Furnishing your home is a fun and exciting process. One of the most important decisions you’ll make during it is choosing the right furniture style.
Your furniture says a lot about your personal style. It can completely transform the look and feel of your home.
But with so many furniture styles to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start.
There’s a style out there for everyone, and we’re here to help you find the perfect fit for you.
Today, we’ll introduce you to some of the most popular furniture styles, explore what makes each one unique, and provide you with tips for incorporating them into your home décor.
Contemporary
Contemporary style interior design describes style that’s based on present-time trends. It typically boasts simple silhouettes, smooth shapes, and curved lines.
Contemporary furniture is therefore distinguished by clean lines and minimalist design. There’s a lot of focus on function rather than ornamentation in contemporary pieces.
Despite that, they’re not unattractive. In fact, they’re popular because of their sleek and modern looks, making them a great fit for most modern and minimalist homes.
You’re very likely to see a lot of metal and glass used in these furnishings, by the way. They also tend to be done in neutral colours – black, white, grey, silver, and chrome – but it’s not uncommon to see them punched up with bright colours too.
That’s actually why we often advise using bold, geometric rugs with contemporary furniture. The idea here is to create a visually striking contrast against the clean simplicity of the furniture.
Modern
Modern furniture is similar to contemporary furniture, but it specifically refers to furniture design from the 20th century.
Popular for its timeless and minimalist aesthetic, this type of furniture generally sports clean designs, sleek straight lines, basic forms, and a lot of metal and glass materials. It’s also fairly common to see natural elements like wood incorporated in it.
A modern-style living room is generally all about glossy finishes and restrained details such as you’d find in a minimalist home. Common colours for it are solids, black and white, and grey.
Rustic
Inspired by a natural, outdoorsy feel, rustic furniture style offers aged, flawed, and organic materials that offer a clear contrast against the perfected surfaces of contemporary and modern styles.
This style is popular for its cosy and warm atmosphere. Expect materials like wood and stone, and thus, a lot of rough textures, simple designs, and earthy tones.
This furniture also tends to be dominated by neutral schemes. The furniture pieces rarely express bold colours but highlight natural textures and solid wood materials to create a muted look.
Meanwhile, its colours tend to include shades of white, grey, beige, and browns that are towards the warmer side.
This tells you that you should try pairing rustic furniture with other organic-material items. For instance, a natural-fibre rug like jute or sisal can enhance the earthy feel of a rustic-decorated space.
Industrial
Inspired by the look of old factories and warehouses, industrial furniture features a raw and unfinished look with neutral tones and a mixture of wooden and metal elements.
Sharp designs are paired with metal accents here, usually in shades like black, white, deep greys, and varying shades of soft brown. This style is thus popular for its rugged and utilitarian aesthetic.
If you’re looking for pieces in this style, expect a lot of metal, concrete, and reclaimed wood materials. Exposed hardware and rough textures are also popular.
Scandinavian
Known for its simple, functional, and comfortable design, Scandinavian style is another option if you want a clean and minimalist aesthetic.
For furniture in this style, look for pieces in muted, light, and neutral colours. Expect the use of natural materials like wood and leather, all put together to create effortless harmony with a focus on function.
Because of this, it’s best to pair pieces in this style with simple, neutral-coloured rugs. The idea is to use the rugs to add warmth and texture to the space without overwhelming the clean lines of the furniture.
Traditional
Inspired by old and classical furniture styles, this style is a recollection of designs from the 18th and 19th century.
The furniture you find in traditional-style homes is generally characterised by ornate details, curved lines, and rich, dark woods. The emphasis here is often on elegance, sophistication, and classic appeal.
When looking for traditional furniture, seek curved lines, classic silhouettes, and solid or black-and-white plush upholstery. Expect fine ornamental details like carvings, panelling, mouldings, and the like.
Upholstery can also be done in floral patterns, plaids, and stripes. Warm and deep colours and rich woods are popular here.
Since traditional furniture styles often have ornate details and rich colours, pairing them with an intricate or patterned rug can be a good idea. The rug will play well with the embellishments of the furniture and add depth and texture to the space.
Transitional
Transitional furniture is best described as a blend of traditional and contemporary furniture. Popular for its classic yet updated look, it offers clean lines and a combination of both classic and modern silhouettes.
This furniture style also tends to use a lot of natural materials – especially wood and leather – and sometimes includes decorative details for accent, although not to the degree that traditional furniture does.
As far as texture and colorus go, it can be quite varied, with textures often being a mix of natural wood and glossy finishes.
Show your chosen furniture to advantage with a custom rug
As you can see, there are many styles available for you to choose from when decorating your home. Whatever you do pick, though, we can say this: one of the best ways to really highlight it is to pair it with the right rugs!
In particular, you should try a bespoke rug. A bespoke rug can be crafted not only to fit with the items you pick for your furniture but also with your unique identity and character.
If you’re interested in that, contact us. We can design and make your own custom rug for your first home… and even give you more decor tips along the way!
