If you haven’t heard yet, transitional decor is the design style today. What makes it so popular? It’s a beautiful mix of country and urban, masculine and feminine, old and new. There’s plenty of structure, yet lots of room for individuality. Transitional is halfway between contemporary and traditional. Fresh and confident yet never brash; intimate and sophisticated yet never fussy.

Let’s look at the top 5 principles of transitional decor:

1. Simple, clean lines. While a little curve is welcome with transitional styling, generally, lines are clean, uncomplicated and never ornate. The look is streamlined, but not sleek or cold. There’s a genuine warmth to transitional decor.
2. Neutral colours. When you’re blending pieces of different styles from different periods, stick to a neutral palette and tone on tone colour schemes. Skip the brights. If you must have colour, think soft and subtle.
3. Lots of texture. With colour at a minimum, texture becomes extra important to make a room more interesting visually and tactilely. Think about including glass, nubby fabrics, distressed wood and steel.
4. Impactful accessories. A lot of small details and accents make a transitional space look cluttered. Instead choose fewer, statement accessories that are a little bolder and make a dramatic impact.
5. Natural materials. Whether it’s suede or leather upholstery, wood floors, metal furnishings or green plants, natural is sophisticated and subtle in a transitional space.

How do you achieve transitional decor in your own home? Success can be achieved if you keep three things in mind:

1. Balance. Stay within contemporary and traditional – don’t become random with your choices.
2. Simplicity. While a transitional home is never minimalistic, neither is it busy. The palette, furnishings and accents should all be subdued, timeless, just a touch refined.
3. Personality. Don’t be afraid to make your mark on your home. Transitional can be quite liberating! You still have the freedom to express your preferences and passions but always with boundaries to help guide your good taste.

Transitional is the most popular home style for many reasons. Start exploring how you can transition your home today!

Tags: decor, design tips, how to, transitional, trends