Social Shift (Grandmacore)

Embrace the World of Your Grandma!

As grandmacore makes a widespread resurgence to e-age, a grandmother’s universe evidently resonates with its precious gifts of fantasy, folklore, familial roots, identity, wisdom, morality, affection, cultural values, zeitgeist, patience, time-consuming hobbies and variegated knick-knacks to leave a deep and lasting impact on our minds and strings of conscience. Does it ring a bell?

By PRAMITA BOSE

If you want to jog back your memory or go on a time-travel, then rewind the clock a few decades ago. You’ll definitely reach the world of your granny to rediscover it. Remember her weather-beaten wrinkly face and her moist, patient eyes when you were a kid? Her selfless, ever-smiling, accommodating charm, the laugh lines on her face or the crow’s feet whenever she broke into emotions, her slightly stooping frame, bent with age or her wobbly gait supported by a walking stick! Wonder where have such lovely souls gone? Well, they are frozen in time, in the erstwhile eras of classics, ethics and aesthetics.

Family Bonding

Who can forget the familial custom of sitting around one radio or a single TV set with antenna in a household with all members bonding over their favourite shows? “We’d tune in to our most-watched serials and other programmes or listen to a transistor with a big wide model and round knobs to change centres and adjust the volume decibel. Those were the limited sources of entertainment then and we’d remain happy with whatever little we had,” reminisces 65-yearold retired government officer Pratap Mitra, sounding nostalgic.

“There was never a frown of dissatisfaction or pent-up frustration that pressed us to hope and demand for more. We led a very stress-free life unlike now when people glower at every minimal crisis,” he rues.

Picnic, Feasts and Films

For homemaker Meenakshi Raut, winter picnics with friends and family were a perfect plea to spend quality time and plunge into boundless fun. “We’d literally wait with bated breath for those year-end outings to unwind and enjoy to the fullest,” she fondly recalls.

Dancing to music around a bornfire and cooking meals together, playing musical chair or antakshari (a medley of songs), indulging in outdoor games, gorging on juicy oranges, crunchy green peas, puffy puris and mommies-aunties knitting sweaters and mufflers for the loved ones were like a simple-sweet slice of life dropping straight out of a storybook.

“Those were the golden days of slow-burn novels, period romances and slow-living philosophy sans any worries,” concedes Shweta Pawar, a former college lecturer.

The smell of new books with crispy white printed pages and hardbound picturesque covers, the flowery fragrance of bottled perfumes, the paisley designs on the floor created by the skilled hands of the matriarchs of the house from soaked crushed rice or rice flour either for decoration or to usher in the idols at sites of holy worship, the aroma of tea, baked biscuits, home-made pancakes and muffins, and the scent of new clothes are vividly etched on the minds of those that grew up in those bygone eras. “It was a totally different timeframe and generation altogether. Now everything seems a distant history,” chips in a senior citizen.

“I can never delete from my memory box the sight of my grandma and mom preparing Diwali mithais and delicious goodies during harvest festivals to treat our large, extended family with. Now we have to buy the tidbits online but I miss that personal touch and taste we would savour in our childhood,” shares middle-aged banker Akshay Arora.

For 45 year-old software engineer Biswajit Das, “watching blockbuster movies and small musical concerts in neighbourhood during festivities with makeshift screens and projectors made for an amazing open-air experience.” “We’d snack on puffed rice mix or bites like salty and spicy namkeen while viewing the films. All these exciting rituals are but gradually fading into oblivion,” he laments.

Incidentally, raising a toast to the past glories, grandmacore is coming alive in bits and pieces.

Old-World Charm

Take a pause to muse, preserve and curate magical moments, journal your insightful views, value relationships, appreciate handicrafts, stitch sore wounds, mend rifts, enjoy a sunny glow, listen to birdsongs and children's chatter, talk to a tree, listen to the rustle of leaves and the roar of waves, water a potted plant with care, nurture a flowery sapling with love, pet your cats and dogs well with a caress of trust, bathe your bric-a-brac in a riot of colours, punctuate both natural beauty and individual attributes with equal praise, lay out a tantalising table spread (with ceramic vases, appliqued runners, containers holding spices, condiment and sauces, fruit baskets, baked cakes and pastries, salad platters, veg delights, non-veg dishes) and so on.

Attractive Public Venues

Other than one’s dwelling abode, where else can grandmacore be applied to? Is it possible at a public spot?

