If you’re looking to create a modern design aesthetic in your home, there are several things you can do to make your house really “pop.” Do you know what they are?
What is Modern Home Design?
Modern design is very much a fluid term with a number of definitions and interpretations. It also tends to evolve over time as tastes change and styles shift. But in simple terms, modern design is the reflection of modern art in the interior of a home.
“Modern design was meant to be the antithesis of the previous design styles which used heavy textures, carvings and wood tones throughout the home,” interior designer Beth Asaff writes. “Therefore, most components of modern design, from the furniture to the shape of the rooms, includes clean, straight lines with no additional detail.”
You can think of modern home design as simple, clean, and sleek. It might be visually striking, but it’s also overwhelmingly straight to the point. It’s a focus on quality over quantity, where less is more.
5 Tips for Modern Design
If you’re serious about infusing modern design into your home, here are some simple techniques you can try.
- Declutter and Purge
The first step is to simplify your possessions and get rid of everything that doesn’t serve a specific purpose. If it’s not functional – or if it isn’t integral to the design of the room – it needs to go.
The goal of modern design isn’t to have empty spaces. The objective is to simplify so that the room’s most elegant features can receive the attention they deserve. You can think of it like weeding a flower bed so that the flowers are no longer shrouded by the weeds.
The best way to declutter is to focus on one room at a time. Touch every single item in the room and determine if it’s something you need. If the answer is no, get rid of it immediately.
- Find a Focal Point
Every room in your home should have a design focal point. (And there should be just one focal point per room.) In the dining room, this is typically a hanging light fixture. In the kitchen, it might be a unique slab of quartz on the island. In the living room, it could be a fireplace or a piece of artwork.
When you have an aesthetic focal point within the room, it makes designing the rest of the room much easier. It takes away some of the pressure to get every individual element just right. You can emphasize the focal point and then tactfully complement it as you like.
- Be Thoughtful in the Details
While each room should have a singular focal point, you can give your interior design a feeling of authenticity and depth by being very thoughtful in the details.
For example, consider your home’s hardware. Modern door hardware – which usually means sleek, metal, and functional door levers instead of basic knobs – is one detail that will take your design up a notch.
- Add Color
Don’t be afraid to infuse a little color into your interior design. You don’t have to stick with blacks, whites, and grays.
“Unlike the minimalism and Nordic styles, in modernism it is possible to incorporate color, but always in pure tones without nuance or gradient,” HBellorin Interior Design notes. “It is also possible to play with tone on tone, to incorporate greater visual richness, although simplicity should always prevail. The idea is not to overload the eye.”
If you keep this concept of visual simplicity at the forefront of your mind, you’ll always be successful with modern design. It’s when things get too crowded or convoluted that issues arise.
- Preserve Sightlines
Sightlines are everything in modern design. Whenever possible, you want to let the room breathe and keep it free from major obstructions. Avoid bulky furniture, heavy curtains, and lots of walls. Keep it simple!
Adding it All Up
Achieving modern interior design isn’t as difficult as some make it out to be. Yes, it requires a total overhaul of your current approach. However, with the right tweaks here and there, you can transform your home’s look and feel. Come up with a plan and be disciplined in your approach!
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