In today’s homes, we are seeing an array of designs that bring to life peoples individual styles; much more organic and eclectic than ever before. The days of each piece matching, from the end and cocktail tables to the pillows and window treatments made from the same fabrics, these are mostly a thing of the past with today’s fun styles. With this in mind, often times we are asked to help identify what our clients “style” is. Whether it is traditional, transitional, contemporary or modern what is the difference between any of them? We thought in this entry we would give a BRIEF overview of what these styles mean in your space.
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TRADITIONAL – Often characterized by furnishings with heavier roll-arms, turned legs with matching pieces filling in with carved hardwoods to complete a room. This style is where you will frequently find camel backs, tight back and wood trimmed seating all around. Rich harvest colors in brocades, tapestries and elegant silks compliment beautiful velvets and supple aniline leathers.[/full_width]
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TRANSITIONAL – This style made its debut when styles took a drastic turn from traditional to contemporary, hence the need to bridge the gap…on came transitional. Cleaner lines, smaller roll arms, straighter legs, toned down variations of patterns and colors appeared. These rooms offer a great way to blend the old with the new, creating a more eclectic look and feel.[/full_width]
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CONTEMPORARY
– Frequently confused with modern styling for its straight lines, this minimalist approach takes very clean lines and pairs them with smooth finished woods and mirrored furnishings. Track arms and tapered legs are the standard in this look. Fields of like-minded neutrals will often times be accented with a pop of the year’s hottest pantone color.[/full_width]
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MODERN
– Sometimes referred to as cold, modern styling incorporates straight lines with drastic geometric architecture and incorporates unique bases of unexpected materials. Often seen with glass and shiny metal accent or lacquered tables, this style is exemplified in Scandinavian and Italian designs that are found here in the States. Color pallets will vary but usually a monochromatic effect or strikingly bold color is the classic approach to achieving this trend-following style.[/full_width]
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MID-CENTURY MODERN – Brought to popularity in the 1950’s and early 1960’s in the U.S., this style is seeing an exciting return to homes around the country. Inspired by modern trend-setters of the time, you will find low-backed furnishings, often with low arms of unique materials. Tight backs with unique body curving seating, with specific stitching and tufting are shown in menswear fabrics and split-hide leathers to create a look of simplicity that allows the construction of the piece to do all the talking. Tables are woods with simple peg legs, open box looks and interesting metals in distinctive geometric styles.[/full_width]
ECLECTIC – All the rage today. This style allows you to create a one-of-a-kind look which is not duplicated anywhere. This is where you take a much loved heritage piece and pair it with a terrific flee market find and that over the top buy you fell in love with at your local design studio. Having a bit of a flair for design will your greatest asset for this look, or this may be the style where you reach out to an expert designer to pull it all together.[/full_width]
FRENCH COUNTRY (AKA COUNTRY FRENCH) – Originally inspired by villages in the South of France, this style came about by using a variety of pieces, from rustic, ornately painted and patterned furnishings complimented with tertiary and secondary colors which oppose one another on the color wheel. Historically trademarked by distinctive fabrics of toile, birds or landscapes, todays updated version has been softened with subtle accents creating the look alongside of pale blues, turquoise and creams. Rich textures, silks and tapestries are toned down to bring the feel to life with accents of muddled golds and silver.
With that, many of these styles are representing in our studio where we are happy to spend time helping you identify what most strikes your fancy.
Karrie Bennet
512-514-1810
www.BlacknWhiteInteriors.com