How to Discover the Right Contemporary Design for Your Modern Home
Is it contemporary or is it modern? That’s the confusing question that many struggle with. Before you start picking a contemporary design for your home or filling it with décor, it is important to learn the difference between modern and contemporary!
A Modern Home
It helps to think of modern homes as not quite modern, by today’s standards. Technically, modern homes are actually mid-century modern, which is the home style that was pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright and others between the 1920s and 1950s. These homes are organic in nature – plain and often unadorned, made with a mix of natural materials like stone and wood. The designs are usually asymmetrical and squarish.
Contemporary Style
Contemporary is a completely different definition of modern. This design style is a blanket term for anything that is trending right now. Think of it this way: Victorian homes were contemporary to Victorians, and mid-century modern homes were contemporary to the people living in the mid-20th Century.
These days, it isn’t uncommon to see contemporary craftsman homes, contemporary ranch homes and so forth. For these homes, the contemporary label is added because new and trendy design principles are added to the original style to make something completely different.
Here is where things get really confusing: Today’s contemporary homes are borrowing a lot of themes from the mid-century modern look. There are some differences, of course, but there are many similarities. Let’s take a look at what it takes to create a modern contemporary home!
Designing a Modern Contemporary Home
1.Shape and Layout
This is one area where contemporary homes borrow heavily from mid-century modern principle. These homes tend to be square – flat or gently sloped roofs rather than sharp peaks and no rounded or angled walls. You can see some great examples of this at the Marvin Contemporary Studio.
Floor plans are usually very asymmetrical because the uneven design gives the home loads of curb appeal. Inside, the living area is open – the kitchen, living and dining areas encompassing one space with bedrooms and bathrooms separate.
2. Materials
Today’s contemporary homes use a wonderful mixture of sleek and organic. In a mid-century modern home, you’ll often find rooms made entirely of stone and wood, but in a contemporary home, the natural materials are blended with smooth, bright walls. Stone or wood will feature as accent walls, staircases, cabinets, countertops and floors, while the rest of the walls (and ceiling!) are smooth and fresh.
3. Windows and Doors
Glass features heavily in today’s contemporary homes. Doors will of course be predominately glass, and nearly all of today’s contemporary homes features at least one wall of floor-to-ceiling windows – and sometimes two or three walls! Even in bedrooms, where smaller windows are wanted, the windows are still usually wider and taller than more old-fashioned styles. Overall, panes of glass are as unbroken as possible, with few or no sashes dividing the glass. These Marvin windows and doors are the perfect examples of sleek, contemporary window and door styles.
4. Hardware and Décor
The finishing touches in contemporary homes are simple above all else. Designers often choose plain steel drawer pulls, and furniture is square and unembellished. Instead of carving or ornate designs, designers usually rely on bright, contrasting colors to provide interest.
Can You Mix Contemporary and Traditional Styles?
You certainly can! Take the contemporary craftsman home, for instance. In these homes, you’ll have peaked roofs instead of flat, but the peaks will be much lower than the peaks on a traditional craftsman home. A contemporary craftsman home usually also features an asymmetrical layout, but siding, trim and roofing materials give the home a traditional look. That same mixture of themes continues on the inside – impeccable craftsmanship shows through in the woodwork, which is set off by sleek, contemporary design elements.
Contemporary and modern homes are not to be confused with each other. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun blending these two styles, particularly since today’s contemporary homes use many of the mid-century modern design principles!