Your Guide to 4 Interior Design Styles
In this brief guide to interior design styles, we’re going to look at two binary opposites: traditionalism versus modernism and minimalism versus maximalism. While each style has many variations, these four represent rubrics under which much of contemporary interior design falls.
Let’s explore these interior design styles to discover their aesthetic elements and the vibe those elements create. Of these four, one will speak to you and your individual vision, providing a framework for creating your personal aesthetic in the home.
Traditional
The traditional interior design style evokes a comforting past of overstuffed chairs and elements like a crackling fireplace and plenty of cuddly blankets and designer throw pillows.
Family photos on the walls add to the old-fashioned flavor of traditional style. Just add classic touches like a welcome mat at the front door, lashings of brass and an inviting wingback chair, and you’re well on your way.
Remember: traditionalist style is an umbrella term encompassing colonialist and even Mission interior design styles. Choose your favorite and get cozy in a traditional setting that evokes a kinder, gentler past.
Modern
Simplicity is the watchword of modern interior design. Unadorned and functional, this look is pared down to elements that serve a purpose. Form follows function in modern design with furniture designed by icons like Eames front and center.
Materials used in this style are natural, so select furniture in earthy tones of leather, paired with wood or metal in a monochromatic palette. Lines are clean and unembellished and natural light is allowed to do its work, shining through bare windows. Presentation, in this style, is polished and streamlined.
Minimalist
Minimalism pares modern interior design down to the bones. Today’s minimalist design style embraces existing architectural details like ornately carved fireplace mantels and wood elements and makes them features of the decor. This is done by placing furniture in relation to the featured element or elements.
Spare and elegant, minimalism is dedicated to seeing spaces differently. The perspective is almost that of a painter. Shape and color replace the usual clutter of home spaces with the delight of truly seeing the focal point, whether that’s an elegant light fixture or your bed dressed in pristine white.
Maximalist
Growing out of the Pattern and Decoration Movement of the 1970s and 1980s, maximalism answers minimalism’s “less is more” with an effusive “more is more.” After going underground for two decades, the impulse re-emerged with a colorful vengeance at the beginning of the 2020s.
Color is the cornerstone of maximalist design, incorporating texture and pattern for a bold décor style that breathes passion into every room. Patterned wallpaper, juxtaposed against striking color, meets rich texture in furniture and cushion fabrics, creating a personal universe of sensory delight. Your stories are told in clusters of beloved objects, layered for visual interest that never gets old.
Who You Are
Your home speaks on your behalf and while others may not share your vision, that doesn’t matter. All that matters is your relationship with your private spaces. This is where you live—your sanctuary.
Reflecting back to you a vision of who you are, the interior design style you choose to adopt—and perhaps, adapt—is all about being unapologetically authentic. Express yourself with candor and be delighted by what surrounds you. Find more inspiration!
Carolyn Mitchell is a freelance writer and content strategist with a passion for home décor. She can often be found re-painting and updating the furnishings in her home, and she is also a dedicated cat mom to two adorable kitties.
