How to mix modern and traditional furniture into your decor

One of the most satisfying elements of decorating your home is selecting the furniture and design pieces that you and your family love, no matter which period or style they are from.  These pieces might be heirloom antiques, or modern pieces of assorted styles that have be bought over the years.  Mixing traditional and contemporary styles can be a challenge but it's also a fun way to experiment with contrasts to create an individual, multi layered living space.  Here are The Wooden Furniture Stores tips on how to get the perfect mix of antique, modern and tradition design.

A mix of modern chairs with a traditional table

Image from the Maven.com

Different styles of chair look elegant and add interest arranged around a traditional dining table.  There's no rule that says all the furniture in your house needs to come from the same era.  In fact, embracing contrasting styles can give your home a liveliness and texture that rooms with all matchy-matchy furniture can't touch.  As well as the amazing lime molded plastic chairs, we think that the four different styles of modern lighting have been used to create a real impact in the space.

Contemporary colour

Image from thingsthatsparkle.com

An eye-catching, contemporary colour piece of furniture, can turn an overlooked corner into a memorable design moment. Here, a neon orange chair placed in a clean modern living room pops against a traditional fireplace surround.  We also love the abstract floral prints above —yet another stunning modern touch.

A fresh space

Image from vintageindusytrialstyle.com

When it's done right, combining contemporary furniture with antiques creates a fresh space with a laid-back personality.  This modern sideboard works perfectly with this mid century style carpet.  The one large piece of modern artwork creates an impact and we love the arrangement of accessories - read more about how to style furniture from our recent blog post.

A dynamic combination

Image from apartmenttherapy.com

In this home office, the antique desk is the focal point and everything else is kept minimal.  By keeping a sense of proportion and linking different styles, you can achieve a unique design scheme to suit your own personal taste.  We love the contrast between the mahogany desk and the modern perspex desk chair.

Incorporate textural elements

Image from houseofhipsters.com

Another beautiful antique carpet alert but it's the artful mix of textures that we love in this hallway.  It's a neutral space which allows the lines of the furniture to take centre stage - the shoe bench works brilliantly with the oversized brass mirror.  The mid century planter and the Moroccan pom pom blanket bring the whole look together.

Reclaimed furniture with a modern twist

One of our most popular ranges, Urban Chic furniture, combines reclaimed wood with urban edge design - the best mix of vintage and contemporary!  Each piece is hand built, by skilled craftsman in Southern India from recycled wood, that is between 50 and 150 years old.  The collection is truly individual and would make a great statement in any room - whether you choose a large bookcase, sideboard, dining table and chairs or TV cabinet.  The colourful, worn wood use to make the furniture combines beautifully with a modern steel outer frame to emphasise the character of each piece in the range.

Creating a focal point

Image from thegurdian.com

The perfect mix of traditional and contemporary decor is one of the most difficult decorating tricks to master.  It's done cleverly in this hallway -  a set of misshapen wooden drawers have become an interesting backdrop for the space and are a great contrast to the modern staircase.  The nearby walls are simple, pure white and the whole feel is fabulous and fresh.

Let it shine!

Image from leedyinteriors.com

An unusual paint or re-upholstery job can transform a piece of furniture into a truly stunning contemporary piece.  That doesn’t mean you need to go kitschy with hot-pink for the wooden legs and arms or your wingback, but a glossy coat of lacquer and a more modern, bright fabric can make more traditional pieces a wonderful addition to a room.  A perfect example is the snakeskin fabric used on this chair upholstery.  We love it!

Modern and traditional. Vintage and contemporary.  They may sound like strange bedfellows, but when it comes to decorating with style, we hope that we've given you some inspiration on how they can work together.