Designing a home is about finding a style that speaks to you. We’re all drawn to different styles, and oftentimes, a personal style will involve a mixture of styles from different time periods.

For instance, you may like the appeal of modern furniture but would hate to give up your vintage decor or an heirloom piece. Fortunately, there is a way to mix modern with the traditional and achieve a perfect balance – here’s how.

Decide On The Primary Design Style

First things first, when it comes to designing a room that mixes modern with traditional, the first and most important step is to decide on the primary design style. These two styles are simply too distinct, and trying to equally balance them is impossible.

Upon entering the room, the attention should be focused on the dominant pieces while the rest should act as supporting elements and provide some sort of background. To achieve this, ask yourself which style should be the dominant one, and then act accordingly, selecting furniture pieces that reflect the primary design style and using accents and pieces of decor to accentuate the secondary design style.

Combine Traditional Furniture Pieces With Modern Accents

Larger pieces usually make the most impact, which is why you want to be careful when furnishing a room that aims to incorporate modern and traditional design. Bulkier pieces such as sofa sets are usually reserved for the dominant style while smaller pieces that are easy to swap out and incorporate are used for infusing the room with the secondary design style.

For instance, a room with traditional architectural elements and furniture can be given a more contemporary feel with the addition of two to three modern pieces, whether it’s an end table, an accent chair, or an ottoman. Similarly, a home that’s more on the contemporary side could benefit from a couple of antique or heirloom pieces. Generally speaking, you should avoid introducing too many furniture pieces as it can make the entire space cluttered and overwhelming, so keep it simple, using just a couple of pieces per room.

Hang Artwork To Bring The Two Styles Together

Marrying the two distinct styles is also a matter of selecting the pieces that will blend, and the easiest way to do that would be to hang some artwork throughout the room. Modern artwork can be a great addition to a room that’s lacking color and it can also make for a great conversation piece. Plus, it will merge the two styles seamlessly and effortlessly, while also creating a focal point in the room.

On the other hand, if paintings aren’t your cup of tea and you’d rather adorn your walls with photography, you can rely on matting and groupings of oversized frames to create a more contemporary feel. Want to take it a step further? Use matting in bold colors for an even more modern appeal.

Use Rugs To Merge The Two Styles Or Give A Boost To A Certain Style

Depending on which design style is primary, you can use rugs to bring out that style or emphasize the secondary design style. For homeowners in the Land Down Under, decorating with some of the pieces from the vast collection of rugs from NZ can be a great way to add perfect finishing touches whether they want to add a modern edge to a primarily traditional home or are looking to introduce some traditional flair in a living space where the modern design style is the dominant one.

Area rugs can also be used as neutral elements to connect the two styles. In that case, you want to stick with classic styles, simple patterns, and a neutral color palette. If you’re not sure about how a certain rug style would fit your room, it helps to know that some companies in New Zealand also offer free styling services, helping you find the perfect rug for your home.

Rely On Lighting To Add A Modern Or Traditional Flair

There’s no doubt that lighting can completely transform the way a room looks and feels, but lighting can also be a useful design tool when it comes to adding a certain flair to a living space. It’s also one of the most inexpensive ways to introduce a certain design style in a home aside from decor, and the best thing about it is that it allows for a safe implementation of a contrasting design style.

For instance, a home that is adorned with traditional architectural elements (arches , wainscoting, crown molding, mantels, and staircases) can easily be given a modern feel by incorporating contemporary lighting fixtures. Similarly, a home that’s more on the modern side could also benefit from adding vintage and retro lighting that adds traditional flair.

Wrapping Up

When decorating a home, one style just isn’t enough sometimes. That’s when you need to mix two different styles and create some sort of balance.

Blending styles can be tricky, but with a couple of design tricks up your sleeve, you’ll be able to pull it off successfully.