This may come as a surprise, but modern and traditional design sensibilities are not mutually exclusive. In fact, it's possible to redesign your home so that it features the best of both worlds. By picking and choosing compatible designs, your home can have the comfort and attractiveness of a modern home, while still retaining some traditional design elements.
Open Floor Plan with Functional Storage Spaces
Open floor plans are very modern and also in high demand, because they provide families with communal spaces where they can all be together while still participating in separate activities. While one person prepares food in the kitchen area, another person may watch television or work on a computer. This allows large, busy families to spend time together in a way that is efficient.
Traditional homes, on the other hand, have often focused on providing homeowners with functional storage spaces like built-in cabinetry, hutches and shelving. Combining sensible, built-in storage options with an open floor plan brings together the best of both worlds.
Mixture of Materials
Modern residences often use cool, man-made materials like metal and glass, while traditional homes make use of natural materials like wood and stone. Luckily, these materials can all work well together in one structure. Use these materials in your home in equal amounts to achieve a balance of interesting textures and colors.
Combinations of Colors
While modern design gravitates toward neutral color combinations (blacks, whites, browns and creams), traditional homes often feature richer, warmer color palettes. Luckily, these two groups of colors are easy to put together in one home, or even one room.
Keep the walls neutral and use richly colored fabrics in your furnishings and draperies. For example, if your walls are cream or beige, and your floors and ceiling are both made of natural wood, you can still juxtapose those colors with deep red or navy colored upholstery. Mixing and matching traditional and modern colors can help you achieve a decorative balance in your home.
Natural Lighting
Natural lighting is an asset in modern and traditional home design schemes. Natural lighting presents your interior spaces in the most flattering light possible, and can also make your home seem more cheerful on bright days.
Floor-to-ceiling windows are more common in modern homes, while tall double-hung windows are more common in older homes. You can combine these two design features by installing formal picture windows in the front rooms of the home, and floor-to-ceiling windows in back or side rooms of the home, depending on where the best views are located on your property.
If you're planning to build a home in the new year and would like to combine the modern with the traditional, contact Litchfield Builders today. We can help you achieve both types of design in one beautiful home.
