Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year, is almost upon us. It is traditionally a time for festive celebrations at home and elsewhere. Furthermore, it is a time for glamour and sparkle. And it is a time to cozy up by the fire. So give your home a warm, cozy and inviting feel this Christmas. To help you out, I will share a few tips to make your home festive and welcoming. And I will give you budget-friendly tips too!
So read on and get inspired with new and vintage ways to liven up your home for Christmas. Make your Christmas bright with ideas you can use for years to come.
Tie Your Room Together with a Colour Scheme
As an interior decorator and home stager, when I design a room, Christmas tree, or tablescape, the first thing I usually think about is colour. And a red and green colour scheme says classic Christmas. For example, red and green were the inspiration for this mantle above. These are red and green stockings we had when our children were young: so it adds a nostalgic feel too. They still love looking to see what goodies are in the stockings!
The same room without red gives it a biophilic eco-green contemporary look which you can see in the photo below. Here there are a lot of greens, wintery white, creams and ivory. The brown furniture and gold accents add warmth to the design.
It enhances your room’s coziness if everything is tied together with a similar colour scheme. For example, everything in the space below is either green, white, gold or brown. It adds that cozy harmonious feel to the room. The colour scheme pulls everything together into one cohesive look. Because there is so much green in the room, it has that biophilic calm feeling which is popular now.
During the Christmas season, I love the twinkling Christmas lights everywhere and especially on the Christmas tree. So I encourage you to add strands of Christmas lights to your tree. The twinkle of radiant Christmas lights makes a room feel warm and festive. There is nothing cozier than Christmas lights.
Since the colour scheme in our great room was white and green, we used warm white bulbs to decorate the Christmas tree in our family room. We used warmer light bulbs. They are cheerier than the colder white light bulbs. But the colder temperature white lights will make it look more modern. Whatever colour the bulbs you choose, they will still create a festive mood and magical touch.
Metallics
Metals add a timeless elegance to a room: especially during the Christmas season.It goes particularly well with other festive colours, such as green. So, I decided to keep my gold orbs in a brass bowl I have in our great room throughout the year. I also decided to keep the brass vases, gold pomegranate and gold circular ring sculptures already on the mantle.
I think glittering gold does up the glam factor in a room. So I used round gold Christmas tree ornaments and gold-coloured wrapping paper for presents under the tree. Yes, I like to turn gifts into decorations too!I love using wrapping paper that complements the colour scheme of the room. It adds an extra layer of warmth and creates an inviting feel to the room. I think displaying beautifully wrapped presents under the tree adds that finished look. Plus, wrapped presents are fun to open up!
Gold has a warm undertone, so it is cozy because of that. It has a warmer feel than comparable white metals. And it is a luxurious tone to add to a colour palette. I added gold-coloured accessories, including a lumbar pillow with gold threads. Gold and brass look great in traditional, transitional or modern styles. So it looks great in any interior design-styled space.
Cozy it up with Throw Blankets and Pillows
You can add thick, soft throws to keep you and your loved ones warm. So you and they can snuggle up with them on the sofa. Throws and pillows are sure to keep you toasty warm on those cold nights. Our family room has sheep skin, chunky throw blankets and faux fur pillows that help us snuggle up against to keep warm. Furthermore, chunky knitted throws, pillows and sheepskin add a cozy look to the room.
Highlight the Fireplace
Fireplaces already make a room warm and cozy. Highlight it as one of the focal points in your room by adding a garland made of greenery. As you can see, gold and green were the inspiration for this mantle. Furthermore, I use pine cones, berry sprigs and other natural elements as inspiration to dress up the garland further. We have pine trees with pine cones and holly bushes with berries in our backyard, so it is like bringing in the outdoors. So yes, our backyard was my inspo too.
I added Christmas items such an angel, a star and a Christmas tree stocking holder to create this look which ups the Christmas feel further.
Decorate the Tree
Christmas would not be complete without a tree. So add Christmas tree decorations to them. They bring that Christmas joy. Add vintage pieces you have been collecting through the years. Or start a tradition and begin collecting ornaments this year.
Incorporate well-remembered vintage ornaments and tree decorations. Use collected decorations to bring back the Christmas past and to create that nostalgic feel for you and your family. They bring that familiar, comforting scene. It is easier on your budget too!
It is good to stick with a colour scheme on the tree too. So I chose white and gold ornaments for our tree. I chose this colour theme last year and this year. The gold and green modern art above the fireplace inspired me. Let colours already in your home or on your tree ornaments provide colour ideas for you too. I used large gold and white glass balls on my tree to fill the space quickly.
It is also good to stick with a theme, such as using Christian-themed ornaments that could include wooden nativity scenes, stars and angels. This subject matter helps tell the true meaning of Christmas. And it does so on the tree! Or pick another theme that is meaningful to you. I place these tree ornaments in between the glass baubles.
Do not forget the tree skirt. For example, our white Christmas skirt adds texture and coziness to the look of our tree too. Also, notice how the presents I wrapped are green, white and gold. These colours on the wrapping paper support the colour scheme of the design. My Christmas design has traditional elements but incorporates a modern colour scheme and accessories such as wall art.
There is no need to remove everything non-festive in your room. Especially if some of your decor, such as your wall art, already has Christmas colours. Instead, incorporate Christmas decorations in between or around what you already have. No matter what your living situation is, you can bring cozy touches into a room, even if it is just greenery from the garden and Christmas tree ornaments from Christmas past. Just a bit of festive decor can bring that Christmas warmth to your space. So begin your Christmas decorating. And I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
I, Lynn Asbury, am the founder of Lynteriors which provides interior decorating services in Aurora, Ontario. My passion is making spaces beautiful, comfortable, and suitable for your lifestyle.
