Corridor modern console BDI furniture millenials blog 1440
BDI Blog

AGE OF STYLE: THE MILLENNIAL FURNITURE BUYER

Key Takeaways: Understanding the Millennial Furniture Buyer

Millennial furniture preferences reflect a desire for personal expression, integrated technology, environmental responsibility, flexibility, and a connected online and in-store shopping experience.

  1. Social influence plays an important role in purchase decisions. Product reviews, peer recommendations, social media, and visually engaging spaces can shape how shoppers discover, evaluate, and share furniture.
  2. Furniture should support a technology-centered lifestyle. Integrated cable management, device charging, remote-friendly doors, and storage for soundbars, gaming systems, and other electronics help reduce clutter and improve everyday usability.
  3. Sustainability and natural materials influence product appeal. Responsible business practices, visible wood grain, organic forms, and furniture designed for long-term use can resonate with environmentally conscious shoppers.
  4. Clean-lined furniture makes personal expression easier. Streamlined modern designs can blend with different styles and allow artwork, accessories, and meaningful objects to establish the personality of the room.
  5. Physical stores remain valuable within a digitally influenced journey. Online research may narrow the options, but seeing, touching, and experiencing furniture in person can provide confidence before making a significant purchase.
  6. The in-store experience should offer expertise and inspiration. Knowledgeable assistance, compelling displays, and opportunities to interact with products can give shoppers a stronger reason to visit a retailer.
  7. Versatile furniture supports changing homes and lifestyles. Motion tables, multifunctional cabinets, and adaptable storage allow rooms and furnishings to evolve as work habits, technology, and living arrangements change.

At 80 million strong, Millennials are the largest generation in American history. They make up about a third of the U.S. adult population, and they hold substantial purchasing power, spending an estimated $600 billion each year.

And now, with many Millennials entering their peak home-buying years—25 to 45 as defined by Goldman Sachs—Millennials are also influencing furniture trends.

In fact, in advance of the recent High Point Furniture Market, many reports indicated that Millennials make up 37 percent of all households buying furniture, spending $27 billion on home furnishings in 2014 alone.

Whether you fall into this group and are getting ready to outfit your first home, or you’re looking to better connect with this powerful buying generation, the following is an overview of how Millennials are approaching – and impacting — furniture buying.

Millennials Furniture And Bedding Spending Chart
MILLENNIAL furniture buying trends bdi furniture blog
With many Millennials reaching the average home-buying age, their purchasing power is influencing furniture trends.

THINK SOCIAL…AND SOCIAL MEDIA 

Millennials are big on creating experiences and documenting those experiences for their faithful and engaged online followers. In fact, Millennials value product reviews above all other factors when it comes to making purchase decisions. 

Millenials Product Reviews Image

Millennials value peer and product reviews above other generations. Reprinted with permission from Furniture Today.

When it comes to entertainment, millennials might love taking an Uber to the latest craft distillery, but they also like to entertain at home, where they can try out those specialty cocktails and unusual appetizers they saw on Pinterest.

Furniture like the Corridor and Tanami bar cabinets are perfect for making the home the newest hot spot. With their sleek good looks, these pieces are more than Instagram-ready.

Corridor bar 5620 CWL BDI modern bar millenials 600

Furniture like the Corridor Home Bar is a great option for home entertaining.

These pieces are more than Instagram-ready

SEXY TECHIES 

Almost every trend piece written about Millennials brings up the fact that they are tech-savvy. But, really, it goes much further than that.

Millennials are tech-dependent. They crave connection and interaction, and pieces that incorporate tech considerations are only going to become more popular. Desks with cable management systems make it easy to plug in laptops, tablets, and smartphones when they need a charge without having a lot of clutter, and media furniture that incorporates IR-friendly doors and space for the latest tech components like soundbars and gaming consoles will be among their favorites.

BDI Corridor 8179 entertainment center holding a PS5 vertically inside of the TV stand cabinet.
Bdi packaging 9900000b6d028a3c

DOWN TO EARTH

Millennials are big on environmental issues. They’ve embraced things like urban and sustainable farming, hybrid cars, and the localvore movement as they've gotten older. That isn’t to say they’re “crunchy,” but they’re definitely interested in greener living.

Businesses that make sustainability part of the company policy tend to get stamps of approval from Millennials. And from an aesthetic perspective, design elements such as visible wood grain and organic forms are share-worthy for this generation. 


MAKE IT STREAMLINED 

Self-expression is also important to Millennials. Many of them have been cultivating their personal brands for years, and when decorating their homes they’re looking for pieces that complement their unique tastes rather than dictate the vibe.

Modern design, which emphasizes sleek lines and minimal ornamentation, feels at once contemporary and rooted in tradition. This makes it easy to mix it in with other styles — thus making it an obvious choice and a great investment.

The Align 7479 by BDI is a versatile design that can transition easily from a striking credenza to a full-featured TV stand that is the center of your home entertainment system.
Millennials want clean-lined designs that can easily incorporate into their lifestyle.



TOUCH AND FEEL 

Though this generation might consider themselves tech-dependent, they also value the in-store shopping experience. In fact, seven out of 10 Millennials shop and browse brick-and-mortar stores before making a purchasing decision. 

However, for Millennials who can easily change their opinions in one visit, this puts the onus on retailers to make the in-store experience worth their while.

Millenial couple shopping for furniture bdi design blog

The personal buying experience you get from retail stores is important to Millennial shoppers.

KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN 

Millennials don’t like to feel tied down. Honestly, what can you expect from the generation that invented Tinder? ;)

Designs that offer versatility, such as motion tables that can be used for work and play, or cabinets that can double as storage or as the center of your home entertainment space, make it easy to get just the right look and set up … for now!

Are you a Millennial? What will you buy next for your home? Share with us in the comments below.