What is Contemporary Interior Design?

When trying to create a contemporary look for your home, remember that the key rule of contemporary interior design is that less is more. Professional interior designers who specialize in creating rooms with a contemporary flair go for bold and basic pieces with clean lines and a subtle sense of sophistication. A contemporary room doesn't have ruffles, fringe, busy floral prints, or furniture with fussy carved details. If you're naturally a bit on the messy side, you may also want to keep in mind that contemporary interior design doesn't allow much room for clutter.

High ceilings and bare windows are the ideal base for contemporary house interior design. If your home has interesting architectural details, such as exposed plumbing pipes or a brick wall with an inviting texture, you can work these elements into your design scheme. If your space lacks these fundamentals, however, you'll simply need to pay more attention to your choice of furnishings to create the contemporary look you crave.

Some of the hallmarks of contemporary interior design include lots of chrome metallic accents and liberal use of glass or mirrors as a way to visually "open up" small spaces. For upholstered furniture, wool, linen, jute, and other fabrics with lots of texture seem to be the most popular choice. Floors are usually bare wood, tile, or vinyl, although many people do choose to incorporate bold geometric patterned rugs into their design scheme to provide a bit of warmth and sound control.

When choosing artwork for a room decorated with contemporary interior design principles, search for one special piece that speaks to you on a personal level. However, if you find several smaller pieces you love, you can try hanging them close together to give the illusion of one larger piece. For truly unique artwork, many professional interior designers recommend attending local art fairs to purchase affordable original paintings and sculptures from your area's up-and-coming artists.

As far as color palettes go, the classic contemporary look relies heavily on black, white, and natural tan colors. However, it's common for fans of this design style to accent a room with a few bold touches. For example, a white sofa may feature scarlet pillows or a black kitchen table may be accented with place mats in a funky lime green. If you're on a tight budget, this approach also makes redecorating much easier. Replacing accent pieces is much more cost-effective than buying new furniture whenever you are ready for a different look.