Lake of Bays Cottage Exterior Renovation by Lynteriors
My Cottage’s Exterior Makeover Reveal
An exterior home renovation or exterior cottage makeover can be costly, especially if you add an extension. It is less expensive if you need a new coat of paint, new shingles, a new deck and some new exterior features. It is what our cottage project required to rejuvenate it. Perhaps you need something similar to freshen up the exterior of your house. Since the outside of your home or cottage makes a considerable impact. Read on to find out how to make it a good one.
I thought I would reveal our Lake of Bays cottage renovation process to inspire you to makeover your exterior home or cottage. Our cottage needed an exterior paint job, but we put it off because the deck needed a makeover too. The priority at first was the deck because the boards were rotting and dangerous to walk on. Unfortunately, the second-floor skylight began to leak. The water made it to the kitchen breakfast area. So that trumped everything. The shingles needed replacement too. We fixed the skylight and replaced the shingles. There is future exterior work, such as an extension which we would like to do. But that will have to wait.
The Story Behind Our New Roof
Roofing is a critical feature of the exterior of your home or cottage. So picking the shingle’s colour is crucial. In the summer of 2021, we replaced the old shingles with dark gray ones called weathered wood. It works well with the colours of the tree trunk bark that you can see in the forest to the side of the cottage. The photo above shows you what I mean. And as you can see, these shingles coordinate with the gray flagstone path at the front of the lake house.
The photo below shows the cottage after the shingles were replaced and before it was painted. It replaced a brown roof and transformed the look.
The Story Behind Our Deck Railings
In the fall of 2021, we decided to renew our deck, which faces Lake of Bays. The deck boards were rotting, making it unsafe to walk. Before we got our roof done, we made a trip to Excel Railings in Bracebridge, Ontario, to pick the railing colour for our replacement deck. We chose a light-coloured warm beige aluminum railing colour called sand.
Interestingly, in the afternoon sun, this sand colour looks more like a warm white, which you can see in the photo below. Inside our cottage, it appears more like a warm beige. I will explain further on in this blog why this happens. After our deck replacement, we decided we needed to have the cottage repainted too. We were not sure we liked the orange stained board-on-board wood colour.
Tips for Deciding Upon Exterior Paint Colours
Since we did not like how our exterior paint colour looked with our new railings, we had to pick exterior paint colours next. Choosing paint colours can be daunting. So you may ask. What are the top priorities when selecting exterior paint colours for your home or cottage?
There are several factors to consider before deciding on new colours for the exterior of your home or cottage. One of these factors is that the exterior paint colour is more of a long-term commitment than indoor paint. For example, there is less paint required in a room than the amount needed for the exterior of your cottage. Therefore, the outside takes longer to paint and requires more paint colour than the one room of your house. As a result, exterior paint projects are costlier. So you want to make sure you will like it.
The factors and tips in this blog will ensure the process of picking your exterior paint colour goes smoothly for you. It did for us. Recently, we repainted our cottage exterior. So I will use our project as an example. More than a new colour, paint is our home’s protective barrier. So now I have both peace of mind along with the pretty. I like the idea of both. We waited too long. So part of it did have some wood rot along the deck, which needed repair. It was good we got it done when we did to protect it from decaying further.
Adding exterior paint is a cost-effective way to redo the home exterior. It is a preferred option for many homeowners that want a new look without the hefty price tag. Choosing a good exterior house colour and trim combination can change the look and add life to the cottage or home. However, even though a new coat of paint can go a long way, it can also be a dramatic change that’s hard to comprehend until the whole house is painted. Accordingly, it’s vital to carefully consider multiple options before making a final decision and changing the entire exterior of a home. One way to do this is to create mood boards.
Mood Boards
One factor to consider is other exterior colours close to the cottage. We already chose the shingles colours and railing colours. So I compared how they looked together. A mood board like this one can help you do this. You should examine the lasting elements— path flagstones, railing posts and roof shingles—before you pick exterior colours. Most of these features have undertones that might affect your palette. I considered a blue colour palette and a green colour scheme. My husband preferred the green one. So that is the one we chose.
Mood boards help you see how the colours work together. I took the mood board photo inside my office by my west-facing window. Since I took the picture in the morning, it was in the shade. The Carrington Beige looks darker and more sandy in the shade inside.
As you can see, it is almost the same colour as the Benjamin Moore paint chip Sag Harbour Gray. These colours have a green undertone. They look like a warm gray or a warm beige in this lighting. The colours would look like this in a west-facing room in the morning. The light or lack of it in a room affects the colour.
The same is true outdoors too. But the colours tend to look lighter outside. Like the cottage photos reveal, they look more like a gray and warm white outside.
Check the Roof
Your house is your canvas, but it is not blank. Some colours that are on your home’s exterior are already established. Our roof, for example, was just reshingled. We had the railing colour already picked out too. It was fortuitous that I still had the railing colour sample to compare to the shingle colour sample. When choosing exterior paint, start with what’s there already. House paint is simpler to change than a roof. Your exterior siding paint colour doesn’t need to match the rooftop, but it should harmonize. I chose to go with a lighter colour to contrast with the roofing. As the adage goes: it is all in the details.
The trim and siding colours chosen matched almost perfectly with the railings. It is more apparent during certain times of the day. Read on to find out what I mean.
Factor in the House’s Lighting
Look at your paint chips during the day, at night, when it is sunny, and when it’s cloudy. Paint colour is usually affected by the environment, shade, sun, and time of day. So take samples of the colour and see how it looks on different sides of your home or cottage. I did this before I chose the colours for our lake house.
The paint chips will look different inside your cottage under artificial light. And they will look different outside under the natural light of the sun. Furthermore, the colours will look different on your home’s exterior depending if it is south, west or east-facing.
Let’s look at the south side or forest side of our cottage….
Sunlight will drastically turn your exterior colour cool or bluish, which happens to a paint colour when daylight is abundant. A house with bright sun exposure will need to go at least 2 to 3 times warmer on the exterior colour to get to a balanced color so that the house doesn’t lean too cool or blue. This is especially true on the south-facing side and west facing-facing side of your home.
