What Makes the Contemporary Furniture Style a Great Design

What Makes The Contemporary Style So Great - Modish Living

Contemporary style is more than just design; it’s a way of living. We have seen a rise in the use of contemporary interior design combining both form and function as we as a society lead busier and more stressful lives. Contemporary furniture design does away with over complicated and over the top style by stripping back on non-essentials and embracing smart technology.

Hudson Living Kielder Oak Dining Set Bench

Contemporary interior design combines architecture, décor and best furniture designs to make one seamless style, which at first glance is almost too cool for most households, or in a lot of cases too daunting to embark upon. However, contemporary style doesn’t have to be out of reach in any home. Here, we explain the main elements of contemporary style and reveal how to create your ultra modern living space without adding any extra stress to your busy life!

Clean Lines

The kitchen and bathroom in a contemporary home scream clean lines and sleek finishes. These are usually finished all in one or two colours, with a statement piece here and there to avoid feeling clinical. There are no unnecessary knick-knacks or junk – this only complicates your space and contradicts what contemporary style encompasses.

Bold Colours

Hudson Living Kielder Oak Chest of Drawers

Contemporary spaces mean you can be brave with your colour choices – think black and lime green, white and pink, even on black or dark blue wall with contrasting gold or copper light fixtures. This can help you create a statement and warmth in your home without having to deal with overcomplicated, cluttered spaces. Block colours and bold patterns as opposed to intricate, busy designs, promote a calmer, clearer environment – somewhere you’d like to be after a busy day.

Contemporary Art

Every home needs art and contemporary clutter-free spaces are no different. Think statement art on the walls or modern picture rails. Choosing the right kind of art for your taste and your home can be tricky – remember to keep things simple with bold modern pieces. If your space is neutral then don’t be afraid to explore and experiment with colourful modern pieces as long as they don’t overcomplicate the room.

Scale & Proportion

Hudson Living Kielder Oak Coffee Table

Contemporary style works best when you pick the right accessories to complement your minimalist space. The most effective way to create interest without clutter is to play about with scale and proportion of objects. Over-sized light shades on pendants, over-sized lamps on side tables and large pieces of artwork can all make a big impact. But it isn’t just large pieces that transform a room – smaller details also add variety and interest. Small lighting fixtures like single bulbs work well in contrast with a high ceiling; and low coffee tables make an interesting distinction between pieces of furniture in your living room.

Latest Materials/Materials Mix

Contemporary design also means using new materials – usually cutting edge, eco-friendly or recycled. Yes, contemporary style is all about being modern, but it is also about reinventing something and making it works for our modern lives.

Reworked Classical Furniture

Reinventing old classic furniture could mean giving your much loved armchair a complete revamp, but remember to stay clear of rustic or shabby chic, and keep things simple with neat, seamless spray paint and new, modern upholstery. Or if DIY isn’t your thing, you can add contemporary remakes of classical furniture.

If you’re looking to bring contemporary furniture style to your space, it doesn’t have to be too difficult. Simply take not of the tips above, and start with one room at a time, decluttering as you go to create a home that is completely at one with your contemporary life.

How to Brighten Up Your Living Room with a Pink Sofa

How to Brighten Up Your Living Room with a Pink Sofa - Modish Living

For some time now, we’ve been encouraged to decorate with neutrals, embrace earth shades and go gaga for grey. The contemporary living room is all about minimalism, Scandi and Hygge – soft, inoffensive and enveloping. That’s all well and good – and there’s no denying that done well, any of those styles look magnificent in any home. But what happens when you feel the need for a little bit of colour again? When you yearn for warm, bright and welcoming?

Berry sofa interior living room contemporary

Therein lies the beauty of those soft dove greys and creamy beige neutrals. When you decide that all your room needs is a pop of colour – those go-with-anything schemes can take it. Any colour, light or dark, soft and chalky or bright and in your face accents are what it’s all about. An accent colour can add that splash, or pop with a feature wall or a few simple accessories. Add a few bold, red or terracotta cushions, a matching throw and candle jars to a grey room and you’ve a whole new look. Or try aqua with beiges and creams. Again, you wouldn’t know it was the same room.

