Know your style

If you aren't certain what style you want, or if you'd just like to know more about decorating, this is the place to start. By clicking on the links below, you'll see some of the newest decorating trends and learn about new twists on old favorites. The following Furniture Style Guides each focus on one design style, with photos and style tips to highlight the features and elements important to one particular look. Decorating today is a lot more interesting than it was in the last century. Consumers now have more options than ever before when decorating a home, and can choose from a vast array of styles, prices, finishes, colors, and other decorative features.

Casual
country
oriental
Contemporary
Traditional

Casual style
Casual style is comfortable, warm, inviting, and homey. Almost everyone loves it. But exactly what are the elements of a casual room? In general, casual rooms have simple details, textured elements in fabrics and accessories, restful horizontal lines, soft upholstery, low-luster surfaces, and arrangements that avoid perfect symmetry. Rectangular and softly curved elements contribute to a casual feel.

The casual room often includes a bit of whimsey, such as a child's sled remade into a coffee table, a birdhouse lamp base, or a basket filled with pinecones. Decorating styles with a casual feel can include rustic, American country, French country, Adirondack, ethnic, cottage, Shabby Chic, and more. While many homes today are completely done in a casual style, most homes incorporate a bit of casual style somewhere -- in a family room, breakfast room, guest room, or country kitchen. Use these tips to enhance a casual feel in your home.

Comfortable upholstered furniture is a primary element in a casual interior. Long horizontal lines underscore a casual look and add to a restful mood. While neutral colors (beige, tan, brown, gray) are often associated with the casual style, interiors can also range from soft pastels to deeper tones such as green, navy, and terra cotta. Furniture in casual settings is often large in scale and selected for comfort and utility. Unusual pieces such as wicker, rattan, recycled items, and rustic antiques fit well into a casual room.

Fabrics in a casual room are often lightly or heavily textured, sometimes coarsely woven and usually without sheen. Natural fibers such as cotton, wool, jute, and textured weaves are used to underscore a casual look.Upholstery details might include basic cording, simple gathering, informal pleating, and buttons.Furniture in casual settings can be arranged on diagonal lines within the room and avoids the use of perfectly matched sets. Wood furniture pieces and wood flooring are often made from lighter woods such as pine or oak, and are generally in a non-shiny matte or low luster finish. Hardware materials include antiqued brass, wrought iron, ceramic, and wood.Theme rooms or collections are often arranged to enhance the mood of a casual room. Common themes include nautical, rustic, sports, Americana, quilts, hobbies, regional, and more.

Collections might be of decoys, birdhouses, teapots, posters, memorabelia, trophies, art prints, etc. Windowcoverings in a casual room are often layered, using simple fabric panels for color and under treatments of functional shutters, blinds, or shades for light control and privacy. Drapery hardware in a casual room can also be made of non-traditional items such as twigs, ski poles, pipes, nailheads, and other creative elements. Curtain details are non-fussy, such as contrasting lining, welting or banding, tab tops, gathering, simple valances or swags, and tie-backs. Flooring choices can include hardwood, tile, stone, carpeting, area rugs, vinyl, and concrete. Popular casual carpets are sisal, berber, and textured weaves in geometric designs such as diamonds or squares.

Casual style light fixtures are often seen in materials that include wood, iron, ceramic, pottery, and tin. Chandeliers are found in wrought iron or antiqued metals, and may use small fabric covered lampshades in a coordinating pattern. Sometimes chandeliers use real candles for a light source. Accessories in casual rooms often include arrangements of baskets, pottery, books, pillows, collections, boxes, tins, trunks, wreaths, wood carvings, and dried flowers. Candles and plants add more texture, color, and interest in a casual room, as do put-your-feet-up ottomans. Artwork is simply framed and in casual themes that support the look of the room.Casual tableware includes stoneware, textured placemats, loosely woven fabric napkins, sturdy glassware instead of crystal, stainless steel flatware, wooden bowls, iron or pewter look accessories. Casual table looks can be found in everything from neutrals and pastels to brighter floral colors.