For example, some trees create dappled shade on the south side of our cottage. The image above shows how these beige and brown-gray colours look. The taupe Sag Harbour gray looks more like a light gray or white in the dappled sunny areas and a darker blue-gray in the shade. The photo shows that the sun does indeed turn exterior colours bluish. Since I wanted a white and gray lake house, I was happy!
In the sun, these colours look gray and white with no green undertone visible. If you recall, the taupe colours look beige and dark in my office by my west-facing window. The photo above shows how dramatically sunlight drains the colour of the paint. Outside, in natural sunlight, it looks different. The colour looks light gray and white instead of beige. Beige is the colour they look like on the mood board.
The south-facing side of our cottage looks gray and white. Direct south-facing light washes out or drains the green undertone. It is something to consider if you want the undertone to be visible on specific sides of your house, like the front or back.
Let’s look at the west-facing lake side of our cottage.
Paint colour can look different from one side of your home to the other based on the type and quality of light your house gets. They can look dramatically different in the shade or sun too!
For example, the colours look softer on the west side of our cottage than they did on the south side. The photo above shows how both colours look softer compared to how they look on the south-facing side of the building. Also, the colours look different in the shade compared to how they look in the direct sun.
The Sag Harbour Gray looked like the colour of our railings in the shade. The photo above shows what I mean. If you look closely at the railing post beside the cottage, it appears to be the exact colour of our siding!
If you look closely at this same photo, you will also see that the railing pickets in the direct sun look like the lighter door trim colour! The sun can wash out the colours, which in our case, helped the exterior paint colours coordinate well with our railings.
Let’s look at the east-facing, front of the cottage…..
A colour you LOVE on the back might not be your fave on the front, but SOMETIMES, something has to give. Sag hourbour gray has lots of movement. It looks like a different colour on the front of the cottage. It has a different colour on the deck in the back where our lake is. In our case, this situation made us both happy!I liked the gray and warm white that these colours appeared on the west side of the cottage. On the other hand, my husband wanted our cottage to have a green exterior.
As we drive up to our cottage we see its east-facing front. Since this side of the cottage is east facing, the sun shines on it in the morning. On the front of the cottage, it looked like a neutral gray when it received the morning sun. But in the afternoon it often picked up a different colour. During the afternoon when it receives no sun, it often looked more of a greenish gray. The photo above shows you what I mean. Since the west side of the cottage looks gray and white and the east facing side sometimes looks green both of us are happy!
Look at Your Homes Surroundings
The landscape around it also plays a part. That is because your home’s surroundings are blooming with colour ideas. You can use the colours of forests, plants and scenery to help determine if you want the exterior to blend or reflect the natural surroundings.
For example, the prevalence of trees that many cottages have around them may suggest an earthy palette of greens for the exterior. And a beach setting might propound using sandy colours such as sand or beige. For example, the exterior trim of our cottage appears to have a sandy hue during some periods of the day. So it echoes the small sandy beach we have by the lake. The lakeside beige deck railing and Carrington beige trim mirror the colours of the small sandy beach we have. And I love that both the deck railing and exterior trim colour of the cottage echo the colour of sandy beaches.
Meanwhile, my husband loves that our cottage has a forest surrounding it and wanted a green exterior painted lake house to reflect that. The Benjamin Moore Sag Harbour Gray is a warm gray with a green undertone. As a result, it seems to pick up that green undertone when surrounded by green grass and forest. You can see the effect in the photo above. My husband got his green cottage. So he is happy.
Since I am a home stager and decorator, I wanted something neutral but still cottage-like. I loved gray since it echoes the colour of the gray granite prevalent around the Lake of Bays. It is also similar to the colours in our granite flagstone path leading up to our cottage. The photo below shows you what I mean. Furthermore, I like warm whites and beiges since they are popular colours and mimic the sandy colour on our little beach. Carrington’s beige looks white, especially when the sun shines on it. But it is more of a light beige. So I did it! I found colours both of us prefer!
Architectural details
Another factor to consider when picking an exterior paint colour is if there are any architectural details, such as window frames and mullions. To emphasize architectural details, paint them with an accent colour that has an intentional relationship to the background colour of the home. For example, we painted our window frames, door frames, and window mullions lighter.
Painting these architectural features a different colour highlighted them and added decorative interest to our cottage exterior. It complimented the cottage. You can completely transform the outside of your home by painting your architectural details. It creates a uniquely distinctive look.
Conclusion
We waited a while to renovate our cottage exterior for several reasons. When we did, we had to choose new deck railings, shingles and exterior paint colours. If you have all the samples like we did, creating a mood board to compare how everything looks ensures the colours will work together. So the first tip for narrowing down the paint colour is to create a mood board. Secondly, it is critical to see how the colours will look with lasting elements such as the entranceway walkway.
The third tip is to place the paint chips against the exterior siding of your home to see if the colour is what you will be happy with throughout the day. Another point to remember is the colours will look lighter in the afternoon if that part of the house is west-facing. It will look light-coloured in the morning if it is east-facing. Therefore, see how the colour looks throughout the day too.
If you live in your backyard and what the exterior paint colour to look good there, then see how the colour will look during different times of the day in your backyard. On our cottage deck, this was important to me. So I was thrilled that it looked white and gray throughout the day.
So if your husband wants a green exterior paint colour to enjoy when he drives up to the cottage or house, and you prefer a gray and white exterior, Sag Harbour gray and Carrington beige may be colours that will make both of you happy. But this is true only if your front yard is east-facing. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Click the following link to find out how to contact me. https://lynteriors.wordpress.com/contact/
I, Lynn Asbury, am the owner of Lynteriors, an interior design firm based in Aurora, Ontario.
Autumn is the traditional time to begin redecorating projects. So, you may be thinking about doing just that. Times are uncertain, though. So, you may want to incorporate some of your existing furniture to keep the costs down.
