- Date Published:
- 11/06/2008
Temporarily spurned but clearly not forgotten, the modernist style - together with its slightly softer cousin, contemporary design - still thrives and elements can be incorporated easily and effectively throughout a home. Here are a few tips:
- Open-plan interiors and the absence of clutter epitomise the modernist design of house and furniture, with simplicity and clarity typifying the genre.
- White walls are predominant in a modern home with furnishings, accessories and fabrics sporting neutral tone-on-tone colour schemes.
- Modern interior finishes tend to be sleek, smooth and polished, while concrete, granite, light wood and linoleum are used for flooring.
- Decorative plasterwork or mouldings are out but if such features appear in your home, rather than tearing them out, minimise them with a coat of white paint.
- A stainless steel finish is the last word in modern kitchen cool. Steely stoves and fridges in particular really make a high-end gourmet kitchen. A lacquered finish on kitchen cabinetry is common.
- If you have an eat-in kitchen, an attractive chrome bowl filled with apples or limes will introduce warmth, while a pair of metallic candlesticks can transform a working kitchen into a romantic bistro.
- If you’re not ready for all stainless appliances, inject steel into your style with steely cabinet knobs, window accessories, faucets, exposed radiators, light fixtures and table-wares.
- Choose frameless or minimalist shower enclosures with perhaps a touch of metallic finish, stylish profiles and chrome handles.
- Consider using gloss paints on ceilings in gloss for a super-shiny reflective look. Light bounces off them, adding a glamorous, modern feel to a room.
- Gloss can also add a fresh contemporary look if slapped on bead board wainscoting, cabinets, trim, and furniture. A front door painted in high gloss looks stylish, especially when done in a dark colour such as black.
- Opt for the slimmest skirting boards you can find and paint them the same colour as walls to keep their impact to a minimum.
- Keep windows as plain and uncluttered as possible, adorning them only with plain blinds or white curtains hung from neutral coloured poles.
- Glass and chrome coffee tables with simple lines are ideal, while a mix of chrome, bent wood (such as beech) and leather furniture with clean, smooth lines are bywords of modernist cool. Neutral or black fabrics made of wool, cotton, linen, silk or jute will also fit the bill.
- In both furnishings and accessories pastels, dinky, throws, chintzy patterns, overstuffed chairs, ruffles, carved details, traditional shapes are all out. Opt instead, for bold, artistic, and sculptural.
- Open fires can sit proudly in a modernist setting but keep it simple – open brick work or plain tile surrounds only.
- The art and accessories are an important feature of a modern interior with striking shapes or forms which make a statement preferred. Favourite pieces can be picked out with spotlights to make the most visual impact.
- Frame posters and prints in classic black wood, coloured metals, or light natural woods.
- Insert a shot of life with just a few large plants in simple pots. Cacti or bamboo are both winners and can be uplit from the back and underneath for maximum effect. Hide the dirt with smooth rocks.
- For a clean, modern look, place about 10 candles of the same height, width, texture – preferably white or very light cream in colour - in 10 simple matching glass holders and place them in a straight line down the middle of your coffee table or dinner table.
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