From sleek and modern to rustic and old-world, today’s interior design styles are as varied as houses and homeowners are themselves. What is the most common design styles being sought after today?
Traditional:
Traditional design styles are more comforting and classic than most. It is calm, orderly and predictable, with little or no bright colors, or brash designs. This homey style is quite casual, and is often used in homes with young children where formality has been lost. When designing a traditional-looking room, you may want to opt for some of these design elements:
Upholstered furniture. It is functional and unfussy.
Unstated accessories.
Lots of wood furniture, trims and moldings.
Contemporary:
Contemporary design is hip and up-to-date. This very modern style can be eclectic. It’s bright and airy; comfortable and quiet and features characteristics of simplicity, clean lines and texture, with just a hint of sophistication. Features of a truly contemporary design should incorporate:
Color – Neutrals, blacks and whites are most common in this design style
Line & Space – In a contemporary room, less is more. Walls are left uncluttered, windows are left bare, as are floors and ceilings are often raised to give the room a large open and empty feel. Architectural details such as exposed beams, pipes and even chipped or broken bricks provide texture.
Bold Furniture – This key element to this modern design. Furniture and accessories should be bold and bright. Small and cutesy has no home here.
Formal:
Much like the traditional style, a more formal design is elegant and luxurious. Everything is big and overstated; the furniture, the lighting, the accessories, even the rugs. Deep colors are most popular as is lots of intricately carved wood and rich marbles. A formal style works best in a home with:
-High ceilings.
-Large rooms.
-Big windows.
-And lots of architectural details.
Rustic:
Rustic styles are generally reserved for woodsy areas and vacation homes. The design is simple, with a penchant toward colonial living. It often features very earthy colors and textures such as natural wood furnishings; lots of wood flooring and very little extravagance. Nature is used as a theme throughout this style in both design and accessories.
Victorian:
This is the most recognized of all the design styles. It is intricate and delectate featuring the styles, designs, colors and fabrics of the late 18th and 19th centuries. The best way to pull off a Victorian design is to remember to incorporate lots of:
Color – Deep greens, reds, mauves, burgundies and purples are most used.
-Rich wood furnishings with intricate carvings.
-Accessories; especially small trinkets, boxes, candleholders and such.
-Elaborate Window Coverings using the best (and heaviest) materials.
-Area rugs.
By: Matthew Hick
Posts Tagged ‘Modern Style’
Modern Architecture – Beauty Or Beast?
December 11th, 2009To keep pace with population explosion and to provide each and every one with a space to live in, the style of modern architecture was adopted.
The technique adopts the form of simplification and eliminates the ornament form of building styles. This style of conserving space was conceptualized in the early 1920s.
Modern architecture was followed by many powerful architects and architectural pedagogues. But this method gained its popularity only after the Second World War and now it is the dominant architectural style.
The method of modern architecture owes its popularity to three greats namely Le Corbusier of France together with L.M van der Rohe and Walter Gropius of Germany. L.M van der Rohe and Gropius were the managers of schools in Europe which was related with harmonising craft and tradition in addition to industrial technology. » Read more: Modern Architecture – Beauty Or Beast?
Santa Fe Modern Shaking it Up in New Mexico
August 17th, 2009Santa Fe architecture is a perennial favorite and an old standby. It’s just part of living here. It’s likely, however, that Santa Fe wouldn’t look like Santa Fe if the preservationist “Historic Styles Ordinance” hadn’t been passed in 1957. The ordinance draws a line around the historic downtown area in the city and dictates that all buildings within this 300 acre area adhere to certain design guidelines. If it’s in Santa Fe, it’s gotta look Santa Fe.
Looking Santa Fe
Pueblo revival and territorial revival styles are at the heart of the ordinance which favors vigas and canals, low flat roofs, earth toned faux-dobe, portals, and white window and door pediments. And while there’s a lot to be said for looking Santa Fe, the ordinance has been controversial since the day it was born. Critics say the rules have kept the majority of Santa Fe buildings from moving into the present and embracing the best of what modern style and architecture have to offer. They say that it’s effectively erased the evolving architectural history of the downtown core. They say it lacks character. Rather than applause for the role the ordinance has played in propagating a distinctive Santa Fe style, you’ll hear nothing but cries of “suffocating” and “backward” from this camp.
Looking Santa Fe With a Twist
Regardless of the bickering, the 400 year old city has marched ahead into the modern age as surely as any other American city. Lifestyles have changed, tastes have changed and people have continued to flock to Santa Fe for all of the things that make it a beautiful place to live. In spite of the strictest preservationists, Santa Fe has managed to develop new architectural style that marries Adobe Pueblo with Modernism and roots them both firmly in the present.
We call it Santa Fe Modern and it’s emerged as naturally from the landscape of New Mexico as any clay brick adobe house ever did. Taking cues from Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie houses which were also built with clear horizons, giant skies and extreme temperatures in mind, Santa Fe modern is a perfect meeting of history and modern lifestyle. Reminiscent of the traditional Santa Fe style, but without the frou frou, Santa Fe modern is distinguished by clean lines, great use of light and shadow, dramatic angles and heavy use of stone. You’ll see lots of polished concrete in these buildings. Like the adobe homes that came before them, Santa Fe modern makes creative use of local materials. The color palette still contains plenty of earth tones but this style isn’t shy. You’ll also see buildings that take their colors from the brilliant Santa Fe sky, reminding us that blue, cobalt and crimson are desert colors too.
No Apologies
Though it’s unlikely the downtown core will be overtaken by a modern aesthetic any day soon, in the the areas that surround the historic district we’re seeing a new style emerge. For those that love the look of Santa Fe but also love modern architecture, Santa Fe Modern is a truly exciting regional style that acknowledges where it comes from while making no apologies for being a product of the present.
By: Jason Couillard