Perhaps you may want to modernize your space, but some of your pieces may be traditional. Or you may have traditional-style furniture that has sentimental value. So, you want to incorporate it into your updated room design. If so, a transitional style may be for you. The great thing is this style is trending now and will probably become a trend in 2023. So, this style may appeal to you for this reason too.
The wonderful thing about this style is it allows you to keep your existing traditional style furniture but augment it with more contemporary furnishings. And if you like modern and classic furniture, then the transitional style may be worthwhile to explore.
If you’re looking to upgrade your living space, there are many ways to design a transitional-style home. This post shows one of these ways to do it. It features a transitional-style living room redecorated by Lynteriors. The Aurora, Ontario, homeowner wanted to retain most of her furniture.
The transitional style blends traditional and modern design. It combines classic and minimalist furniture, drapery, lighting and accessories in your space to create a timeless look. The transitional interior design style is a type of contemporary decor that combines straight lines with curves, masculine and feminine features, and an old-world classic look with chrome and glass to create a stylish and comfortable space. It is a great style to consider if you have both women and men living in the home. Transitional decor pulls from the best of both aesthetics to form a cohesive concept that is equal parts old and new.
These design styles don’t share many characteristics, so they might not seem compatible and cohesive. However, the transitional design unites these two disparate forms in innovative ways. To inspire you and give you ideas, I’ve compiled a guide to creating the transitional style to help you understand this versatile interior design. Whether you want to change the furniture, colour scheme, decorative pieces, or lighting fixtures in your room, I’ll show you how to combine traditional, modern and contemporary designs for a refined yet casual and comfortable interior.
What is Traditional Style Furniture?
Since the transitional style includes classic characteristics, I will discuss the traditional interior design style. The classic design style draws inspiration from furniture and decorative items that were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. The furniture was made from natural materials such as wood. This living room has traditional-style wooden tables. For example, the side tables and coffee table in the living room pictured below are wooden.
Furthermore, classic-style furniture often featured intricate details and carved motifs. Some examples of traditional furniture include furniture with fluting on table legs. Fluting is carvings that involve carved thin vertical grooves close together. An example of fluting is seen on the table on the right side of the sofa below.
Also, the coffee table has two framed rectangular panel embellishments on its side, giving it a classic vibe. The overall effect is richness because of the wood detailing and warmth because of the wood furniture. There are also more curved lines making up the classical furniture. For example, the spider leg-style legs on one of the nesting tables to the left of the sofa have curvaceous legs. It gives the table a feminine feel. While traditional furniture can be ornate and curvy, modern furniture is all about clean, straight lines.
Redecorated by Lynteriors
What is Modern Style Furniture?
The transitional style also includes elements of modern design. Modern design is a style of interior design that emerged in the early twentieth century and continues to evolve. It was a response to the ornate furnishings of the Victorian era. As a result, the movements and styles of the 20th century have a no-frills sensibility. Go to https://lynteriors.wordpress.com/2022/09/15/interior-design-styles-trending-in-2022-part-1/ to find out more about the modern style.
Many modern furniture designs have straight lines and simple forms. For example, the sofa above has straight lines making its shape rectangular. Even the arms have straight lines. This living room has a balance of modern and traditional style furniture. The form or shape of the sofa is a simple rectangle. This simple geometric form making up the sofa gives it a masculine feel.
It is juxtaposed with the traditional tables around it. The end tables have curves in their structure, giving them a feminine feel. So, the transitional style fuses masculine and feminine qualities. As a result, this style is perfect if you are married and have a family. Everyone in the family will feel comfortable in this room.
So, as you can see, there is a combination of modern and traditional furniture in this room above. This furniture melding gives it that warm but sophisticated transitional vibe.
Other Characteristics of the Style:
Neutral Colour Scheme
Typically, a neutral colour scheme is a foundation for the transitional style. It includes colours such as white, gray, beige, taupe and tan. Dark colours such as brown and black help add depth and subtle contrast to transitional spaces.
This living room has a neutral colour palette. There are grays on the sofa, throw pillows and wall art. And there is white on the lamp shades, wall art, candle, plate, accent pillows, coffee table book, orbs and picture frame. The gray and whites add a modern touch to the room.
The beige walls, coffee table book and bowl on the side table add the earthy classic colour and feel to the room. Even the colour palette helps to create the transitional vibe with a balance of modern white and classic earthy tones of brown and beige. You can incorporate whites, grays and earth tones in your room too.
Artwork
In transitional spaces, such as in this living room, the artwork is usually more modern to create contrast with the traditional furniture. So, incorporate minimalist art into your room to balance your traditional furniture.
Lighting with Metallic and Glass Accents
Moving on to lighting, the transitional style relies on modern table lamps like the ones in this living room. Chrome and glass lamps or light fixtures scream modern. They add glamour to the space too. And when you place them on traditional furniture pieces such as side tables, they help create that transitional vibe.
Sheers designed by Lynteriors
Neutral Coloured Drapery
For the drapery, neutral-coloured fabrics are best for a transitional look, such as warm white. You can add warm white sheer curtains as we did in the living room pictured above. The white sheers designed by us replaced the old ones. It supports the neutral colour scheme of the room too.
Is the Transitional Style the One for You?
Transitional style thoughtfully mixes two design styles to create contemporary spaces with timeless design. For example, the transitional living room featured in this post melded traditional-style wooden tables with ornate detailing and curves with a minimalist straight-lined sofa. So, one way you can achieve this style is by including traditional and modern furniture in your space.
Other transitional style characteristics to incorporate into your transitional space include choosing a neutral colour scheme and adding modern art and contemporary lighting with metallic accents. They help create that transitional vibe too. So, if you love traditional and modern furniture and decor, this decorating style might be for you. You may be feeling you may need some help creating this look. If you want to find out how I can help you, click the link below to discover the services I offer. Click on: https://lynteriors.wordpress.com/work-with-me/
I, Lynn Asbury, am the owner of Lynteriors, an interior design firm based in Aurora, Ontario.
