" In my sentiment , ' cheugy ' is this generation ’s version of ' basic . ' It ’s a term to delineate someone ’s preference for the more popular , less unknown things , regardless of their coevals . No generation is safe from people that will try certain pattern choices as being mainstream or tasteless . "
Millennials had a sobering moment a couple of years ago when they realized Gen Z’ers were calling their taste and style “cheugy.” This, of course, was a made-up word, but it was intended tolabelour generation “out of date” or “trying too hard.” And hey, it kinda stung.
But I recently saw a video that reminded me of how time is a flat circle and that eventually, Gen Z will be called some other version of “cheugy” by their successors.Reeves Connelly, a full-time content creator with a master’s degree in architectural design, made a TikTok showing the “Gen Z versions” of millennial interior design trends, and it was pretty eye-opening to see the parallels:
and maybe the cloud print is Gen Z ’s galaxy photographic print — the og picture that mentioned the checkered and grade insignia pattern is from @Sierra Campbell
For example, the checkered pattern that is oh so adored by Gen Z’ers is actually just a new version of millennials' obsession with chevron:
The mushroom motif is basically the same thing as the millennial pineapple:
Squiggle mirrors are just a new iteration of the hexagon mirror:
I feel like this one will cause a lot of denial, but the cowboy boots and hats trend is basically the millennial mustache and top hat reimagined:
And finally, the Gen Z versions of our holy Mason jars are these weird blobby cups:
I reached out to Reeves to get more into the nitty-gritty of his thought process with these observations. I was dying to know how he even noticed these comparisons in the first place. He told BuzzFeed, “It probably was a combination of learning about various design styles during my time in architecture school and being born on the cusp of the millennial and Gen Z generations. I was born in 1996, so I’ve been heavily exposed to the design styles of both generations. It’s hard not to notice the overlaps between them when you’ve always been caught between the two. This generational overlap isn’t anything new, either; design trends are cyclical. It’s very rare for a generation’s style to be entirely original and not have some elements borrowed from previous ones.”
I also asked him about what he thought inspired Gen Z’s specific design choices. “I’d say that Gen Z’s home decor style draws inspiration from theMemphis design movementand postmodern design. The Memphis design movement is known for its colorful and maximalist approach to design. Picture the ’80s design trends: geometric-patterned carpets and malls decorated with neon accents in hues of pink, blue, and purple,” Reeves said.
“The movement was a reaction to the very clean and linearmid-century modern stylethat was popular between the 1950s and ’70s. The mid-century style had a popularity resurgence over the last decade, and millennials embraced many of its design elements in their own homes. And just as the Memphis design style was a response to a more understated style, like mid-century modern, Gen Z’s colorful and playful approach to decor is a response to millennials' inclination towards the mid-century style,” he said.
I was itching to know how Reeves thought this phase of Gen Z design would be labeled in five years (and I couldn’t help but bring up “cheugy,” of course). He said, “In my opinion, ‘cheugy’ is this generation’s version of ‘basic.’ It’s a term to describe someone’s preference for the more popular, less obscure things, regardless of their generation. No generation is safe from people that will judge certain design choices as being mainstream or tasteless.”
Well, you heard him, folks! No generation will ever escape the “basic” label, no matter what weird word it’s disguised as. For more architectural-design insight, follow Reeves onInstagramandTikTok!
