6 Ways to Add Modern Style to Your Home
Modern design is all about clean lines, bold materials and minimalist forms. Whether you have a traditional, farmhouse or industrial style home, a few modern touches can make your space more streamlined and contemporary.
Homeowners and renters alike can transform any area, regardless of architectural style, into a sleek, modern space. Check out these simple ways to accomplish this interior design style in your home.
1. Update Hardware
For a big impact you can accomplish over the course of a single weekend, take a look around at any dated hardware, including cabinet knobs, drawer pulls and door knobs, and replace them with more modern versions.
Homeowners, whether you’ve found your home through searching “what is REO” or through your typical real estate agent, don’t have to worry about landlord permission when making these swaps.
Renters, however, may need to speak to their landlord to see if they can update their hardware as long as the previous knobs and pulls are replaced upon moving out.
2. Replace Light Fixtures
A single light fixture can date your home considerably, especially if it is a largely generic or run-of-the-mill style found in many homes during a certain time period. Modern light fixtures can make a significant difference in the entire vibe of the room, especially pendants, chandeliers and flush-mounted fixtures.
Look for lights with clean lines, neutral colors, geometric shapes and impactful details. A room’s light fixtures can also make an iconic, modern statement through intriguing forms and oversized shades.
3. Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint
The walls of your space are each room’s largest canvas. Modern design favors light, bright neutrals, but any hue can suit a contemporary space as long as it’s mindful and well-used.
For a punch of dramatic color, consider painting three walls in a room a neutral color and reserve one prominent wall for an accent color.
However you choose to use color, think about the energy you’d like to bring to the room and determine a shade that will really tie your decor together cohesively.
4. Create Negative Space
If you have ever flipped through a magazine centered around modern design, you’ve likely noticed each room prioritizes minimalism over maximalism by reducing the amount of visual clutter in the space.
The best contemporary rooms know how to use negative to give your eye plenty of places to rest while incorporating stylish furniture and smart storage options to give belongings a place to live.
The best way to create negative space and reduce clutter is to get rid of belongings that you no longer want or need. If this isn’t an option, try utilizing storage solutions that can house your things, both big and small, that might otherwise create clutter on a nightstand or on the floor.
5. Remove Carpet
Though plenty of contemporary spaces feature carpeting on the floor, it’s more often you will see sleeker options such as wood, cement, planks or tile. The floors in modern homes are typically monochromatic and flat, which acts as a polished foundation for the rest of the room’s decor.
When you make the switch to different flooring materials, look for simplicity and functionality that comes with natural materials and color schemes. If you can’t afford to replace your entire floor with authentic, natural materials, look for less expensive options such as laminate planks or eco-friendly tiles.
6. Make High-Tech Upgrades
Perhaps one of the most effective ways to truly take your home into the 21st century is to focus on replacing the technological elements of each room.
Look for ways to add charging stations, high-efficiency appliances, Bluetooth speakers, motion-detecting lights, smart thermostats and home assistants to modernize the space in a functional way as well as an aesthetic way at once.
Because more current technology is smaller, more intuitive and easier on the planet, these upgrades serve your space by making it a simpler, more efficient place to be without compromising style or unnecessary complexity in the process.
