When most people thought ahead to what the 21st century would bring, many thought we’d be living in Jetson-style houses in the sky and riding around in flying cars.
There was even some expectation of what our fashion and home décor would look like – most of it being silver and minimalistic.
While that doesn’t describe how people are living these days, there are some futuristic style concepts that have inspired furniture and home décor designers.
If you’re a fan of everything modern, contemporary home décor is probably your design style of choice.
What are the latest contemporary designs and how can you incorporate them? Read on to find out.
Contemporary Home Décor – Simple Tips to Bring Your Home Into the Modern Age
Most people would define contemporary as somewhat bold and often in-your-face – in a good way, of course. How can you incorporate outstanding contemporary design into your home?
1. Lots of Light Colors
Contemporary interior design is clean, and one of the best ways to express that is with lots of bright, light colors.
You can do this in a number of ways.
An obvious way to do this is to paint your walls white. But there are other ways you can incorporate brightness.
For instance, start by looking down. What color and texture is your current flooring? If it needs to be updated, try a light wood with a blonde or gray grain.
You can also incorporate shades of white into your décor by adding white curtains, pillows, and rugs. If you want to, you can even swap out some of your bigger pieces – like the sofa or chairs – for modern white designs.
2. Contemporary Design – Sharp Edges
When it comes to contemporary design, it isn’t just the colors that are considered “clean.” The lines of contemporary furniture are often described as sharp and clean.
Couches and chairs tend to be more angled and flat, rather than the curved, overstuffed pieces we’ve seen more of in recent years.
Bathroom remodels are even seeing this type of design feature. For example, instead of having a claw foot bathtub with rounded edges, more designers are creating drop-in tub features. They create a stone wall feature and then drop the soft-square edged tub inside.
3. “Stronger” Fabrics
While cotton and linen fabrics can be used to make contemporary furniture like sofas and chairs, it’s more common to use fabrics that have a sense of strength to them, like leather.
When you mix light colors with leather, the end result is truly modern.
But don’t despair – if leather isn’t your thing, you can stick to softer fabrics. Simply order them in modern colors, like white, black, gray, or dark blue.
4. Less Is More
One thing you won’t find a lot of in contemporary interior design is collection after collection of knick knacks.
When it comes to modern design – less is always more.
Blank space is extremely important. And if you do have some knick knacks, it’s important that they don’t start piling up.
It’s also good to remember that when you buy pieces to decorate a room, that you choose the right pieces.
For example, in most cases, a painting of a medieval maiden being wooed by a knight wouldn’t fit into the décor of a contemporary living room.
When looking for art and smaller contemporary pieces, look for those that have sharp lines and are made of interesting materials. Express your modern art lover style with artwork of all sizes made of metal, clear glass, stone, or opaque glass.
5. Introduce a Variety of Textures
A room with all white-on-white or neutrals can seem like a hospital room if you’re not careful. But you can make your space appear warm and comfortable with the right accents.
Some options include:
- Adding unique splashes of color – Add some interesting bits of color into your design with artwork, pillows, and throws.
- Using different textures – If you choose to go for the all white look, try switching things up a bit by buying utilizing a variety of textures in the room. You can do this by adding white washed flooring, high-gloss picture frames, and metal artwork.
If You Love Everything Modern – Contemporary Design Is Right Up Your Alley
When you think of modern, contemporary home design, you often visualize something that’s clean and very, very organized.
This type of design can make you feel really good mentally – like the energy in your home is flowing freely, which can make you feel like you’re better able to think clearly.
Contemporary design doesn’t really allow for clutter. It’s too beautiful, clean, and inspiring to get bogged down with clutter.
If you describe yourself and your tastes as modern, organized, and free-flowing, adding some contemporary pieces or going for a completely new, modern overhaul in your home might be a wonderful gift to give yourself this year.
