Modern Style Interior Design

From the special online feature Design Styles

Modern style is a clean, streamlined furniture and architecture style from the 1930s with roots in the German Bauhaus School of Design and Scandinavian modern design. It's characterized by polished surfaces, strong geometric shapes and asymmetry. Expansive, unadorned windows marry the interior with the exterior landscape.

Colors - The neutral palette allows the objects in the design to take center stage. White walls are predominant in a modern home with furnishings, accessories and fabrics sporting neutral tone-on-tone color schemes.        

Finishes - Sleek, smooth and polished are words to describe surfaces in a modern interior. Concrete, granite and linoleum are used for flooring; chrome and stainless steel are common accents on furniture and in the kitchen. A lacquered finish on kitchen cabinetry is common.

Architecture - A focus on geometry and angular shapes is a hallmark of modern design. Above, light streaming through a soaring window creates an artistic statement and calls attention to the interior architecture.           

Artwork - The art and accessories in a modern interior are extremely important and must exhibit striking shapes or forms to make a statement. Special pieces should be called out with spotlights for visual impact.

Modern vs. Contemporary

Decorating With Style : Episode DWS-1121 -- More Projects »

Demystify the challenge of correctly identifying the differences between contemporary and modern design and learn how to personalize these similar yet dramatically different styles:

•           Contemporary design incorporates lots of color and texture. Artwork is comfortable and colorful (figure A).

•           Modern design uses less texture and is more about form/artistic impression rather than function. Add touches of color through artwork that makes you think and accessories .

•           For a modern look be sure to include basic geometric shapes in decorative accents such as oversized round chrome accessories,square-edged furnishings and rectangular -patterned rugs and artwork (figure B).Wall colors are in the light and highly reflective color range--white-based greens, teals and blues as well as stark white . Paint the ceiling a crisp bright white to further emphasize dramatic architectural features.

•           Contemporary designs call for softer lines and an emphasis on comfortable texture --everything from pitted floor tiles to soft sofa fabrics. Wall colors are warm and rich in the medium intensity range (don't use off whites or pale pastels to create a truly relaxing space).

•           To customize the correct contemporary ceiling color, totally immerse a gloved index finger into a gallon of the chosen wall color. Quickly transfer it into a gallon of white latex flat paint, and then mix it thoroughly.Use one finger full of paint per gallon for eight-foot ceilings and two fingers per gallon for 12-foot ones.