A Recap of Casual Details:

Homey, sturdy, and unpretentious interiors
Low horizontal lines and soft curves
Simple, unfussy details
Asymmetrical arrangements of furniture and accessories
Lighter woods, matte surfaces
Textured fabrics, sometimes loosely woven
Farmhouse or rustic antiques
Collections, themed accessories
Whimsical and unusual elements add interest
Flooring of tile, wood, stone, brick, concrete, or textured carpet
Accessories of stoneware, pottery, tin, wood, iron, quilts, candles, wreaths
Use a casual style wherever you want to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Contemporary

Contemporary interiors have a mantra : clean lines, sculptural furnishings, art, neutral elements and bold color.

While some people dislike contemporary style for looking stark and cold, others find it exciting, urban, and fresh. It's a look that often appeals to artists and architects who love the underlying simplicity of line, shape, and form.
Notice how few accessories are needed in the room pictured here. Both the accessories and art are large scale, architectural, and add texture to this unmistakably contemporary interior.

The color palette in a contemporary interior can be anything from a mix of neutrals, to black and white, to the use of bright and bold color. Black is often used to ground and define a contemporary room.

Line may be the single most important element of a contemporary interior. Look for it in architectural shapes and curves, in the bold use of black or color, in background details such as soaring ceilings or tall windows, and in sculptural or geometric elements and art.

If you love the look of contemporary, here are some ideas for creating your own modern room.

Think of museum interiors when planning a contemporary room: each element has its own space, and is set off to stand alone while contributing to the whole.

Architectural and functional elements of a space are fully embraced in a contemporary interior, whether they are beautiful or simply structural. Ceiling pipes in loft spaces, broken brick walls in a former factory building, metal ductwork, etc. is often left exposed, adding textural interest and line.

Learn to see the negative space (the areas around a particular object) and protect it.

Make bold statements with both furniture and accessories. If you love red, put it up on an accent wall or choose a bright red sofa or chair.

In both furnishings and accessories, skip the small, pastel, and cute. Avoid ruffles, florals, carved details, traditional shapes. Instead, go for the bold, artistic, and sculptural.

Furniture generally exhibits clean, smooth lines. Cover it in a neutral, black, or bold fabric. Fabrics often have a natural look (wool, cotton, linen, silk, jute) and add textural appeal.

Keep furniture details uncluttered. Skirts are often either flat or box pleated, and have no additional trimmings such as fringes or tassles. Legs are exposed and in chunky, solid shapes. Pillows add shots of color and texture in clean geometric shapes.

Flooring is generally smooth and sleek in vinyl, wood, or low-pile commerical carpeting. Area rugs can add more color, texture, interest, and space definition.

Animal prints are at home in many contemporary rooms. Try leopard pillows on a black sofa or a zebra area rug.

Lighting is exceptionally important in a contemporary interior. Look for unusual fixtures with sculptural interest, clean lines, and perhaps accents of bold color or metallic. Install recessed lighting or track fixtures to wash walls with light. With new construction or remodels look into installing indirect or cove lighting.

Highlight art by placing sculptures on columns or pedestals. Install specialized lighting for original art, framed prints, or posters. Use repetition of line, color, and form.

In straight contemporary interiors it is most effective to have a few large accessories well placed. Give each piece breathing room by establishing a zone of empty space around it.

Frame posters and prints simply in classic black wood, colored metals, or light natural woods. Hang groupings of pictures close together so they look like one large piece of art.

Glass, metals, stone, and wood will all fit well into a contemporary interior. However, avoid a cold looking room by adding shots of warm colors and providing textural interest in fabrics, upholstery, rug, or accessories.

Think of each piece as sculpture. Don't crowd it.

Flower arrangements should be dramatic, large, and follow simple lines and shapes. Place them in contemporary containers that add to the sculptural look.

