You can make your decor more personal and give your home more character by mixing modern and traditional furniture. The contrast between modern and traditional styles can add visual interest and give your home a timeless feel.
Traditional furniture adds warmth to your modern look, while adding a few well-chosen modern pieces can update your traditional decor. Mixing modern and traditional furniture can show off your good taste and add lasting beauty to your home, even when styles change. So if you love the clean modern look but you want to incorporate an ornate credenza from your grandmother, you can.
Here are some good ideas for mixing modern and traditional furniture to create a well-designed home.
Decide Which Style is Dominant
Mixing modern and traditional furniture does not mean you must have half modern and half traditional styles. Decorators suggest that you create a 70-30 percent balance so one style takes the lead while the other lends support. If you want to focus on a modern look, keep traditional pieces to around 30 percent so you can add interest but not overwhelm your modern style.
Plan a Consistent Color Palette
To give your room coherence, stick with a couple of main colors and add a few accent colors for interest. Repeating a main color across your modern and traditional furniture will create an intentional, pulled together look. If you have a sleek modern sofa in an attractive gray shade, add a traditional rug featuring gray as a main color to help create a consistent color pallet.
Focus on Repetition
Make your modern and traditional furniture come together by echoing the tone, material or texture of your chosen items. For example, if you have a modern sofa or sectional, add a few traditional touches to your room like an ornate gold mirror and a deeply carved side table. Make sure you incorporate the right scale and proportion so the room feels balanced. Todays modern furniture is likely to be low and sleek, so don't overwhelm the decor with bulky traditional pieces.
Use Transitional Elements
If you want to mix modern and traditional furniture, incorporating elegant transitional furniture can blend both elements and create a timeless look. Transitional elements typically have a neutral color palette, softened straight lines and a minimum of decoration. Consider items like a traditional walnut dining table with tapered legs or a modern sofa with a tufted fabric.
Find both modern and traditional name brands at Home Living Furniture to make your home a showplace. Visit Home Living Furniture showrooms in Mays Landing and Freehold, New Jersey, for the latest styles.
