There are countless styles and trends that appear and reappear throughout history, always with a new twist that adds to the catalog of design. It can be hard to find your favorite style among all the options, and it is easy to be tempted by more than one. Seemingly disparate looks such as traditional and contemporary might be your favorites, but tying the two together can prove nearly impossible.
It’s unlikely that you want your home to be a patchwork of multiple incongruent styles, so here are some helpful tips for joining these two distinct styles in your home without unsightly clashing.
One: Find Your Balance – Traditional and contemporary each have a vast range of meanings. Decide upon which you would like to focus on. For example, if you consider the fifties or sixties to be traditional, then work with that era of design. Some people consider the Victorian style to be a timeless classic that blends well with other, more modern designs. Contemporary can also mean a few different things. Do you want a fresh, vibrant look or a more minimalist and serene feel? Once you’ve thought about the details of each style you’re hoping to combine, choose one which you want as the staple. Would you prefer a traditional home with contemporary accents, or the other way around? Perhaps you would like an equal balance between the two. Whichever way you prefer, make sure you have this clear in your mind when starting to decorate and furnish your home.
Two: Work from a Base – Once you’ve found your balance, strip back your home and create a fresh base. Choose flooring, wall coverings, and fixtures that closely match the main style you want to focus on. For example, a traditional claw foot bathtub with an elegant waterfall shower head is a sleek way of creating a subtle contrast in the bathroom. Even doors and windows can play a part in creating a more refined look. Traditional sash windows from Sunlux Sash Windows, and smooth, modern doors are surprisingly complementary to one another. Having a base to work from allows you to visualize your design more clearly from the start and not just after you’ve bought all the furniture already.
Three: Mix Materials – For a more detailed approach, be considerate of the materials each style frequently uses and mess around with them. Victorian–era objects in modern materials such as plastic can create a sense of wonder and intrigue, while modern items such as technology or appliances decorated to look like wood achieve a similar effect. Even if you prefer the original materials, update them somewhat by making them smoother or more efficient – for instance, tiling your kitchen and bathroom to prevent damp in ways that didn’t exist a century ago.
If you can’t seem to decide between throwing yourself fully into either traditional interior design or something more contemporary, you can easily blend the two styles together for an appealing, impressive look. Simply decide which you’d rather focus on, create a strong base, and play with different materials.
