If your outdated décor is bringing you down, try embracing the refreshing simplicity of modern interior design. Modern home decorations and furniture transform spaces by removing elements that over-complicate, such as clutter, bulky furnishing items, and busy patterns. This style utilizes simple lines, open spaces, and natural light.
Believe it or not, you don’t need an endless budget to apply these principles to your home. With these seven simple tips, you can easily transform your home into a modern paradise.
7 Tips to Apply Modern Interior Design to Your Home
Tip 1: Define Your Modern Interior Design Style
Before you can begin, you need to discover what style best fits your needs. There are several styles of modern design, such as Contemporary, Mid-Century Modern, Industrial, and Minimalist. Each style has its own nuances and themes. While you don’t need to follow these ideas to the letter, it may help you remain focused.
Tip 2: Declutter
Whichever rendition you choose, one concept remains constant: less is more. Modern interior design is fresh, simple, and uncluttered. If you want to modernize your living space, you should get rid of everything that confuses your eyes. At the very least, hide unnecessary objects. Consider creative storage solutions, such as under bed storage, closet cubbies, or decorative utility cabinets.
Next, evaluate your walls. The modern interior design may have clusters of photos as one centerpiece, but typically the walls are minimally decorated. Don’t be concerned if your walls look a little sparse. When you apply strategically-placed wall art, the effect will be powerful.
Tip 3: Paint
Painting is one of the least expensive ways to modernize your home. Most modern interior design styles are recognized by clean, white walls. This gives the illusion of space while simplifying the overall design.
While colored walls can define the personality of a space, white walls create a blank canvas that allows you to create and recreate the room based on your changing preferences. If you’re still nervous about white walls, you can add a splash of color by painting an accent wall or wallpaper.
Tip 4: Update Your Furnishings
You don’t necessarily have to throw out all your furniture to achieve an incredible design. If your grandmother’s floral print couch is beyond repair, consider giving it new life. Try replacing the feet with more modern hardware and adding a sofa cover. Purchase a few modern pieces to accent your sofa’s new look, such as a new coffee table or stylish club chairs.
Depending on your style, the club chairs could be a vibrant cloth or a weathered leather. Remember that less is more with modern interior design. Try to purchase only what is necessary to avoid cluttering the space.
Tip 5: Upgrade Lighting Fixtures
Lighting packs a powerful punch in the overall design of a room. Depending on the style you choose, the lighting can be dim and inviting, or bright and crisp. For more urban and chic modern designs, try replacing your current fixtures with warm LED bulbs and brass pendants. For industrial, consider dark bronzes with Edison bulbs.
If your home is lacking ceiling fixtures, purchase modern floor lamps. Floor lamps add vertical interest to a room and have an added bonus of additional lumens for reading. If you choose to buy table lamps, go bold. Treat them as if they were works of art and statement pieces.
Tip 6: Update Flooring
Updating your flooring can be expensive, but it is worth the investment. Not only can it add a definitive theme to your modern interior, but new flooring adds value to your house. Try replacing your old, stained carpet with hardwood. For Mid-century Modern, Contemporary, and Scandinavian styles consider a smooth, light floor with little grain. Minimalist designs trend toward darker, piano-finish hardwoods, or oversized, monochromatic tiles. Industrial, unlike most modern interior design, utilizes rustic, hand-scraped hardwood or weathered concrete.
Tip 7: Accessorize
Accessories define your home as much as architectural elements. On the one hand, it’s recommended to keep accessorizing to a minimum. On the other hand, intentionally placed art and sculpture can have a powerful effect on the final design. For Mid-century Modern, Urban, and Scandinavian styles you can mix woods and brasses. The industrial design utilizes a mesh of materials such as bronze, weathered stainless steel, and hardwood.
When choosing your textiles, try to stay away from busy prints, such as florals and paisleys. Instead, opt for geometric shapes, stripes, and unique textures. Unless you’re trying for a Minimalist or Industrial design, don’t be afraid to change up the patterns.
To break up the stark white of the walls, add bold wall art. Keep in mind the accent colors you’ve used with textiles and sculptures. Wall art is an excellent opportunity to tie in all of the accent colors of your design.
An excellent guideline to follow for accessorizing is the Rule of Three. For example, if you select a golden giraffe as the main centerpiece for your foyer, complete the design by placing a golden vase on a nearby shelf and adding a golden table lamp. The Rule of Three creates a cohesive theme and ties your elements together.
Putting It All Together
Creating a modern sanctuary is easy and fun. Decluttering your space, adding a fresh coat of paint, and updating a few key features can make your outdated home feel brand new. Decorating your space with strategically placed accessories can add a professional, intentional finish. Moreover, be bold with your decisions. The diversity of modern interior design allows you to choose accessories that are quirky and speaks for your personality. When in doubt, throw away the old rules of traditional design and create a crisp space that is uniquely yours.
