Deciding if the Modern Classic Style is Right for your Home
Are you looking for the right style for your home? Perhaps you’re living single at the moment, or maybe you live with a partner or family members and are looking for a style that suits all your needs. We live in an era when style is not prescribed to us and we have many choices. If we are not deliberate in our choices, it’s easy for our home to lack character or be a mish-mash of styles with no cohesive vision. It can then be confusing, even stressful, to figure out how to pull it all together to make it work. Maybe you love classical sculpture busts, but your partner wants to also hang Asian prints. You may love ornate design, but still seek comfort and warmth that invites you to read a book in your pajamas on a Sunday afternoon after a morning of hosting friends for brunch. Style and taste is important to you, but so is functioning in the modern world.
Since we specialize in creating beautiful and timeless art that can complement or enhance a variety of styles, we’ve become familiar with many types of decor and styles that are popular today. One style that we love for its versatility, simplicity, and roots in the traditional is the Modern Classic style. This look lands between traditional and modern aesthetics. We’ll explore Modern Classic in this post in the hopes it helps you curate your own living space so it feels more like home.
What are Traditional and Classic Styles?
Let’s discuss the Traditional and Classic styles first. A home in these styles will incorporate furnishings from other eras, especially 18th- and 19th-century Europe. You’ll see antiques as well as ancient Greek and Roman art. Other items and elements will be specific to the person who lives there, expressing their style and interests--so you can probably find a way to incorporate your partner’s Asian prints, as long as they don’t take attention away from the Traditional elements.
The space will be warm and elegant, with a few accent colors, and without anything too overpowering. The furniture will be from particular periods and have a lot of character. Floral patterns will be chosen over geometric shapes. The room will be tied together by a color scheme, and wall colors will range from whites to bolder colors. You’ll notice symmetry, dramatic placements, and beautiful juxtapositions throughout the home.
What is Modern Style?
Next let’s talk about the characteristics of the Modern style. The Modern style is not to be confused with the Contemporary, which is very current in aesthetics and movements although it borrows from Modern. Modern design encompasses novel ideas from the 1950s to the beginning of the 21st century, including aspects of art movements. In a home designed in this style, you’ll see neutral colors, solid colors instead of patterns when it comes to accents, furnishings utilizing geometric shapes, and simplicity in the furnishings and architecture as opposed to ornate features. Some variety of stone, wood, and other natural materials will be included in the home.
You’ll notice that the space is focused on minimalism; the room will be sparse and simple. Furnishings will all serve a purpose. Functionality and necessity are key. This doesn’t mean the feel of the room is cold by any means; rather, the colors and fabrics will create the warmth. You can both socialize and relax in this intentionally laid-out space.
Putting these Two Styles Together
If you find components of both Classic and Modern design styles appealing, the Modern Classic style might be the aesthetic you’re looking for. From the Modern style, you maintain the neutral colors. The entire space will have a defined color scheme and can appear monochromatic. The Classic side calls for ornate architectural features, like wood and plaster moldings, to stand out.
As for furniture, these pieces will be modern or a combination. For example, a relatively traditional couch or chair, minus ornate legs and busy patterns, will fit in well. Solid colors are best, even if you move beyond the neutrals. Fixtures are really up to interpretation, ranging from antique, crystal chandeliers to modern, geometric sconces. Feel free to add some color to the room with curtains and shades. When it comes to accent pieces, you’ll still want to keep the number of items to a minimum, but you have more freedom in what you choose. Go ahead and display antique art or functional items alongside a modern sculpture.
A space in the Modern Classic interior design style will evoke cleanliness, simplicity, elegance, boldness, warmth, purpose, sophistication, and character as well as the homeowner’s individuality. Take a look around your home now to see where your current style lies. Maybe you’re already on the path to Modern Classic!
Caproni pieces featured in these photographs:
Victory of Samothrace - 39" - #76
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