How to Decorate in Contemporary Design Style

Contemporary design is comfortable, welcoming, simply sophisticated, and not cluttered. Contemporary interiors appear sleek and fresh and focus on color, shape, and form. Sometimes confused with "modern style," the contemporary style is distinctly different according to home designers and decorating professionals.

Where it gets confusing is that "modern" and "contemporary" are synonyms in a dictionary, and styles that are considered "modern" and current with the style of the moment are also considered "contemporary." However, the two styles have different features.

Modern style has more hard lines, furniture that favors function over form, and a neutral color palette, while the contemporary style uses more curvy lines, attractive ornamentation, and stark, contrasting colors like black and white. Today's contemporary style is appropriate for offices, stores, loft apartments, and traditional homes. Interiors showcase "the space" rather than "the things."

Uses of Color

Neutrals, black, and white are the main colors in contemporary-style interiors. Black is often used for grounding and defining a contemporary-style room. The palette is often punched and accented with bright, bold colors that play against neutrals.

With walls painted in a basic neutral, you have an excellent backdrop for bold-colored accessories. The trims should be neutral if the walls and windows are painted in pastels. If a wall is a bright, bold color, neutrals should be used everywhere else.

Line and Space

The "line" is a contemporary interior design's most prominent and distinctive element. Strong visible lines are evident in any contemporary-style home, whether straight vertical or horizontal lines or curved shapes. The line is found in architectural details, bold color blocks, high ceilings, bare windows, and geometric shapes in wall art and sculpture.

The bare space on walls, between pieces of furniture and above in upper areas, becomes as important as the areas filled with objects. In contemporary interiors, less is more. Each piece stands out as individual and unique.

Take advantage of structural elements. Air ducts may hang from a ceiling, broken bricks provide texture and stability, and exposed plumbing pipes are perfectly acceptable in a contemporary-style interior. To draw the eye, paint these structural details in bold contrasting colors or, to diminish their importance, blend them with the walls.

Contemporary-Style Furniture

Contemporary furniture should make a bold statement but simultaneously be simple and uncluttered. Smooth, clean geometric shapes are essential. Upholstered furniture is often black, white, or other neutral tones, using the natural fibers of wool, cotton, linen, silk, and jute to add textural appeal. Pillows in clean geometric shapes add a shot of color and texture.

Use a basic background and shout out with your favorite color on a furniture piece that stands out. Sofas, chairs, and ottomans often have exposed legs. Beds and chairs usually omit skirts, trims, fringes, or tassels. Don't use ruffles, excessive carved details, or floral prints. Abolish cute and tiny—go basic, bare, bold, and structural.

Flooring

Floors in a contemporary style home should be bare and smooth, using wood, tile, or vinyl. Choose commercial grades if you must use some carpet for sound control or warmth. Add color and texture with plain or geometric-patterned area rugs. Marble is another popular choice in contemporary interiors.

Lighting Considerations and Art

Track lighting and recessed lighting help to wash a wall in light. Consider installing cove lighting or indirect light in both home renovations and new construction. Include color and metallic elements on the light fixtures.

Use spotlights or can lighting directed at a painting, poster, or print. These will help to draw the eye to the pieces you want to focus on. Contemporary-style sculptures or framed art can be placed at eye level on a structural column or pedestal.

Frames in high-gloss or matte black, natural wood, or metal finishes are great for artwork. If you must put several pieces together, hang them close together so they create the feeling of one large piece. Don't clutter contemporary-style rooms with collections or too many pieces. In contemporary interiors, open space is often just as important as the pieces you put in the space.

Other Design Elements

Generous use of metal, stone, and opaque or clear glass works well in a room decorated in a contemporary style. To soften and warm-up space, use heavily textured fabrics in plain colors for window treatments, pillows, or rugs.

Colorful, fussy prints should be avoided since they confuse the plain space that is key to a contemporary-style home. Two-tone prints work well. Think about a zebra-print pillow on a black leather chair, a large leopard-print pillow thrown on a plain floor, or a bold, heavily textured striped rug to anchor solid-colored, sleek furniture.

In contemporary rooms, plants and flowers should be large and dramatic in simple containers. Large blooms with interesting leaves work better than small arrangements. If space allows, place upward-focused lights around a large plant on the floor. Keep the arrangements neat with rocks or bark chips arranged over the soil in the pots.

Keep dinnerware contemporary, too. There are many geometric shapes, bold colors, and interesting styles available. Bring in texture with silverware, napkins, placemats, and centerpieces.

Contemporary Style Throughout the House

Kitchen

Design with a contemporary edge in a kitchen means sleek, functional pieces, keeping everything looking clean. Think stainless steel appliances, an open floor plan, emphasizing big open spaces, and appliances stowed away with no clutter.

Contemporary style is a sophisticated yet easy, breezy style. Bar seating at a kitchen bar or island encourages entertaining in an open space. Design materials don’t have to match; consider mixing textures using wood, concrete, glass, ceramic, and metal.

Living Room

The living room should feel inviting with rounded, soft lines, such as curvy couches or rounded pillow backs, and lighting that fills the room with soft light, using lamps and sconces that are classy-looking and functional.

Typical color schemes in the living room usually feature white, grey, black, cream, taupe, and brown with simple notes of color. Furniture textiles are usually natural fibers, like cotton, wool, linen, leather, and silk, mixed with other textures in the room, such as warm woods like birch and maple, glass, and metals like nickel, chrome, and stainless steel.

Bathroom

A contemporary bathroom focuses on sleek lines and bare surfaces, particularly with no clutter. Chrome is king in a contemporary-style bathroom, although other materials, like quartz, concrete, and light-colored wood or bamboo, work well. Use simple lighting or let in natural light. Also, contemporary style highlights contrasts in color like white and black or texture like soft wood tone contrasted with metal or glass.

Bedroom

The prominent colors in a contemporary-style room are usually neutral, using natural textiles, like cotton, linen, and silk, on wall coverings, bedspreads, and furniture. Furniture is simple and practical, enclosing items and keeping things orderly and out of sight. Lines and curves keep the feeling sleek and sophisticated. Lamps and standing lights give the room ambient, layered light, softening the room's mood.