Tips and Techniques for Stylishly Mixing Contemporary and Traditional Furniture

When you’re starting to plan an interior design revamp, the usual advice is to stick with one style throughout a space. Whether that’s mid-century modern, charming cottagecore, or another aesthetic entirely, a coordinated look across a room or home is an easy and stylish way to ensure all your furniture and accessory choices fit together effortlessly and create a cohesive setup. 

However, as with all decorating recommendations, these rules are made to be broken! There’s no reason you can’t incorporate both contemporary and traditional furniture and create your dream home decor. And we have some fab tips and techniques to help you mix old and new in style.

Start with a neutral base

The easiest way to ensure that your contemporary and traditional furniture mix will blend well in your home is to begin with a blank canvas that will accommodate any decorating aesthetic. A neutral colour palette for your walls and floors will mean that whatever style of furniture you add to the room will fit in effortlessly. 

When you’re looking to blend modern and classic furniture options, you can also use your decor base to inspire the vibe of the room. Contemporary decorating often uses a cool-toned spectrum of hues, while warmer tones are often associated with traditional decor, so pairing cool walls or floors with traditional furniture, or warm colours with sleek modern pieces, can create an appealing contrast. 

Make your main furniture modern 

Contemporary furniture is usually defined by clean lines and simpler silhouettes than the often ornate, imposing shapes of traditional pieces. Therefore, it makes the most sense to choose modern pieces for the main elements of your space. A modern bed, sofa, or dining table, makes a perfect focal point for a room. 

When it comes to choosing the best styles of contemporary furniture for a space that meshes the traditional and the modern, you may want to stick to the ‘middle of the road’. Pairing ultra-futuristic and super-old-school furniture will never offer a perfect fit, so keeping things balanced is key. 

Add traditional furniture accents 

Vintage-inspired and vintage furniture tends to have a lot of personality. This makes traditional pieces ideal for adding artistic details and unique style to a mostly-modern space. A vintage-inspired rug with a Turkish or oriental design can bring a classic touch to a contemporary bedroom, or add traditional dining chairs to a modern dining table to create contrast in the space in style. 

Another way to add classic elements to a contemporary space in an appealing, balanced way is to use traditional furniture and accessories but in a modern way. For example, if you want to incorporate old school wall art into a modern room, consider leaning it against a shelf rather than hanging it for a contemporary twist on decorating. 

Play with finishes for a bold look

As we said above, there are certain colour palettes more associated with modern and traditional decor, and the same is true of metal finishes. Bronze, brass, and copper are great for a vintage-inspired look, while shining metals like stainless steel and chrome offer futuristic appeal. To create contrast in a room, you could opt for a mix of modern and traditional finishes, or choose variations of a single finish (e.g. some matte and some polished). 

Different wood finishes and materials can also create a traditional and contemporary blend. Rich, dark wood like mahogany is often found in classic bedrooms or dining rooms, but you can bring a bold look to your home by pairing it with an overall modern look. Similarly, a super-modern piece like a metal coffee table can fit into a traditional space by pairing it with a soft, upholstered sofa accented with plenty of cushions and throws. 

Find a gorgeous blend of contemporary and traditional furniture at Corcoran’s

If you can’t choose between traditional furniture and contemporary pieces, there are plenty of ways to incorporate both elements in your space. And when you’re setting up a balanced, mixed-era decor look, the right furnishings are key in creating your dream interior design. 

For classic components, modern style, and everything in between, you can find furniture and accessories for every room at Corcoran’s. Shop online or in-store and discover pieces that will suit every decorating style, whether you’re looking for traditional, contemporary, or to blend the two with ease. 

Not only does Corcoran’s offer unique furniture with both contemporary and traditional looks, but our professional team is also here to help you achieve your design dreams. Finding balance between varying decor styles and eras can seem intimidating, but our furniture experts can help answer your questions and choose the best furniture and accessories for your home. Get in touch today or visit us in store to learn more.