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How to Mix Traditional and Contemporary Furniture

Mukta Gaikwad
It takes a keen eye to mix traditional and contemporary furniture and blending them with each other in a nonchalant manner. The decor must look perfect with nothing looking out of place or forced into the setting.
The art of non-conformity is what creates eclectic beauty. So, if you are one of those who does not like to adhere to a set style, mixing and matching is the best way out.
Many times, antique furniture which gets carried on from generation to generation seems out of place, in a new setup. But it only takes a little imagination to set up your home to make your place the right mix of what's traditional and contemporary.

Mixing Traditional and Modern Furniture

Living Room

Living room is the first room one enters. Thus, it needs to bring out the essence of your home and reflect your tastes too. If you have a modern set up, then keep the traditional furniture pieces to minimum.
For instance, you can have old side tables and similar lamps to adorn them. Additionally, an antique rug can add warmth to your living room, without meddling much with your modern touch.
While mixing the two styles of furniture, you need to make sure that they blend well as opposed being stark contrast to each other. The idea lies in merging the two to derive a new style.

Kitchen

Kitchen is the heart of a house and thus, every item in there needs to be handpicked. Nothing beats a well polished traditional dining table. Restore the chipped wooden table and refurbish it.
An old cabinet to store your modern crockery and cutlery will go perfectly well with the sophisticated flooring.
Keep the lighting as simple as possible, as gaudy lights will steal the show and make your mix and match furniture look absurd. You can mix these antique pieces with modular kitchen cabinets in the rest of the room.

Bedrooms

As compared to the rest of the room, a bedroom has minimum furniture. Against freshly painted luster walls, and the sleek lampshades, an antique bed and wardrobe is all that you need to bring about the right blend of old and new.
These furniture pieces are heavy to move around. So, restore them once and for before you actually place them in the room. Do not go in for an olden styled mirror, as it will overpower the modern look.
If you have another bedroom, let the big furniture pieces such as wardrobes, beds and side tables be modern, which the rest of the accessories are traditional in style.

Bathrooms

The chance of having furniture in your bathroom is very less. However, mirrors and cabinets can be antique in style while the rest of the bathroom sports modern bath fittings.
Make sure the bathroom tiles complement the look too. The colors, tiles and the furniture pieces needs to form a theme when put together. Additionally, old wood has higher chances of getting spoiled in damp places. Thus, you will have to be careful while placing any in the bathroom.
While mixing traditional and contemporary furniture, you need to be sure about which style needs to stand out above the other. Additionally, the antique furniture needs to be restored well to prevent any occurrence of termites that might cause unwanted damage to other parts of the house as well.
Stick to complementary colors while mixing styles, as a complete contrast would make an eyesore. Similar textures, shapes and shades give a theme to the house. The point to create a harmony of styles and not make one overpower the other.
While revamping your house by blending styles, make sure that they are easy to clean. Old furniture is susceptible to dust and damage. Moreover, it weighs more than the modern furniture. So, pick your styles carefully, instead of taking a plunge into mindless mix.