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DESIGN 101
How To Design a Traditional Style Room for Timeless Comfort
Universal Furniture
Universal Furniture
A traditional look can mean a lot of different things for different people. But in the world of interior design, traditional style refers to a specific look that is steeped in the charm of 18th- and 19th-century England and France. It’s an aesthetic marked by romance, drama, and nostalgia. Though it can feel particularly elegant and formal— think heritage craftmanship, ornate details, and rich-colored woods — it should never feel stodgy or uptight when done properly. Like farmhouse and cottagecore, traditional style values homey comfort and ease as an essential part of its appeal.
With its attention to delivering form and function, it’s no wonder that traditional style has lasted through centuries of trends. Now here’s how you can transform your living room and bedroom with this timeless style. Or check out our guide to creating a traditional style kitchen and dining room.
Traditional Living Room Ideas
Rooms To Go
A balanced and symmetrical layout
Traditional style is all about creating symmetry, especially with your seating. This not only creates a harmonious look but also encourages and fosters conversation with guests with a closeknit arrangement. For a welcoming and convivial atmosphere, center your sofas and chairs around a focal point like a coffee table, ottoman, fireplace, or chandelier. To further highlight this cozy setup, consider putting an area rug that visually reinforces its importance.
We also recommend investing in matching seats to create a more exact mirror image. This helps dial up the sense of soothing symmetry — whether you choose two identical accent chairs or a loveseat and sofa in the same color and upholstery.
Plush seating for all
A traditional living room is beloved because it’s thoughtfully designed around the needs of your family members and guests. Make sure everyone feels comfortable and relaxed by adding plush support throughout the room. Key pieces include cushioned and upholstered seatings, from sectionals to sofas to lounge chairs and ottomans. Popular choices for fabrics include time-tested choices like sumptuous velvet and leather or soft cotton and silk. If you want to go above and beyond as a host, you can even layer in decorative pillows and throw blankets around the seating area to deliver exquisite coziness.
Create contrast with airy hues
Though we love the richness of brown, from earthy chocolate to coffee, it is possible to over-index on the color, leading to a drab effect. That’s why we love incorporating plenty of lighter tones like creamy whites and sunny yellows, or even subtle patterns, to brighten up the walls and floors. These elements can counterbalance the dark and heavy effect of elegant leather upholstery and rich-colored woods and wood stains that is the cornerstone of any traditional living room.
Embellished tables & surfaces
As for your non-seating elements, from the credenza to the coffee table, there are a few go-to materials that are hallmarks of traditional style. Usually, well-crafted pieces made of natural materials like wood, glass, and metal are ideal for achieving a timeless look. But a truly traditional style has to feature a bit of decorative flair. Look for staples designed with embellishments, from sculptural wrought iron to wood tables that have ornate carvings. These little details are the antithesis to the clean and minimalist lines of contemporary and modern furniture.
Tell a story through vintage decor
The finishing touch of any style is layering in personal details — and it’s no different for traditional style living rooms. Consider more vintage accessories that feel like heirlooms passed down through the family, like artful vases and pottery, antique lighting with old-fashioned lamp shades, oil paintings and framed black and white photos, and shelves or piles of hardcover books that showcase your interests. This strategic sprinkling of personal effects will also add in some much-needed texture and visual interest to the room.
Traditional Bedroom Ideas
The RoomPlace
The devil’s in the details
With traditional style’s emphasis on high-quality craftsmanship, it’s inevitable that your bedroom furniture should showcase some eye-popping flourishes. We’re partial to bed frames that feature curvy legs, inlaid wood design, and other fanciful elements that are worth a closer look. For a more dramatic statement, consider a swoon-worthy four poster bed frame or a classic tufted headboard. For your walls, consider adding wood panels or molding to continue the decorative theme.
High-quality craftsmanship
You won’t see a lot of furniture with delicate frames in a traditional bedroom. That’s because traditional style is all about well-crafted, heirloom-worthy investments that lean toward a more substantial and sturdier silhouette. When you’re looking at bed frames, nightstands, dressers, and benches, consider ones that have a more solid look to them — from dark-colored wood to thicker legs and frames that give your furniture an unmistakable presence in the bedroom.
Gentle slopes and curves
Whereas contemporary style embraces crisp and clean simple lines, traditional style is all about soft edges. To create an air of relaxation and warmth in your bedroom, blue the lines with ornate shapes that look like they’re carved by hand. Consider swooping headboards, wavy curved dressers, and arched mirrors.
Consider a furniture set
Not all styles work with furniture sets. In the case of eclectic or bohemian styles, the whole point is to mix and match unexpected elements in a unique way. However, the cohesive and unified look of a bedroom furniture set is perfect for creating the symmetrical effect that’s essential to traditional style. A furniture set provides a matching bed frame, nightstands, and sometimes a dresser — all in the same color, kind of wood or wood stain, or using the same decorative motif across all the pieces for a harmonious look. Plus, shopping for furniture sets can often save you time and money when compared to the process of shopping for each furniture piece individually.
Bright and airy vs. dark and moody
Bedrooms often adopt a light and bright color scheme that helps create a more airy, calming, and open feeling. If that’s the atmosphere you’re looking to emulate in your traditional bedroom, we recommend a soft off-white shade like cream, sunny pastel yellow, or peaceful hues of blue. However, if you’re looking for a more romantic and cozier feel, take a chance on dramatic and dark hues. Traditional style pairs well with earthy green or muted brown like coffee or chocolate that can add a richness to your bedroom.
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