Style Spotlight: Contemporary Design

Contemporary interior design is one of the most popular design styles, resulting in spacious, bright, inviting spaces that you and all your guests will enjoy. Get to know the ins and outs of contemporary design, how it differs from modern design, and the things you can do to bring this style to every room of your home.

Modern vs. Contemporary Design

When it comes to interior design, the terms “modern” and “contemporary” are among the most used. Although often interchanged, these are two very different interior design styles.

Modern Design

Modern designs refer to a specific period of time in the middle of the 20th century. In fact, you may have also seen this design style referred to as mid-century modern, because it refers to the pieces that became iconic to those decades in the middle of the 1900s.

Contemporary Design 

Contemporary design is “of the moment,” which means it is ever-changing to keep up with the times. What was considered contemporary 25 years ago would now be considered “vintage.”

Defining Characteristics of Contemporary Design 

Now that we know the difference between Modern vs. Contemporary design, it’s time to take a deeper look at what contemporary interior design really is and the elements that define the style.

Neutral Color Tones

When choosing the larger pieces of furniture and decorative elements, keep it neutral. Contemporary interior design relies on black, white, beige, gray, and wood tones to create a neutral color scheme that is both calm and sophisticated.  

The same neutral tones should extend to your wall color, cabinet finish, countertop choices, and flooring. Because they are neutral, they tend to be timeless and seasonless. If you think that sounds a bit on the bland side, hold on for a minute. There are plenty of ways to elevate the visual appeal of the contemporary style. We’ll go over those, too.

Bold Color Accents

While the majority of contemporary elements are mild in color tone, that isn’t to say you can’t have a bit of fun with your color scheme. Successful contemporary designs choose a bold accent color and mix it in with the neutral elements that have created the serene and inviting backdrop for your room.  

One of the best things about using bold accent colors to jazz up your space is that you can easily change out an accent color piece for various seasons or simply to refresh the look of the space. Infuse these accent colors with decorative accents, plush pillows, blankets, area rugs, or even candles.

Clean Style Lines

Contemporary interior design celebrates simplicity. When it comes to the main elements, less is more. Look for furnishings with clean, sleek lines. This design style is not fussy, overly detailed, or ornate. This doesn’t mean lines need to be straight. Curves are often part of the contemporary interior design style. 

The benefit is that when you aren’t distracted by lots of little design elements, you can really appreciate the quality of materials and craftsmanship that go into the creation of contemporary items.

Contemporary Design Includes Organic Elements

The contemporary style showcases the natural beauty of organic elements, featuring things like wood, marble, stone, and brick. Don’t be afraid to use your favorite organic elements as the starting point for your contemporary style home and then use those organic pieces as a source of inspiration for your neutral color scheme.

Light & Bright

Because the contemporary style utilizes neutral color tones, the overall look of a contemporary room is both light and bright. This can help small rooms appear larger and large rooms appear grand. A big part of achieving this look is to install the proper lighting throughout the home.

 High-Contrast Details

The neutral color scheme of the contemporary style doesn’t have to be monochromatic. This style relies on moments of bold contrast to provide visual appeal. To achieve this, add dark floors to a room with light walls, dark lower cabinets with light upper cabinets, or two-toned lighting fixtures with dark metal accents as juxtaposition to the bright bulbs and shades.

Open & Simple Floor Plans

Many contemporary homes feature an open floor plan that flows from one room to another. As you decorate, make sure to leave plenty of open space for easy navigation around the home. Instead of using walls to define rooms, contemporary interior design often relies on the placement of furniture and the use of area rugs to define a living area as a second space from an adjoining dining area or kitchen.

 Incorporating Sculptural Artwork

When it comes to accessorizing a contemporary space, choosing sculptural elements is key. This can be in the form of statues and grand art pieces, in the form of candlesticks and small home decor accents, or in the finerdetails of the furnishings themselves.

How to Achieve Contemporary Interior Design in Your Home

Once you’ve decided to choose the contemporary interior design style, it’s time to decide how to achieve that look. Fortunately, we have some simple tips that will help you achieve that contemporary style home, room by room.

Contemporary Lighting Solutions

Because contemporary style homes need to be light and bright, the lighting story is incredibly important. You’re going to mix-and match recessed lighting with stylish fixtures that are appropriate for the room at hand. Fortunately, many contemporary lighting collections showcase a wide range of different types of lighting solutions, allowing you to select chandeliers, pendant lights, wall sconces, flush mount lights, and vanity fixtures that all remain cohesive in look and timeless.

Contemporary lighting often doubles as a sculptural element in the room. Many contemporary lighting fixtures combine curved details with linear accents. As you shop for contemporary style lighting fixtures, keep in mind the defining characteristics of the look, opting for high-contrast, two-tone finishes, unadorned designs, and the inclusion of organic elements, especially with shades.

Contemporary Kitchen Essentials 

Achieving the contemporary interior design style in the kitchen is easy when you try a couple of simple tips. These aren’t hard-and-fast rules, but more of a contemporary design inspiration that you can pick and choose from to achieve the look you love.

• Get a high contrast look with two cabinet finishes: one for upper cabinets and one for lower cabinets or island cabinetry. 
• Refresh the look of your cabinetry by adding contemporary cabinet hardware. 
• Showcase natural materials for countertops and backsplashes. 
• Install a sleek line of pendant lighting above a kitchen island or peninsula. 
• Make a statement with modern kitchen faucets and pot fillers.

Contemporary Bathroom Design Inspiration 

Bathrooms need to be an extremely functional part of your home, which makes them an ideal candidate for contemporary design.

• Play with contrast by choosing a contemporary vanity that stands out against your wall color.  
• Keep those vanity lines simple and sleek by considering a wall-mounted, floating vanity that opens the space.  
• Add an accent color in the form of a bold backsplash, or with dramatic bathroom fixtures.  
• Utilize technology while creating a bright space with lighted bathroom mirrors or medicine cabinets. 
• Introduce plenty of contemporary lighting solutions. 
• Add sleek curves with a free-standing tub.

Contemporary Door Hardware

Some aspects of your contemporary style home need to be consistent throughout the house. One of the ways to unify the look of your home while introducing a new style is simply to change out the door hardware. Old doorknobs can be dated and out of style. Find a contemporary door hardware collection you love and shop within that collection for doorknobs, levers, hinges, and parts that will refresh both the interior and exterior doors of your home.

An Always-Changing Style

Because contemporary interior design style is current, it is going to change slightly from year to year. Make the things that need to hold up to the test of time neutral and timeless, such as the flooring and the major furnishings. Use the smaller items as an opportunity to play with fads and trends. It is a lot less expensive to trade out a bold kitchen faucet than it is to replace all your countertops. You can refresh the look of your space from year to year easily by using the Pantone color of the year as inspiration for the accent color in your contemporary style home.