Fall is here. So you may be planning your autumn interior design project. One of the steps in the decorating process is determining the interior design style you wish to incorporate into your space. But you may not know which decorating style to choose for your home. One way to find your personal interior design style is to learn about furniture from different eras. So with that in mind, I will discuss the modern glam farmhouse style in this post.
What is the Modern Farmhouse Style?
Before I talk about the modern glam farmhouse style, I will discuss the farmhouse style. The modern farmhouse style has been around for years. It has utilized different names such as English country, rustic, colonial or primitive. Today’s renditions are rustic but refined and modern. It is traditional with a contemporary twist. The result is a room that feels warm and inviting but also light, airy and sophisticated.
The farmhouse style continues to be popular. And there are many ways to approach farmhouse decorating to create a unique look in every setting. One way is to blend the modern style modern with the farmhouse style while keeping a traditional touch on board.
Rustic style can happen in the city, suburbs or the country. You can create it regardless of location. If you find the farmhouse style or the traditional style too cluttered, ornate and stuffy and modern too cold, but like elements of each, then the modern farmhouse is an excellent style to explore.
Transitional Style and Modern Farmhouse
The modern farmhouse style belongs to the interior design category known as the transitional style. So before I go any further, I will define transitional style. The transitional style is the mix of traditional style warmth with modern style sophistication. It is about embracing classic style: but with a modern twist that reflects the times. The modern farmhouse style is a sub-category of the transitional style.
The modern farmhouse style is a response to the style trends of the early 2000s, which were modern and minimalist styles. Many people find these styles too cold. So some people have been embracing tradition because it is a warm and comforting style. Different sub-categories of this sub-category of transitional style keep popping up too. And modern farmhouse glam is one of these substyles of the farmhouse style.
What is the Difference Between Country Style and Modern Farmhouse Style
What are the differences between the country style of the 1980s and the modern farmhouse? The country style of the 1980s relied heavily on accessories and collections, while the contemporary farmhouse style of today keeps them to a minimum. This country style, which immediately preceded the modern farmhouse style, included brighter colours too. The modern farmhouse is similar to this country style. But it uses white or neutral colours with a cleaner, more contemporary, uncluttered sophisticated look. It is akin to the country style without the kitschy clutter and dark colours.
What is the difference between the modern farmhouse style and the country-style house of the distant past? The farmhouse style is a rustic home design inspired by colonial farms and country homes. The colonial farmhouse style evokes images of homesteads on the farm with primitive stark furniture. Some designers and homeowners prefer incorporating furniture from the colonial farmhouse style, while others prefer incorporating furniture from the country house style.
Country-style homes have some furniture with a bit of ornamentation. It gives the pieces a formal, more lavish feel. Consequently, some country or farmhouse style substyles have a touch of detailing on the furniture. For example, the English farmhouse and French country style have more detail on the furnishings. The dining room showcased in this blog has elements of a modern farmhouse style. And the style leans toward the English country house style with a bit of glam. So this substyle of farmhouse style would be modern farmhouse glam style.
Characteristics of Modern Farmhouse Style
Talking about the characteristics of an interior design style helps to define the decorating style further. It allows you to see if the style is your preferred style too. As distinct as this style is, the modern farmhouse style is not one style. The modern farmhouse style has several types of substyles.
While most of the core farmhouse elements remain the same, the characteristics of each substyle are slightly different. Below are some of the principles of modern farmhouse design.
1. Neutral Colour Scheme
Just like modern style, modern farmhouse style incorporates a neutral colour scheme. So if you’re planning to decorate your house with a modern farmhouse touch, use light colours, layer in some natural wood tones, and keep your rooms and spaces light and airy.
This dining room incorporates the modern style colour scheme such; as warm whites and grays, which add the modern freshness and cleanness the style requires. But the style adds earthy tones also. And if there was an appropriate time to play up the earth tones, it is if you choose the farmhouse style.
This dining room above is loaded with earth tones in materials from wood to beige-gray walls-and the result is nothing short of a country escape. To build up this look in your home, layer warm whites, grays, beiges, creams and wood tones. By sticking with a neutral palette, you are adding that modern freshness and calm the style requires.
Modern farmhouse often mixes two-tone furniture pieces, such as mixing wood stain with paint. The Newmarket, Ontario couple who owned this home chose furniture partially painted a warm white. Their pedestal table body and the chairs are in a warm white. The painted wood and stained furniture give the dining room an iconic modern farmhouse feel.
The light wood stain on their farmhouse table and the light stain on their wood flooring give it a warm farmhouse look too.
Farmhouses are filled with natural light and fresh air. To create that same ambiance, you can keep things light and airy by using light-coloured wood detail, white-coloured wood, and light-coloured art like in the dining room pictured above. The gray and white in the room create an airy feel too. Light colours keep it light and airy but so do the windows. So you can create that light and airy feel by ensuring the windows have no dark, heavy drapery, like in the dining room pictured below. Or keep it bright and airy by using no curtains at all!
2. Add Texture
A critical element of this style is texture. Since the modern farmhouse style is made up of neutral colours, you’ll need a mix of textures to keep the space from looking flat.
For example, the white linen-like textile on the chair and table runner adds texture. So does the raised rectangular pieces on the modern wall art. The wood texture on the farmhouse table and the wood flooring add visual texture too. And the geometric etched metal detailing on the ceiling fixture adds more texture to the room design.
3. Cleaner Lines and Sleek Touch
The neutral colour scheme, textures, smoother, cleaner lines and sleek touches encompass the modern characteristics of this style. The farmhouse furniture and traditional furniture in the room have cleaner lines with less ornamentation than the farmhouse and traditional furniture of the past. The geometric straight-lined abstract art screams modern also.
Furthermore, the shiny metallic parts of the minimalist wall art add a sleek touch. And the glossy, streamlined chrome art deco style drum shade on the ceiling fixture gives it that modern vibe. The modern farmhouse style mixes in the characteristics of the modern style and incorporates them with the farmhouse characteristics of the farmhouse style to create this warmer but sophisticated style. The contemporary elements give it that sophistication, and the farmhouse characteristics give the modern farmhouse a warm and inviting feel.
