Your home is your sanctuary. It is where you go at the end of the day to find relaxation and peace, so it only makes sense that you would want to decorate it in the most visually pleasing, comforting way for you. Many people have been leaning towards the modern home design trend for its pleasing visual simplicity. There is a mistaken belief that modern homes have to be stark and sterile and be built in the modern style from the ground up. However, you can make any home a bit more modern with a few tricks. Here are ten modern decorating ideas that will transform your home into a vibrant, welcoming space:
- Add more light
Modern design is all about huge windows and loads of natural light. From skylights to full banks of floor-to-ceiling windows, modern architecture focuses heavily on window size, shape, and design. However, if your home was not blessed with a great room and massive windows, you can still channel a modern feel inside by removing heavy drapery and valances and using clean, white curtains instead. Hang the curtains close to the ceiling to give the appearance of larger windows and give structure to the windows. White also reflects light, making your windows look bigger and brighter.
- Remove clutter
Modern design plays off a minimalist concept that removes dark corners, walls, and nooks and crannies where clutter can accumulate. To help your home look more modern, strive to remove all forms of kitsch and clutter to give your space a cleaner, more serene feel. Instead of multitudes of small items you don’t have any real affection for, replace them with large, tropical plants such as Swiss cheese plants and succulents.
- Streamline your color palette
Modern homes often lean towards pale neutrals, such as whites and grays. This provides a more soothing space. Some people may find white stark and cold, while others can find that an all-white space leaves them feeling refreshed and collected. If you are one of the former, look for warmer whites or grays that still give you a sense of clean, wide open spaces while still having a bit more warmth than traditional whites or grays.
- Use white space in art
Having a modern home doesn’t mean that you need to give up art. Judicious use of art can focus your space and create a visual anchor in a room that may suffer from a lack of architectural details. Use a series of square, white frames with plenty of white window mat to showcase the art and create a grid of eye-catching white space.
- Use bright colors judiciously
While modern design does lean towards neutrals and the clean, pure look of all white, a pop of vibrant color can actually help your home look more modern, and not less, it’s all in how you use it. Use saturated reds or navy blues on focal walls, or on kitchen islands, to break up the open living space common to modern design and to create visual anchors.
- Err on the side of square
While not all modern elements have to be stark and geometric, it will give your home a sense of composed cleanliness if your major pieces are square or have hard angles. Overstuffed Lazy Boy chairs and fluffy curtains will look odd in a modern home. Instead, look at high-polish finishes on things like tables and buffets, or retro couches with more square lines. Keep in mind that your house should still be comfortable though. Don’t buy furniture only for its appearance. Be sure to sit on it and use it a bit to make sure that it will be somehow you enjoy having in your home, and not just something you enjoy looking at.
- Use bold artwork
When choosing artwork for your modern home, go big! Look for a sizable empty wall to hang a large, bold piece of art that speaks to the overall vibe you’re looking to create in your home. Structure your room around the piece, so that it acts as a focal point in the room. If you have a fireplace acting as a focal point, hanging a large painting above it will allow you to focus attention on the peace more naturally by aiming furniture at it (and in turn, the fireplace). Try to choose artwork that matches the color palette you currently have in your home or using the artwork as inspiration for your color palette.
- Make lightning a centerpiece
When trying to make your home appear more modern, focus on unique lighting. From large pendants that cast interesting patterns, to track lighting that focuses light on focal points in the room–look for lighting pieces that really draw the eye. Another way to add interesting lighting to your space is to use a dramatic fireplace. Go here to see some examples of eye-catching fireplaces that will be sure to make your home stand out.
- Incorporate some natural elements
Modern design doesn’t all have to be about steel and glass. In fact, incorporating natural elements such as live edge wood can actually help showcase the beauty of your modern home. Try adding a live edge coffee table or natural wood dining table to your modern space and surrounding it with modern pieces, such as Eiffel chairs or metal hairpin legs. Further to that…
- Look for mixed material pieces (metal/wood, wood glass)
It’s a mistake to think that modern homes aren’t about nature. In fact, many modern homes are designed to meld seamlessly into nature by using large windows and natural colors, so that when you’re in the home, you feel like you could be outside. They look to showcase the beauty of the world outside, instead of closing you off.
Mixed material pieces look stunning in a modern home. These pieces combine the authentic beauty and warmth of natural wood, stone, or other elements, with the starker, more controlled aesthetic or metal or plastic. From glass-topped coffee tables on wooden bases to wooden tables on steel hairpin legs, mixed material furniture will keep your home looking clean and modern while incorporating nature into your home.
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