Decorating: Contemporary Design Ideas

Contemporary styling can take many paths, from big and bold to simple and sparse

If you find the contemporary style appealing, then there are several easy ways to carry out this trend from room to room.

You can begin in the kitchen with dinnerware. You'll find a lot of shapes other than round in a contemporary home. Dinner plates can be square and serving dishes rectangular. Look for solid colors that complement each other. A service for eight could include four settings of white and four of black. These can be accented with red, for instance, through the use of placemats or exotic flower arrangements.

Small appliances should also have a high-tech look and feel to blend into the contemporary scheme. That does not mean you have to replace a perfectly good blender, but you can keep your style in mind when adding new pieces. Tuck away the worst offenders when not in use.

Art should always be framed in brushed copper, silver, or black frames. They should be simple; avoid any ornate mountings.

Bring the outdoors inside with wrought iron furniture. It will add to the open feel of a room. A small, round table with ice-cream parlor styled chairs can easily look at home when tucked into a nook.

Linen and nubby silks are great contemporary style materials, whether it is for window treatments or throws and pillows. Rugs should also be made of natural materials.

In bedrooms, big fluffy comforters or duvets work well. If you must have a bed skirt, make sure it is box-pleated and not frilly in any way. You should avoid any cutesy patterns and definitely no tassels or other traditional embellishments. It is perfectly all right to allow furniture legs to show.

Nested, modular tables will fit into a contemporary scheme; they can be set out when needed and tucked away to keep everyday form simple.

Hand-carved or woven bowls and sculptures from exotic locales add artistic and exotic flair. An old fisherman's bait trap or net are perfect accent pieces, but don't be tempted to add sea shells.

To create clean lines in floral arrangements, look for two-three vases of the same style, but in different sizes. These can be grouped; just add dramatic stemmed blooms, but do not overload the vases.
A modular shelf in the bathroom can hold stacked and folded towels that are monochromatic with the scheme. The same goes for shower curtain hooks. If a bathroom is white, for instance, rugs could incorporate a range of grays. Brushed aluminum racks and accessories would be appropriate here. You could add one dramatic focal point by framing the bathroom mirror with a large black tile border. A custom-made mosaic tile countertop that incorporates the color scheme is another way to add art to the bathroom.

If you want to add a display piece or matching collection, look for a wall-mounted clear plexiglass shelf. If you find one in the right size, it could also be used for stacking hand towels and washcloths along with a matching ceramic tissue holder.

The contemporary design is all about limited focal color, interesting and bold forms and shapes, and creating an appreciation for simplicity. It can utilize the latest trends or classically modern styling to make your personal point.