Farmhouse Style Characteristics
4. Incorporate Organic Materials
Early farmhouse furniture was built with easily attainable material, which included wood. Since this style embraces all that is a farmhouse, wood is a staple of this look. Wood conveys a warm and natural feeling to your space too. Also, linen, a natural textile, creates a warm, comfortable farmhouse look. These materials produce that warm and inviting space that is part of this style.
For example, the dining room’s lightly stained wood table and wood flooring give off a warm wood vibe. Also, the warm white linen-like upholstery on the dining chair fronts helps create a warm and inviting space.
5. Modern Farmhouse Style Furniture
When the farmhouse style originated, furniture forms such as turned furniture were what was built. This style originated in the 1600s. The farmhouse furniture tended to be simple, with little or no flourishes, with more focus on functionality than decoration. As a result, turned furniture is still considered farmhouse-style furniture.
Some people interpret the style by incorporating wood furniture with no ornamentation; or wood furniture with straight clean lines. Others interpret the style by adding furniture with pared-down detailing. French country style and English country style fall into this category.
Farmhouse style and farmhouse dining rooms never go out of style. They’re very inviting, unfussy, and easy to personalize to fit your desired aesthetic — rustic, modern, traditional, or all three. The homeowners of this dining room loved the pared-down-turned pedestal table that screams farmhouse.
Modern Farmhouse with a Touch of Traditional Style
The modern farmhouse style often combines rustic and traditional elements with modern sophistication. Since classic style elements are thrown into some of the subsets of contemporary farmhouse styles, I will touch upon this style now.
The traditional style came before the modern movement. It has a formal, regal elegance, and it is opulent. The original 18th and 19th-century European furniture feature heavy ornate detailing. It was the over-the-top detailing that the modern style rejected.
But there are less sumptuous ornaments and less elaborate carving in the contemporary versions. And they are not as pretentious. The new classic style is easy on the eyes, and nothing is overdone or excessive. Instead, the furniture pieces have a touch of ornate detailing. Modern traditional add lighter carvings such as fluting. Fluting is carvings that involve carved thin vertical grooves close together.
Modern Farmhouse Table with a Touch of Traditional Design
The pared-down turned two-ringed pedestal table in this dining room ends with four classic fluted legs. Fluting is an embellishment that was popular in the 19th century. So it is a traditional style of ornamentation. And turned tables are a usual farmhouse-style table form that goes back to the 1600s. The shape is borrowed from the farmhouse style. The ornamentation is classic. As a result, this table is rustic with a traditional touch.
The traditional and farmhouse characteristics of the table have modern style characteristics added in too. For example, the body of the pedestal has one streamlined cylindrical turned ornamentation. This pared-down and more streamlined turned pedestal gives the table a cleaner-lined, modern silhouette. Furthermore, the furniture has a more neutral and lighter colour palette.
Also, fluting is the only classical embellishment added to the table. As a result, the table is less cluttered with detailing. It is not as ornate or elaborate as its traditional counterparts of the past. It is not over the top because no more embellishments are added. This take on the farmhouse style adds a bit of a refined, high-class detailing, which makes it perfect for the dining room. Meanwhile, the rustic turned elements on the table keep it approachable.
Cozy Comfortable Chairs
Comforting elements such as comfortable chairs are another of the farmhouse style characteristics. So these lush upholstered chairs fit well in this farmhouse-style dining room.
The modern farmhouse table works well with the formal-style dining chairs in this dining room pictured above. The chairs have the silhouette of a Victorian-style tub chair. The only ornament on it is the nail head trim. Nailhead trim was invented in the 1600s and used by English and French upholsterers in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
As you can see from the photo, there are no ornate carvings or embellishments on the wooden chair frame back or wood portion of the arms. The chair legs are all clean-lined too. So there is a balance between modern style and the warmth of the traditional style elements.
One of the owners loves flower gardens, so she wanted a floral pattern for their chairs. The English country house style characteristics include flowers recreated in prints. So the classic floral design on the chair upholstery adds a traditional formal touch to the chairs and room. Like the farmhouse table, the chairs are formal yet casual. So this dining room is a great space for formal holiday dinners. And it is relaxed enough to use as a breakfast room too. These chairs and table are perfect for a kitchen/dining room combo, such as the room featured.
Farmhouse Style for a Formal Dining Room and Casual Breakfast Room
The room is formal enough to be dressed up for supper. But its farmhouse characteristics, such as the farmhouse table, create a more casual vibe; This makes it a great room for enjoying an informal breakfast.
Dining rooms are often more formal and used at night and for celebratory occasions. And furniture with a touch of ornamentation, such as in this dining room, helps to create this vibe. The room has a touch of luxurious formality. Yet it is not as stuffy as the traditional English country style.
The juxtaposition of the rustic-turned embellishment on the table and the more refined classic fluting on the table legs are the secrets to why the table can be dressed up for a formal dinner party or dressed down for an informal breakfast. There is something else that gives it a luxurious feel. It is the glam touch.
Modern Farmhouse Glam Style
The farmhouse style is changing over time. There is an industrial modern farmhouse style, coastal farmhouse, modern glam farmhouse etc. There are multiple variations or sub-categories of it, and modern farmhouse glam is one of the variations. It is glam marries modern farmhouse.
This new category has formed because the glamorous trend has been gaining popularity, and it’s found another home in modern farmhouse design. Farmhouse and glam can look amazing when put together. Rustic and glam are at the opposite end of the design spectrum, so you would think they would not work, but it is a case of opposites attract.
So the modern glam farmhouse has a touch of rustic, a touch of traditional, and a touch of modern with a twist of glam. As a result, it evokes low-key luxury because farmhouse glam has a more refined aesthetic. So if you want to elevate your modern farmhouse design add glam touches to your room.
