The concept that artisans and artists may collaborate to produce practical furniture with a more artistic appeal has impacted contemporary furniture design, sometimes known as midcentury modern due to its prominence during the middle of the 20th century. In the design context, it does not refer to the present but rather to a particular style.
Modernism as a movement
The modernist movement aimed to embrace a cleaner, less ornate style combined with contemporary materials made possible by technical advancements while rejecting the conventional design approach. Designers of furniture were eager to test out these novel materials. They discovered they could make chairs out of molded fiberglass or wrap a lounge chair around steel legs instead of a wood frame. The form came second to function, with a stronger artistic appeal.
Design of Modern Furniture
The hallmarks of contemporary furniture design are smooth, gleaming surfaces and clean, straight lines. Simple geometric shapes are highlighted rather than ornate details. The goal is to provide a clean appearance free of broken lines and color combinations. Modern furniture design aims to have a lighter visual impression because traditional furniture is visually substantial. Modern design is characterized by the use of materials like stainless steel, nickel, or aluminum, exposed softwood, clean-lined plastic, and a lack of excessive features.
Current Designers
During the 1950s and 1960s, designers spearheaded the modernist movement, including the husband-and-wife combination Charles and Ray Eames, Florence Knoll Basset, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Herman Miller, and Arne Jacobsen. This creative team created the Tongue chair, Barcelona chair, and other classic designs. Another contemporary designer, Milo Baughman, collaborated with Drexel and Henredon, furniture makers, to help popularize his modernized interpretation of traditional designs. The business founded by Basset Knoll is still in business and still producing contemporary furniture. If you like modern design, look for vintage items created by designers. There are frequently good replicas available as well.
Contemporary Design vs. Modern Design
Contemporary design is frequently confused with modern furniture design. Although there may be some parallels between the two, they are not equivalent. The furniture of today is angular and quite artistic. Although it has similar crisp lines, contemporary design is more pragmatic, less creative, and has a cozier appearance. Modern design is an updated version of classic style with a hint of midcentury influence. Modern components like light wood accents and brushed nickel light fixtures are frequently used in interior design. The primary furniture will be more plush, curved, and comfortable, with few elaborate details.
How to Blend Classical and Modern Furniture
Contrary to popular belief, blending old and modern furniture is not unheard of; many people do it. But because it’s an art, perfect execution calls for meticulous attention. At this point, the debate about classic vs. modern furniture is pointless. You are not required to pick one over the other. You can consume them all at once. And isn’t that something to have that would be exciting?
The truth about home décor is what you like best, what works best for your visual mind, or, to put it another way, your very own individual style. You cannot stick to one kind of furniture if you truly want your house to stand out and are passionate about it. That said, combining classic and modern furniture might cause a cluttered look. Therefore, it is essential that you carefully weigh all of your options before choosing to mix furniture from two entirely different eras.
How to Balance Different Furniture Styles
The dominating style must be chosen to achieve the ideal balance between traditional and modern furniture. Do you like a conventional or contemporary design for your house, place of business, or restaurant, in other words? A home’s decor must be entirely dominated by one type, for example, by more classic and less modern furniture or the opposite. You don’t want both kinds to compete for room and appearance in your home if you try to accommodate them with the same intensity.
Decide on your favorite dominating style initially. If you’re having trouble deciding, consider a traditional room with contemporary touches or a modern space with classic antiques. In other words, which will serve as the primary style and which as the compliment? You truly have a choice. Let’s examine the traits of a traditional décor and a modern décor before we go into the skill of fusing the two styles.
Features of traditional décor
Each nation or region may have its definition of what constitutes traditional décor. You can see why using traditional Swedish decor won’t work in an English setting. For this article, we’ll focus on the interior design of India, the birthplace of craftsmanship. Few places can boast of the standard design features found in Indian dwellings.