“Yes, grandmacore can wonderfully turn public sites and semi-public haunts into something else when unleashed thoughtfully through designs, and not by mere embellishments,” informs reputed interior designer Minnie Bhatt from Mumbai.

Boutique hotels, cafés, heritage restaurants and cultural centres can adopt this aesthetic by reintroducing classic architectural aspects like cornices, architraves, dado panelling, terrazzo or patterned flooring, handcrafted woodwork and stained glass. For instance, a café could include old-fashioned timber counters, hand-tiled backsplashes and restored furniture silhouettes. A boutique hotel lobby can use tapestry-themed wall panels, brass accents and classic staircases to replicate an aristocratic household, and reinstate its polished culture and glory.

Palette and Patterns

A plethora of colours, patterns, textures and materials is used in grandmacore style of aesthetics:

Grandmacore embraces a palette that feels innately sincere, welcoming and tender. Subdued pastels, antique pristine whites, sage greens, dusty roses, deep mustards and earthy neutrals are reigning the shade card.

Patterns include florals, paisleys, damasks, checks and the age-old toile but they are best used in architectural finishes like wallpaper, custom fabric panelling or engraved motifs.

Textures play a major role in the form of handcrafted wood, cane, linen, stone, terrazzo and the staple brass. Embroidery and lace patterns can be interpreted in a contemporary way through engraving, etching or moulded plasterwork. The combination of solid materials with mementoes, keepsakes, gifts, travel souvenirs and other articles of remembrance is what creates an immeasurable depth.

Sunshine People and Objects

Finding happiness in simple activities and handcrafted items, appreciating small pleasures (like a cup of tea, movie, a book, a piece of melodic music, painting, cooking a tasty meal), creating a comfortable, homely environment, showing kindness or engaging in meditative practices are some of the culturally-rich qualities that are rarely found nowadays where only high-end brands and decadent luxury denote status symbols.

Accessories, statement pieces and prized collections are an integral part of grandmacore that stitch a narrative about the owner’s characteristic traits and his/her invaluable experiences.

“Grandmacore thrives on storytelling. Accessories aren’t mere adornments; they’re emotional markers. A grandmother’s porcelain figurine, a stack of dog-eared books, hand-embroidered linens, travel souvenirs or an antique lamp picked up from a flea market are those treasure troves that build character into a space, reflecting the owner’s personality, memories and values. For me, this is what makes the aesthetic truly endearing. It kind of celebrates a life lived with intention, sentiment and immense admiration for art and crafts,” espouses Bhatt.

Good news is that the emotional investment, memory and personal resonance honour the person who once had owned the belongings and this augments love and adoration for the seniors and ancestors. “This is a much-needed gesture of respect for culture and heritage in today’s rapidly-changing world. It keeps our near and dear ones alive forever,” infers Batra.

Sorted Life and Properties

There is a knowing method to this creative madness of grandmacore, which every conventional domestic goddess wishes to cultivate. Instead of inducing unnecessary clutter or a massive befuddling mess, everything seems meaningfully curated and well-balanced.

“Prima facie, grandmacore may appear visually layered but it is grounded and organised in structure and purpose,” clarifies Bhatt.

“As an interior designer, I see it as a disciplined approach where every element, from skirting profiles to door frames to joinery finishes, is deliberately chosen. The poise lies in controlling proportion, scale and hues. So, the space feels agreeable instead of congested,” she deduces.

When planned thoughtfully at a design level via material palettes, built-in elements and relevant detailing, the aesthetic becomes timeless rather than chaotic. This manner of curation respects tradition while creating a functional and harmonious inhabiting milieu.

BOX

Specific areas inside a residence can be played up with grandmacore features:

Grandmacore can be expressed meaningfully in spaces that are tangible or tactile and can naturally unlock a mighty intrinsic value to those eye-teasing creative corners

In living rooms, this could mean restoring or designing classical mouldings, arched niches and built-in cabinetry that echo archetypal artisanship

Bedrooms can incorporate panelled walls, quilt-inspired headboard designs or custom wardrobes with chiseled finesse

The dining region can be accentuated with traditional wainscoting, patterned flooring or heritage-inspired dramatic lighting fixtures that complement the architectural style and splendour

Even transitional spaces like foyers and corridors can adopt grandmacore via material choices like handcrafted tiles, timber details or curated gallery-style wall panelling

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