Characteristics of Modern Glam Farmhouse Style
Each subset of farmhouse style, including this one, has unique features and characteristics. This style has all the modern farmhouse style characteristics I mentioned already in this post. For example, modern farmhouse glam fuses warm whites, streamlined furniture, rustic wood furniture, and the addition of sparkle! So, if you’re thinking of giving your interior design a modern glam farmhouse makeover: be sure to keep these key characteristics in mind too: simplicity, natural materials, comfort, and sparkle. As you can see, it is the element of sparkle which adds glamour to the modern glam farmhouse style.
As discussed earlier, this dining room has modern farmhouse elements. This dining room has some examples of this glamorous element too. So here are four tips for how to capture this glamour.
How to Capture the Style of Modern Farmhouse Glam
Furniture procured by Lynteriors
Tip #1: Nail head Trim Adds a Glamorous Touch
In the dining room featured in this post, the farmhouse table stands out against the glamorous Victorian-style tub chairs studded with nail heads. The nail head trim creates an elegant look and adds a bit of bling. Nail heads create a shiny effect. It is this shiny effect which gives the chairs a touch of glamour. Nail heads up the glam. It is one of the reasons the room looks like a luxurious dining room. You can add trimming studs to your chairs to create this glamorous effect in your room too.
Tip #2: Incorporate Glass Table Top Accessories
Modern farmhouse dining room centrepieces include using candles which add a warm feeling to the room. Glass also brings a sheen and a sense of glamour. The glass hurricane lamp and turned vase-shaped candle sticks echo the turning on the pedestal in this kitchen and dining room combo. Glam glass candlesticks give the space more sparkle and dress up the farmhouse table. You also can add shiny accessories such as glass candlesticks to your room to up the glam.
Tip #3 Add Metallic Shiny Elements
Anything with a reflective surface can elevate the glamour in the room, particularly metallic finishes. Some abstract wall art incorporates shiny metals. For example, the wall art in this dining room has an actual square-shaped glossy metallic multimedia element incorporated into it. So this metal provides a reflective surface. Some of the other rectangular shapes on the canvas have shiny gel embellishments too. As a result, they create that modern but glamorous look too.
Also, shiny metal light fixtures bring a sheen and a sense of glamour to your room. The dining room’s modern chrome drum-shaped ceiling fixture adds a sleek, glamorous touch. This drum shade has an intricately pierced art deco geometric design. The metal drum shade gives it a modern feel, and the crystal chandelier portion provides a traditional touch to the ceiling fixture. So this ceiling fixture is transitional. It has a contemporary metallic drum shade and a traditional-style crystal chandelier component.
Tip #4: Add a Crystal Chandelier
Fourthly, if you want to elevate your modern farmhouse design add glam touches to your room with a crystal chandelier. You can make your room sparkle with crystal chandeliers too.
This ceiling fixture provides a double dose of glamour. Its polished chrome drum shade exudes glamour because it has a metallic reflective surface. The shimmering glass crystals that create the traditional crystal chandelier portion also reflect light adding even more glamour! As a result, this sparkling crystal chandelier with a sleek drum shade brings modern, understated glamour to this farmhouse dining room.
So this crystal chandelier with a modern chrome drum shade adds formality, modernity, impact and glamour. Also, the crystal chandelier component supports that formal dressed-up look. And it dresses up the room, making it perfect for a holiday dinner.
This drum shade chandelier combines both modern and traditional together. As a result, it creates a more everyday luxury feel instead of a full-on crystal chandelier. It is the drum shade that makes it feel casual enough to use as a breakfast room too.
This dining room feels very luxurious and glamorous because of the shiny nail head trim on the chairs, the sparkling glass candlesticks, the glossy wall art, and the sleek drum shade which makes up the shimmering crystal chandelier. These all add a glam vibe to the room.
Summary:
When you redecorate or renovate your room/rooms, one of the interior design steps is to decide upon the interior decorating style for your space. I hope this article has helped you understand the modern farmhouse style more clearly. Also, I hope it helped you understand what modern glam interior design is. Furthermore, I hope this has helped you decide if these styles are for your next interior design project or not.
The modern glam farmhouse style is a subcategory of the farmhouse style. And it is relatively new. As the article revealed, the difference between these two styles is the glam version incorporates glamorous elements or characteristics in the design.
So to summarize, the modern glam farmhouse style incorporates the modern style, the 1600s farmhouse style, perhaps a bit of 18th or 19th traditional style and a dash of glam style.
This style includes the characteristics of the farmhouse style, such as lots of natural materials, natural textures, and perhaps a farmhouse table. Then this style adds modern style elements to the design. The critical characteristics you can incorporate into your interior design include a light and airy neutral colour scheme, cleaner lined furnishings, sleek surfaces and perhaps abstract art.
Add to your room luxurious traditional touches such as a floral-patterned chair fabric and fluting or other embellishments. Use ornamentation such as fluting conservatively. Conservative ornamentation has some intricate detail but doe not scream extravagance in your face. Finally, add glam touches such as shiny nail head trimmed chairs, wall art with metallic elements, glass candles, and a shimmering crystal chandelier. The dining room used as an example of this style in this blog incorporated these characteristics. The result is a comfortable, sophisticated and low-key luxurious look. If you find this style too ornate and busy, then the modern interior design style may be the one you prefer. Go to https://lynteriors.wordpress.com/2022/09/15/interior-design-styles-trending-in-2022-part-1/ to explore if the modern style is the ideal interior design style for your home.
Fall is here, so now is a great time to plan for your autumn interior design projects. You may be thinking about giving your space a facelift. Or perhaps you may want to do a renovation. Whether you intend to decorate your home on your own or want to get a designer to help you, one of the steps in the design process is determining your ideal interior design style.
But you may not know how to figure out what style to choose for your space. You are not alone. So many homeowners I have talked to cannot understand the difference between the styles. There are many interior design styles and plenty of sub-categories within those styles, so it is hard to narrow down one that is your preferred style and that suits your space.
