space, it’s possible this millennial mainstay could be out of fashion soon, but you’ll have to pry painted brick (and my paintbrush) from my fighting hands.

In addition to calling out several features typically seen less commonly in big city apartments, such as “fenced yards” for their fur babies and “garages” for their failed hobbies, the TikToker also highlighted how millennials are all about “walkable neighborhoods.” While they joked that many residents still need a car to get around, a city’s walkability and the ease of getting around has become a major factor in determining the most desirable cities that people want to move to.

Surprisingly, the tendency to paint everything over with several coats of “millennial gray” was not in the video, but some viewers called it out in the comments section. 

Of course, it’s worth noting that all home trend styles and features tend to come and go, so even if a feature is “cringe” or out of date, it’s important choosing the features you love in your home — even if it gets marked as a real estate red flag by Gen Z.