Transitional Style – the new black or just plain boring?
Transitional style design is an emerging trend gaining momentum in furniture and interior design circles. It is neither traditional nor contemporary but a blending of the two. Definitions for this vary …
Traditional with a twist. A bridge between traditional and modern. Postmodern. Contemporary for people who don’t like the word “contemporary.”
- McClatchy-Tribune article
Transitional style is hot because it
takes the stuffiness out of traditional styles and the coldness out of modern to create an environment that is personally meaningful.
- tidg.ca
Transitional style is clean, serene, minimalist, and inviting. Simple, uncluttered, and sophisticated. Timeless, classical, and tasteful.
Neutral Colors & Contrasting Textures
Colors are neutrals and earth tones – ivory, taupe, beige, and tan. If you don’t like the word beige (it got a bad rep in the last century), try vanilla, pewter, wheat or sandbar. Color is actually very important but subordinate to the neutral. Isolated splashes of color are common: “There may be bright orange, but only in the bookshelf or on a pillow or a piece of sculpture.”
This “absence” of color creates more opportunity to work with texture in terms of fabric choices for accents, etc. Typical transitional fabrics?
- Chenille
- Corduroy
- Mircofiber suede
- Leather
- Cotton
- Twill
- Denim
- Raw silk
- Tweed
- Woven reeds
- Woven rope
Clean Furniture Design
Transitional furniture design combines both straight lines and curves.
The look balances both masculine and feminine attributes for a comfortably contemporary design. The scale of the pieces is ample but not intimidating. A lack of ornamentation and decoration keeps the focus on the simplicity but sophistication of the design.
- HGTV online
Which brings me to …
Comfort
Yes comfort. Transitional style is “inviting”. “Transitional is about lifestyle, not design for its own sake.”
Minimal, Tasteful Accessories
Carefully chosen. “Transitional rooms always have art – good art…” albeit in an understated context.
The new black? Or just plain boring?
See HGTV’s transitional style interior design portfolio for more examples. I like this slideshow better as it leans more to the contemporary. Boring or the new black? You be the judge. My verdict is that it’s smart. The smart homeowners decor choice, one that will both age and show well, especially if you are interested in selling your home in the near future. The trend may be to make a personal statement with your decor but …
Catlin worries these personal statements will date quickly and alienate future buyers. “You have to think how it’s going to translate for the next owners,” Catlin said. “You may love your dark green countertop, but the next owner’s favorite color could be yellow.”
That’s why Catlin advises homeowners who care about resale to choose more neutral colors for floors, countertops and other hard surfaces, using easily changeable paint and accessories to infuse personality.
- The hottest remodeling trends for 2011
Sounds transitional to me …
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 10:07 am and is filed under Decorating, Design & Decor Trends, Fabrics, Furniture, Home Trends, Interior Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
