Timeless and Time-Forward Decor

How can you make your home feel fresh and new, but still keep the classic touch that is timeless? Add color in art and other accents which can be interchangeable over time so you can refresh again and again. Add flooring with contemporary shapes, different textures, and/or a mixed color palette. Add classic lighting transformed to a more contemporary look with straight lines used in the basic structure. Add furnishings and materials that feature flowing lines to suggest movement and energy.

Color, Shape, Line, Texture - What makes them old or new?

Let's compare some old and new design elements starting with color. There is nothing wrong with using a traditional or retro color palette. Color is a key element to making a room feel as we want it to feel. If safe and nostalgic are the adjectives that make your house a home, by all means let's keep those colors. They are beautiful!

If your adjectives for your room(s) are more in line with 'energizing', 'playful',  or 'dramatic', you may want to look for a color palette that is a bit more contemporary. 

Neutrals and wood tones - Add them in to balance your other colors or to make your other colors stand out. Neutrals and wood tones can also soften the energy of the room. So can nature! Add greenery or green color or art that has nature represented. Those biophilic design elements can do wonders for your health and well being!

What about the lines found in your home? Can we call lines old and/or new? This is a tough one. In general, curves may be considered traditional and straight lines contemporary or modern. This is where Mid-Century Modern design gives us a push in both directions. Mid-Century art and furnishings can have both curves and straight lines. Just turning the traditional subway tiles from being lined up horizontally to line up vertically without staggering the lines will give your backsplash a more modern look. 

Shapes are those structures that make our lines 3D so I find that what makes shapes old or new depends on the lines that go into making the shapes. Talk about circular references!

How can you modernize shapes in your home?

• Add square or rectangular pillows replacing any that are round or rolled. Add in a playful ball shaped pillow even though it's round! It is unique and unconventional.
• Replace rolled arm chairs and sofas with straight arms. The arms don't have to be thin and uncomfortable. They can be wide and offer function for our modern needs - a place to keep things within our reach while lounging.
• Change out lighting fixtures that have those traditionally shaped cloth shades with shades that are more vertically aligned or round or other than that old trapezoid shape.
• When thinking about tables and other hard goods, use simple shapes without excessive ornamentation. Other than that a table's shape does not dictate modernity or traditionalism. It's the materials used that will make it represent a particular era in time.

Finally, texture - When I imagine how to bring in an older texture, I think history. Detailed molding, tapestries, cloth covered books, worn leather, unglazed pottery, silver cutlery, and the like.

Smooth velvet and leather with glass accents in lighting and vases bring a modern touch to this living room, not to mention the bold color paired with black as a neutral.

Although the texture is modern, the pattern is traditional. A great mix to bring a shower up to date yet keep it classic.

What textures represent a modern feel? Smooth everything out to start.

• Molding without detail or no molding/trim at all
• Shades with straight smooth drapery panels or no window coverings at all
• Framed art or photography
• Coffee table books with shiny paper covers or smooth binding
• Newer performance fabrics, including faux leather - being kind to our environment
• Glass, glazed pottery, shiny metal art - smooth, smooth, smooth!
• Brushed gold, silver, and bronze or black metal hardware and fixtures​

Get the idea? There are more elements to play with like scale, pattern, and lighting, but I value your time, so we will stop here for now.

What look do you want to capture for your home? Timeless or time-forward? Curated or a definite traditional or modern look?