How to mix modern and traditional design style in an interior?
Are you a fan of both contemporary and traditional interior design? Do you want to know how to combine them in your home in a way that is both harmonic and beautiful? Because traditional and contemporary design features are on opposite extremes of the design spectrum, combining them might be difficult. The amount of material in a traditional vs. modern space is usually pretty different. However, opposites attract in design, just as they do in love. Combining traditional and modern design sensibility can also result in a lovely, comfortable home.
One of the benefits of combining traditional and modern interior design styles is that you can produce a unique style that you won’t see in other homes. It’s a risk, but it’s also a risk with a huge payoff. Let’s go over the fundamentals of each interior design style so we can see how to combine them for a more unified look.
What is Modern interior design style?
Clean lines, neutral hues, and boldly designed furniture define the modern interior design style. Heavy texture, decoration, and contrasting components characterize a modern-style interior. Because this design style despises fussiness, it always adheres to minimalism.
Keep the flooring simple with a classic wooden floor and find rugs with simple patterns and carpets with low pile and geometric forms for a contemporary living room. Simple but efficient source illumination for highlighting contemporary home decor and architectural characteristics. Metal, stone, and opaque or transparent glass are used in this design. In an otherwise plain room, employ structural details like molding and exposed brick walls and pipes to create character.
What is traditional interior design style?
Traditional interior design style is ageless and universal, cozy and put-together but not unduly so. The kind of furniture, textiles, color palettes, and décor utilized in traditionally designed rooms harken back to the past and are familiar rather than avant-garde.
Traditional style exudes a rich, inviting atmosphere. There’s lots of room for creativity to help you design a one-of-a-kind, well-balanced traditional home. Because it emphasizes the familiar, the design style appeals to people of all ages and personalities. At the same time, traditional interior design is attractive and inviting. The aesthetic will never feel stale or out of style because you’re highlighting the greatest in design styles all at once.
Modern Vs traditional interior design style?
| Modern | Traditional |
| Well-defined lines, a natural color palette, and simple use of decor. | It is largely considered to present with timeless aesthetic value giving a warm, rich and inviting appeal. |
| Focuses on neutral color palette. | focuses on rich and dark colors |
| To allow as mush natural light inside the living room big window panes with minimalist dressing is preferred. | To add classic colors and patterns to the living area, choose rich textiles |
| Modern homes have clean lines, boldly designed furniture and minimal accessories. | Traditional homes have clean and straight lines with practical and timeless furnishings |
| Open floor plan is important | Symmetry and vibrancy is important. |
We’ve got a few pointers to help you combine diverse styles in one room without feeling too overwhelmed!
Decide on one dominating style
Instead of vying for attention, you create a feeling of balance by allowing one style to dominate. You may be able to redefine your style as a result of downsizing. Instead of sticking to the conventional style of the family house, you might choose to go for a more modern look. This will then serve as your foundation, with your antique pieces serving as highlights. Contemporary accents can breathe fresh vitality and intrigue into the environment for individuals who still prefer their classic style.
Pay attention to details
Picking up on the small nuances of your furniture is one of the easiest ways to create harmony without being matchy-matchy. This might be as simple as the shape or lines of your traditional items, as well as the materials and fabrics they are made of. Consider reupholstering or refinishing any of your older furniture items to give them new life and create a unified aesthetic. A modern sofa will look great next to a traditional armchair with its high back and comfy seat upholstered in a contemporary fabric.
Don’t be afraid of contrast
Rather than blending everything together, contrast may add energy and unexpected intrigue to the area. Color and textures are the simplest ways to introduce contrast to a space, and even a small juxtaposition can have a tremendous impact. Soft furniture like cushions and smaller accent pieces like an occasional chair can help raise the area and introduce a little of personality by adding color, pattern, and texture. For example, behind a modern dining table, an oriental rug can offer a sense of tradition and richness.
Scale is an important factor to consider.
Keep the scale of the items in the same realm when integrating furniture from different eras. When placed next to a huge contemporary modular sofa, a small, fragile antique chair can appear overwhelmed and out of place. Combining pieces of comparable height and scale will make the room come together and provide you with versatility. Also think about the scale in relation to the size of your room.
Focus on the sense of things
Decide on the tone you want to create in each room of your house. Do you want your living space to feel relaxed and welcoming? If that’s the case, stay away from putting formal and hefty furniture in the room. Instead, use basic lines and materials that are delicate, light, and timeless while still combining eras.
Similarly, if you want to create a formal and elegant space, mix and match pieces that are sophisticated and rich in aesthetics. Darker woods, brushed metals, and opulent materials such as velvet will help to create the formal atmosphere you desire.
Layer with lighting and art
More classically fashioned pieces can be incorporated into a modern space with the help of modern lighting and art. If you have traditional paintings, mirrors, or lights that you’d like to incorporate into a modern area, use them sparingly. You can also try bringing the decades closer together to create a more current vibe by reframing older art works.
Evenly distribute your furniture
A space with mid-century furniture on one side and contemporary items on the other will merely highlight the stylistic differences rather than bringing them together. Consider evenly spreading furniture from different eras throughout the space if you’re using it. Instead of seeing an overpowering difference in styles, the eye will experience it as one coherent aesthetic.
Still having trouble combining modern and classic design styles in your home? Then contact LeFreddo, an interior designer in Salem, to create the space of your dreams.