Pinks for every style

For more impact and a slightly more permanent accent without redecorating, one fabulous, statement piece of furniture will do it. Take, for example, pink. Now, pink is a colour that many will shy away from in all but a little Princess bedroom – but that’s really missing a trick. Pink has warmth and softness without the harshness of reds and purples. Pink says soft and welcoming, not just candy floss and dolls. Pink is love and romance, spring blossom, comfort, gentleness. Pink implies health – ‘you’re in the pink’. The hotter shades – magenta, cerise and fuchsia – are vibrant and energetic and can add opulence, while the salmons and corals are sophisticated and elegant enough to grace any dining room.

Don’t go all out – accents are perfect

Pink is versatile, but will always show itself, so don’t overdo it. Choose a gorgeous piece of contemporary lounge furniture – a stunning pink sofa, perhaps. A pink sofa will reinforce the vibrant colours of any room and add a welcome pop to the more neutral space. Immediately, your room has a centerpiece, a focal point and everything else is just background. Your living room will have a real style and class, as well as feeling instantly updated.

Know your space

A baby pink sofa, although pretty and refreshing may lack practicality in the family home – but in the professional’s loft would look effortlessly cool and stylish. Magenta would immediately add impact and bright candy pink could add a retro, kitsch vibe. Soft crushed strawberry pink falls somewhere in the middle – it has a satisfying depth and practicality but is still undeniably pink.

Whatever your preferred shade, add some pink to your home today and feel the happiness and contentment that this adaptable colour can bring.

Grey furniture for your home

Why Buy Grey Furniture for your Home? - Modish Living

In recent years, grey has become the neutral colour of choice with homes all over the world picking this cooler hue to decorate their interiors. And, its popularity is far from limited to just our walls – grey furniture is now very much of the moment fitting perfectly into all types of interior schemes, including Scandi and Nordic style interiors that many of us have adopted here in the UK. From grey living room furniture to bedroom furniture, we look at why it is a great choice and how to style it in your home.

grey sofa with orange pendant lights

There are more than 50 shades of grey

Grey is so much more than just a mix of black and white. From the palest dove grey to a deep and dramatic dark stormy grey, there are many shades and tones to choose from. A grey can be cool and fresh, soft and relaxing, warm and enveloping. Better still, grey will go with anything. Add a vibrant pop of colour to grey living room furniture for a complete change of mood, or accessorise grey furniture with dusty pink or pastels for a softer more feminine style in the bedroom.

It’s versatile

grey bedroom furniture with pink bed sheets

Grey colour for furniture is also incredibly versatile. Think heritage, chalky shades in a cosy, country cottage or conjure up the greys of a contemporary industrial interior. Two schemes that could not be more different and yet grey furniture would work equally well for both.

With all the same varieties and vagaries of shade, mood and depth you can add whatever style you like to your room. Grey living room furniture can be calm and collected or softly relaxing, whilst grey bedroom furniture can add warmth and energy to an otherwise cold north-facing bedroom or bring a cooling breeze to a hot south-facing space. It brings hints of blue, pink, purple, even brown and yellow – think of the sky just before it snows, heavy with yellow tones, or the almost purple hints of the sky about to burst with thunder and lightning.

It doesn’t date your décor

grey sofa with grey fabric armchair and white rug

Due to its neutral nature, Scandi furniture will never date and so you can update your décor and make it on-trend without replacing every item of furniture. It lends itself to any colour scheme you choose for your walls and accessories – right now, grey furniture would stand nicely next to a living room wall painted in a muted natural plaster, such as Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster, as well as a dark anthracite grey or even sunshine yellow.

How to do it right

Try pairing grey living room furniture with a warm, squashy brown leather sofa, adding a contemporary rug, throw or cushions for a pop of colour. In a period property experiment with chalk paint on grey bedroom furniture to add some personality to the piece and the room. In the more industrial or minimalist-style room, a sleek grey dining table and wooden dining chairs will keep the mood modern, whilst if you covet a Scandi or Nordic interior, grey colour for your furniture will seamlessly blend in with this style of décor.

Grey doesn’t have to mean dull. Why not make timeless furniture on top of your home wish list?