Guiding Principles of Designing a Contemporary Home

Contemporary interior design is the current trend for those who are looking for a modern and sleek home. But what was once thought of as cold and too minimalist, has evolved into a more inviting and comfortable style favored for residences, buildings, offices, and small apartments.

The fundamental principles of contemporary design include clean lines, textural accents, simplicity, and sophistication. A modern home focuses more on the space rather than showcasing furniture and accessories. If you are thinking about updating the look of your home and lean towards contemporary style, consider the following guidelines.

How to choose contemporary-style pieces of furniture

In a home designed using contemporary style elements, furniture should be bold but remain simple. You can buy furniture designed specifically for contemporary homes such as contemporary bedroom sets. Choosing pieces with distinct geometric shapes and clean lines is vital. Furniture upholstery is usually in neutral tones like tan, white, and black. Fabric made from natural materials like wool and linen provide texture to these furnishings.

In selecting furniture, the principle is decorating with fewer pieces while still achieving a bold statement. Structural prints or none at all is another guiding principle in choosing the right furniture that fits a contemporary home.

Choose the right color scheme

In choosing colors for walls, you’ll want to stay within the range of neutral shades such as cream, white, tan, and brown. If you want a contrasting accent, you can paint one portion of the wall a different color, or you can choose a piece of furniture in a bright color. When you accessorize a contemporary home, you need to avoid cluttering the space and always focus on simplicity.

Accent with pieces made of metal

Chrome and stainless-steel pieces are prevalent in contemporary style. Accenting with metal creates a clean and sleek look. An easy way to do this is by choosing appliances made of stainless steel for the kitchen. Other examples include adding metal accessories like lamps, light fixtures, art, and other pieces of furniture.

Focus on adding texture

Although the primary design principles you need to abide by are cleanliness and simplicity, part of contemporary design is adding textural elements that offset the cold, sleek nature of this style. Examples of accenting with texture include window treatments made of fabric, rugs, and wallpaper made of linen. As always, look for simple patterns and avoid anything that seems too elaborate.

Lighting fixtures

Another vital element of contemporary design is lighting. It is essential to illuminate design pieces inside the home to emphasize specific areas. In choosing a light fixture, choose designs that are simple and structural. Popular choices include pendant lights and floor lamps.

The bottom line is, contemporary style may be one of the most popular design trends today, but it can be tricky to achieve a perfect balance of simplicity and elegance. Let the principles above guide you in decorating your home, choosing furniture and other accessories to make a sophisticated and simple modern home that is also comfortable and a reflection of your personal taste.

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