Gen Z is the demographic cohort born in the mid-to-late 1990s and 2000s, and apparently they have a lot to say about the decorating styles of those just a little older.

Millennials, born 1981 to 1996, are the folk most likely to paint and decorate their homes entirely in shades of grey, including the walls, bedding, sofa and flooring.

And it seems their choice of this particular monochrome is attracting ribbing on social media and internet sites.

One Urban Dictionary user goes so far as to define millennial grey as: “The sad depressive hue of the colour grey which many millennials coat their life in. The colour reflects how millennials went from nonsense happiness, looking at Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon in the ‘90s to inflation and depression in the early 2020s.”

It is true that shades of grey became all the rage amongst many 30-somethings in the last decade, as they rejected their parents’ rustic decor in favor of the sleek simplicity of the neutral.

“This is not farmhouse grey,” one TikToker joked while explaining the phenomenon. “No, this is asylum grey.” Which is harsh.

According to interior experts at The Paint Shed, grey is a versatile and timeless colour that can help create “a welcoming, calm and cohesive ambience in any room”.

But, the advice concedes, overusing it is one of the most significant mistakes you can make.

There are plenty of ways to use the colour without creating a cold atmosphere though. The Paint Shed suggests mixing up lighter and darker shades of grey and including colour to break it up. “Warm greys tend to have an orange, yellow or red undertone. Colours you could consider incorporating with warm grey are taupe, blush pink, butter yellow or burnt orange to help create a cosy atmosphere.

“Cooler-toned greys tend to have undertones of blue, green and purple. Example colours that mix nicely with cooler greys are navy blue, sage green, white and lavender. This helps create a light, airy feel to the room.”

As a confirmed member of Gen Y (born between 1965 and 1980) I haven’t painted anything in my house grey – not because of my age, but because in my mind the hue conjures memories of itchy school jumpers, rain clouds and poor old gloomy Eeyore.

But mostly I imagine painting over such a colour when you are ready for a change would be quite the job of work, particularly if you’ve used gloss paint on the woodwork.

I’m old enough to remember my parents (Boomers, both) spending their weekends in the 1970s removing dark brown paint from every wooden surface after that particular trend died.

If this is the end of millennial grey, now might be a good time to invest in companies that sell paint stripper, heat torches and scrapers.

- Kirsty McLuckie is property editor at The Scotsman

Kirsty McLuckie: Paint it millennial grey