It is hard to figure out your favourite interior design style if you do not know their differences. So I will break down 1 of these decorating styles and explain its different characteristics. When redecorating or renovating, understanding what sets one decorating style apart from the others is paramount. As I talk about these styles, I hope it will help you find your favourite style. And the one you would like to incorporate into your home.
If you decide to work with a designer, having a basic understanding of the interior design vocabulary so you can describe and define your ideas and visions for your desired interior design look is necessary. Knowing your unique style means you can explain it. If you know your preferred style and can communicate that to your decorator, she can help you create your dream room or space. So with this in mind, I thought I would discuss one trending interior design style. Modern style is the style I will discuss in this post.
Modern Interior Design Style
Designed by Lynteriors
History of Modern Interior Design
Each style is a result of different influences and originated during different periods. So one way to find your personal interior design style is to study furniture from different eras, historical periods or movements. For example, modern design is a style of interior design that emerged in the early twentieth century and continues to evolve. It was a response to the ornate furnishings of the Victorian era. As a result, the movements and styles of the 20th century have a no-frills sensibility.
The furniture in your space can affect the overall aesthetics of your home. If you want it to have a modern style, modern furniture design will help you achieve that.
Desire for Simplicity
Modern style was born from a desire for simplicity. It was a new stylistic ideal that removed all ornament from the furniture. For every ornate piece of furniture or ornate fixture and rich patterned fabric, modernity presented a streamlined alternative—a pared-down approach to furniture and decor. The shift away from ornamentation changed the overall aesthetics. For example, nail heads and ornate floral patterns were removed from tub chairs like the one above. So the designer could design a more streamlined version like the modern tub chair below.
If you dislike embellishments on your furniture, modern style may be for you. By the way, tub chairs are dining or lounge chairs with rounded arms and backs. They resemble a tub in shape, hence the name.
Reading nook with modern tub chair designed by Lynteriors
Purpose or Function of Furniture
It was a tremendous change from traditional furniture styles, which were loud and showy. Modern furniture designs, however, focus on the purpose of the furniture other than ornate designs that will make the house busy and visually heavy. They were now designed based on their function.
For example, the chair above is based on a traditional tub chair, but with all the embellishments removed. In this case, it was about the comfortable chair, not its ornate details. It still has a graceful curved back and arms. But the swooped arms have a more subtle angle. Also, the chair becomes even more comfortable to lounge in without embellishments. Without the nail heads and wood frame, it is also easier and cheaper to make in a factory.
Hand-Made Methods Replaced by Industrial Production Methods
As alluded to above, furniture was beginning to be mass-produced in factories at the end of the 19th century. The furniture designers focused on affordable, simple products that would be easier to mass-produce. As a result, the hand-made manufacturing methods of the earlier era were overtaken by industrial production methods, which integrated modern materials into the designs. For example, these factories used new materials to make furniture, such as plastic and steel, instead of wood. Before this period, tables were made of wood. Below is a photo of an Aurora, Ontario, living room. The modern style coffee table and side table have straight lines. Glass and chrome were the material used to manufacture them. As a result, they are simple to mass produced in a factory.
Characteristics of Modern Furniture
Each style, including the modern style, comprises distinctive furniture, lighting and accents that give it its signature look. As discussed earlier, this style is a mix of all the substyles of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The modern style includes the substyles of Bauhaus, art deco, the mid-century modern style etc. Despite all these substyles, the super category style has general defining characteristics.
Basic Forms and Shapes
One of the characteristics of modern furniture is its simple forms and shapes. The designs have simple geometric shapes and angles. If there are curves, they are simple and streamlined. Chairs are a great example. They typify the forms seen in this style.
The shapes are often square-shaped chairs or rounded-shaped chairs such as tub chairs. The boxy-shaped club chair in the above photo is similar to Borge Mogenson’s 1963 pared-down version of the traditional club chair.
The top of the back of the traditional club chair had a wooden crest and an exposed wooden frame. It was invented 250 years ago in France. Borge took the club chair to its bare bones and created a simple square design with swooped arms. He removed the ornate wooden top, and the wooden chair frame was not exposed anymore.
The chair above has the same form and is a recent copy of Borge’s 1963 chair. It has soft cushioning just like Borge’s chair. So it is still a comfortable chair which was its intended function.
Straight Lines and Clean Lines
Many modern furniture designs have straight lines. For example, the club chair above has straight lines making its shape boxy. Even the ends of the arms have straight lines. It also has subtle swooping arms that create a streamlined, elegant look. He used straight lines and streamlines because Borge believed in the simplicity of lines. The coffee table and side tables have straight-lined silhouettes too.
Furthermore, modern furniture has clean lines. It means all the ornamentation and embellishments are removed. For example, the chair above has a square-shaped tapered leg that is clean-lined with no ornately carved detailing. And the tub chair below has tapered legs with no added detailing.
Patterns Removed
Modern style furniture has no ornate, heavy floral patterns like traditional upholstery often had. The tub chair pictured above and the club chair below have no designs on their fabric. They have solid white coloured textiles instead.
Neutral Colour Schemes
Modern style steers clear of dark or bright colours found in traditional interior design styles. Instead, it favours a neutral colour palette. A neutral colour scheme includes white, grey, black, brown, and beige.
Borge Mogenson’s 1960s club chairs had pea-green fabric or brown leather. The updated modern style club chair below has a white polyester linen-look fabric. It does not have the dark or bright classic colours or the pea-green colour found on 1960s upholstered furniture. Some modern-style homes have a pop of colour: such as the navy blue and white reading nook tub chair above.
Sleek surfaces
Shiny, smooth and glossy surfaces are the hallmark of modern furniture designs. Removing carvings and other embellishments from the furniture surface creates this smooth surface and that sleek look. Tables made of polished chrome and glass create that shiny look too. The coffee table and side table in the living room below are examples. If you like this type of furniture, the modern style may be for you.
Lynteriors 