The Millennial Fetish

As every new generation comes of age, the media loves to fixate on them.  What makes them tick, we wonder?  How are they different from all the others that came before them?  I get it, I really do.  But, some of the recent coverage of millennials, especially in the DMV, veers toward the ridiculous, or sublimely funny, depending on your mood. 

Case in point?  An article in the Washington Post Real Estate section this past Saturday (4/19/14) about the efforts of developers and architects to build for millennials, or as the article puts it,  "to create living spaces with this generation’s behaviors in mind."

So, what sorts of behaviors do millennials exhibit that the rest of us don't, and more importantly, how does this translate into different living spaces?


The WAPO article identifies three main differences.

1.  Millennials aren't buying homes just yet.  They've got too much debt, so they either can't afford a mortgage, or they don't have enough savings to cover a down payment.  So, how does this translate into how we build/design spaces for them?

Wait for it...really, you're going to be floored by this one...seriously, sit down...take a deep breath...THEY RENT APARTMENTS. 

2. Millennial like customizable spaces.  As the WAPO article notes:  "Millennials have the same expectations about physical spaces and digital spaces; they want to be able to socialize within personalized spaces that they can break down and rebuild in different ways."

I'm not sure what a digital space is.  But, this is to be expected.  I'm a Gen-Xer.  Translation:  I'm a slacker working on a refurbished IBM 486.

Anyway, I digress.  How does this love of customization translate into millennial spaces?  According to the WAPO article, millennials want "retail-style walk-in closets that can be arranged multiple ways, in-unit areas to hang bicycles and kayaks, and sliding doors within apartment units that can enable more opened or closed environments."  Seriously?  That's what makes them different--big closets?  The article's writer clearly hasn't seen the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  Those ladies have closets the size of Alaska, and are, ahem, older than your average millennial. 

3.  Millennials like upgrades.  I'm not sure exactly what the article's author means by an upgrade, but it seems to boil down to technology. 

So, how do millennials' preferences for the most updated technology translate into new and creative spaces?  Apparently it is about things like new and inventive lighting.  As WAPO puts it, "glowing floors, lit walls, light boxes...flat-screen technology."

I'm starting to think a millennial wrote this article.   

John Travolta's best dance moves in Saturday Night Fever were on a glowing floor.  All those hip thrusts would've been just another Elvis rip-off without that floor!

And, don't even get me started on the Lava Lamp, that beacon of alternative lighting from across the ages.    

So, the next time you meet a millennial, behold the exotic creature before you.  She rents an apartment, has big closets, and likes funky lights.  Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore.  

P.S. the movie poster is from Wikipedia and falls within the fair use category.