Whether you’re looking for a simple room refresh or are starting from scratch, there’s something to be said about finding the best interior design style to suit your home, lifestyle, and tastes. To get you started in the right direction, we’ve set about to define what makes each standout and are considering the merits of contemporary style for your home, and what it takes to master the look with ease.
WHAT DOES CONTEMPORARY STYLE MEAN?
At some point, there’s probably been a time where we’ve all confused modern interior design with contemporary style, and though they share similarities, contemporary home decor stands all on it’s own.
Contemporary decorating style is classic yet thoroughly of the moment and timeless thanks to a light-handed, spare take on decorating to ensure it will never feel dated.
While modern decor can feel cold, limiting, and overtly minimal, contemporary style is calming and serene, and is peppered with a focus on architectural elements, decorative details, attention to bold scales, and a concise color palette to create a warm space with easy sophistication.
Simplicity, clean lines, plays on texture, and quiet drama are fundamental in achieving a perfectly balanced contemporary style home.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE CONTEMPORARY STYLE?
- Contemporary style is great for minimalists looking to steer clear of fussy prints, a heady mix of era’s, and for those looking to create a simple yet thoroughly realized harmony between varying elements while focusing on the architectural elements of a room.
- There’s joy to be found in a beautifully curated contemporary living room that features a mix of high-shine, contemporary home decor that boasts conversation starters that stand on their own in a sea of neutrals.
- As contemporary decorating style is timeless and defined by a classic approach to bringing a room together through luxurious simplicity, it’s a design movement that’s well worth the effort and investment as it will never go out of style and is easy to update.
HOW DO YOU CREATE CONTEMPORARY STYLE?
Here’s a quick rundown of the architectural details you’ll want to highlight to inject your home with contemporary interior design effortlessly:
- For a contemporary living room, keep flooring simple with a classic wooden floor and source rugs that are simple in pattern and carpets that feature a low pile with geometric shapes.
- Source lighting that’s simple yet effective in showcasing contemporary home decor and architectural features.
- A mix of metal, stone, and opaque or clear glass.
- Make use of structural elements like molding and exposed brick walls and pipes for added character in an otherwise simple room.
CONTEMPORARY STYLE COLORS
A go-to when considering contemporary interior design, neutrals along with gray, black, and white, are a signature of the design style and are used to define and ground a room.
Think of a neutral setting as a great starting point to bring in hints of color and a foundation for expressive artworks and objects with more personality. By selecting the right neutrals for a contemporary living room, you’ll be able to bring in smaller pops of riotous color that you can easily switch around depending on your mood.
But if you’re looking to go full-on with color, say an entire wall, we suggest keeping your trims, ceiling, and flooring light to compliment contemporary decorating style cues with flair.
CONTEMPORARY STYLE FURNITURE
When it comes to contemporary interior design, less is always more. Select contemporary style home furnishings that are statement-making conversation starters while remaining pared down, with smooth, clean, geometric silhouettes and straight lines. Think solid hues and finishes, natural materials, and unadorned surfaces.
For upholstered pieces in a contemporary living room, go for neutrals in textured natural fabrications like wool, cotton, linen, silk, and jute, and bring in pops of color with throws and pillows that steer clear of loud patterns as clean and concise is the mood you should be fixed on.
CONTEMPORARY STYLE TEXTILES
As contemporary interior design calls for clean lines and studied simplicity, textiles are an easy outlet to help you avoid a cold contemporary style home by bringing in plays on texture, tonal pattern, and concise color combinations.
Stick with neutrals, stripes, and geometric prints in small amounts to bring in personality and to complement a well-designed contemporary living room with hints of unexpected, yet considerately placed play.
CONTEMPORARY STYLE ACCESSORIES
Though furnishings call for a minimal approach, decorative accessories are where you can get creative when looking for a contemporary style home refresh.
From lamps to décor objects to artworks, sometimes the best contemporary interior design approaches rely on the extras you bring into a room after sourcing furnishings that you’re committed to.
For contemporary living room ideas, go for small elements that’ll double as unique conversation starters while adding depth and personality to an otherwise minimal room.
CONTEMPORARY STYLE WINDOW TREATMENTS
If you’re blessed with oversized windows and great unobstructed views, we suggest keeping contemporary style window treatments minimal and easily retractable to maintain a clean, flawless look.
That said, sometimes the best contemporary interior design inspiration we come across boasts the unexpected and window treatments are a great way to bring in contrasting elements.
You can keep the look natural with wooden blinds in a dark hue, or go for sheer white floor to ceiling curtains that’ll add polished drama to a decidedly contemporary living room or dining room.
CONTEMPORARY DECORATING STYLE ROOM BY ROOM:
Now that we’ve gone over the basics of what makes contemporary style interior design so compelling and timeless, here’s a quick take on approaches to bring the style throughout your home with ease.
Contemporary Style Kitchen:
Again, contemporary interior design is all about a spare, minimal approach that steers clear of clinical. A colorway of soothing grays, neutrals, and white is a classic fail proof option that will stand the test of time and always appear clean.
Paired with traditional flooring in natural materials, explore modern cabinetry with either high-shine or matte finishes for an understated yet elegant juxtaposition. And do seek out storage that’ll keep surfaces clear of clutter.
Contemporary Style Dining Room:
For this room, its all about a substantial table, structured seating, and symmetry. Go for a contrasting oversized table with a glass or stone top, matching chairs, and a console to tie everything together. Note how the room above, while simple, is far from clinical thanks to only four add-ons.
Here, the green reflective hanging works as a simple yet unique statement-maker, while the gilt pendant light and textured vase lend an organic touch in small doses.
Contemporary Style Living Room:
Keep in mind that what makes a contemporary style home rememberable is a fierce commitment to modern simplicity, attention to line and space, geometric shapes, and a strict yet well-considered color palette that’s easy on the eye. But since your living room is often the best place to highlight your tastes and sense of play, do add character to your most often used gathering room with decorative extras and art that’ll set your home apart.
Think expressive artworks, two-toned rugs, pillows, and throws, and sculptural lamps and vases for added decadence.
Contemporary Style Bedroom:
For a your bedroom, do as you would in any room in your home and go for clean, straight lines that boast a sense of richness via impeccable design and do bring in tonal textures for extra warmth and comfort through bedding, rugs, and accessories that evoke a quiet sense of pulled together glamor.
Do avoid trims, tassels, bedskirts, and in general anything too cute or gender oriented.
Contemporary Style Bathroom:
When looking for contemporary style bathroom inspiration stick to the concept of a clean, serene oasis. Think white, bright, and light filled. For a personal edge we suggest sourcing custom-designed fittings or ones that are unique enough to create a memorable impact for guests.
