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The Ultimate Guide to the Transitional Living Room Style
There’s always a bit of hesitation when choosing the right decor for a room. Classic, modern, contemporary—the options can be dizzying.
But with a transitional style, you can mix up both the old and the new, holding onto the elements you love the most. In the process, you can create an eclectic and welcoming living room that’s guest-ready or perfect for quiet evenings at home.
What Is Transitional Style?
A transitional design style combines contemporary with classic, so traditional elements mix seamlessly with modern aspects. The result is a lived-in feel and look that’s up-to-date and in style.
The hallmark of a transitional design style is, for example, a light-colored wood that’s not as traditional as dark wood. On the other hand, the contemporary style has lots of curved lines, while the transitional is a mixture of straight and curved.
How To Incorporate Transitional Living Room Style
A transitional living room style is one that immediately welcomes everyone to sit and feel at home while giving a vibe of a well-planned and modern aesthetic. There are a few tips to bring about this transitional style, but there’s no rule book. As a starting point, these fine touches can be just what you need.
Think of Your Layout
Start by incorporating a classic layout for your living room. You can do so with a few timeless features that always make an impact and never feel out of date.
Consider layered rugs on hardwood floors and a gallery wall. Not surprisingly, these are common elements of a minimalist aesthetic, which is the core of a transitional decorating style.
A transitional design is simple and sophisticated. A modern layout has crisp, well-defined lines but contemporary touches of rounder and softer furniture, like small ottomans. These basics are the cornerstones of any transitional living room.
Add Neutral Color Schemes
Going with the minimalist layout are the neutral colors that encompass the entire room. Transitional style interior design uses whites and beiges, soft browns and greys, along with natural colors of wood. It’s also common to see monochromatic color schemes, such as black and white, on couches and central furnishings.
Colors aren’t a complete no-no, but if you bring some into your living room, consider adding just a few touches. Think seasonal yellows and greens on throw pillows for spring or forest green and reds in accents during the winter holiday season.
Use Traditional Millwork
Millwork is a fancy term that incorporates all of a room’s trim, paneling, baseboards, and other woodwork. It can also include unique aspects of your living room’s entryways, like exposed beams, pillars, and columns. Highlighting the millwork is an excellent way to make your minimalist aesthetic classic and stylish.
As part of your transitional living room design, choose furniture that draws attention to the millwork and doesn’t disguise its natural appeal. Ensuring there’s space near windows and entryways allows those aspects of the room to shine.
Bring in Accent Pieces
There are many ways to bring a unique style to a transitional-style living room. You can create your own look using furniture pieces and decor accents that bring energy and creativity to the minimalist feel. This is where you can add a contemporary touch to those classic basics in your room.
Consider mixing up furniture pieces with a mix-and-match approach. You can have several chairs, each with a neutral upholstery color and classic style but with a distinct curve or style to the legs. In this way, your furniture matches but also shows a bit of funk and unique perspective.
Same with your pillows and throws; add color and patterns on these that break the simplicity of the neutral palette. You can even switch these up regularly, such as when the seasons change or when you're planning a small gathering.
Mix Old and New
As mixing old and new might feel like the basis of the entire transitional design aesthetic, keep this as a rule of thumb as you design your room. With every element, see how the new can combine with the old to form a new and unique whole.
For instance, you can put a modern art piece on a wall covered with classic wallpaper. Or, you can combine retro furniture pieces, such as low and oval-shaped wooden coffee tables, with contemporary centerpieces.
If you’re renovating, you can update some of your old living room features to make them timeless and ideal for a transitional look. Painting an old brick fireplace white to match the walls and the minimalist feel can provide a solid base for select colorful decor pieces like flower vases or small statues in a distinct color or neutral tone.
Include Modern Lighting
The benefit of modern lighting is that it allows you to highlight certain areas of the room. It also can support the minimalist aesthetic by inviting a clean, open feel to the room, especially if you have access to natural light.
You can opt for track lighting with overall coverage or a simple modern chandelier. A side lamp next to the sofa can also provide a cozy atmosphere for evenings and late nights in the living room.
Lamps are an excellent opportunity to bring classic or retro elements to your transitional room. If you have a modern side table, consider a retro lamp and vice versa for the perfect style combo.
Focus on Comfort
A transitional living room style is one where you and your guests should feel welcome to hang out and socialize or for you to have a calming evening solo. The overall aesthetic should be comfortable.
This is the benefit of transitional style: it makes your living room feel guest-ready but also personal and intimate. So feel free to throw books on the coffee table and extra throws off the back of the sofa.
Style Your Living Room as You See Fit
A transitional living room gives you the freedom to incorporate new and contemporary pieces into your decor while holding onto those classic pieces you hold dear. There’s room to keep that well-loved ottoman while mounting a new art piece you’ve just acquired. Since transitional never goes out of style, you can always switch things up without having to do a wholesale renovation or redesign.