Plants will add a shot of life to a contemporary room. Make them big, place them in simple pots, and choose varieties that have interesting leaves. Uplight them from the back and underneath. Cover the dirt with smooth rocks or chunky bark chips.

Dinnerware is available in a variety of contemporary shapes, colors, and styles. Keep it simple and add interest by combining a range colors. Introduce texture with fabrics and placemats, metal, twigs, and other "architectural" looking materials.

Traditional

Traditional style interiors are comforting and classic. You may have grown up in a home that was decorated with traditional style furnishings.

There is nothing wild or chaotic in a traditional room. It is calm, orderly, and can be somewhat predictable. Furnishings might look a bit outdated to some, while others will enjoy an interior that embraces the benefits of classic styling.
Traditional and formal styles can be similar in some respects. In both, symmetry is extremely important. Furniture in both formal and traditional interiors is often arranged on a straight axis and centered within the room. In addition, furnishings and accessories are often seen in pairs and straight lines are contrasted with curved details.

The point where formal and traditional part ways is in the degree of interpretation. Formal can be somewhat rigid, symmetrical, and almost too shiny and perfect, often using expensive period furnishings and fine antiques. Traditional rooms are less grand and a bit more casual, often using less expensive reproductions and accessories and fewer fussy details.This homey style is easy to spot in magazines and furniture stores. While often eclipsed by popular casual and flashier contemporary styles, it is still a well-loved and enduring look for a home.

Here are some of the elements of a traditional room...

Upholstered furniture in a traditional room exhibits classic lines and understated details. It is functional, unfussy, and restful looking. Edges are soft, smooth, and blend into the whole.

In general a traditional room will use a mix of vertical lines with more restful horizontal lines. Gentle curves are seen in furniture, pillows, and accessories.

Fabrics in a traditional room are generally neither too shiny or too textured. Florals, plain colors, muted plaids, understated stripes, geometrics, tone-on-tone and small all-over patterns are common.

Color in a traditional room is often in a mid-range of tones, though very dark and very light colors can also be used. Pretty multi-color florals are often the basis of a traditional color scheme that uses the lightest color on the walls and deeper hues for upholstery and flooring. Avoid neon brights and jarring combinations.

The Overall Ambience of traditional decor is homey, understated, and non-jarring.

As in formal settings, furniture in a traditional room is often arranged on straight axis within the room. The sofa will directly face or sit perpendicular to the fireplace and a bed will back up to the center of the longest bedroom wall.

Wood furniture will usually have a mix of straight and curved lines. There may be light carving details as well. While wood pieces will often be finished with darker stains, a traditional room might also use lighter woods as long as the lines of each piece are classic.

Interiors in a traditional home will often feature trim and molding that is painted glossy white. Crown molding is common and adds to the formal look. Walls might have a chair rail and simple molding details, with wall surfaces done in a flat painted finish or wallpaper. Ceilings are often white and may have simple beams.

The dining room in a traditional home is generally a separate room, often with some built-in corner cabinets for china storage. A large area rug sits on top of a hardwood floor. The table is rectangular with a set of matched chairs placed evenly around the perimeter. A matching sideboard, buffet, or china cabinet is centered on one wall.

Dressmaker details are not particularly important in a traditional rooms. Trims, tassels, and fringes are used sparingly if at all, in favor of a simpler, calmer look.

Windowcoverings in traditional rooms show traditional style. Look for narrow shutters, traverse draperies, and under treatments of pinch pleated sheers. Cornices and valances may also be featured.

Accessories include pairs of lamps, urns, plants, mirrors, framed prints, china, vases, and collections of books. Pairs of objects are usually arranged in balanced symmetry.

Light fixtures exhibit classic styling. Lamps with silk shades, wall sconces, and floor lamps might all be used. Shades should be fairly plain and in ivory or white.

Traditional dining rooms can show off a variety of china, glassware, and silver. Plates might be a classic gold-rimmed style or a simple floral design. Use either beautiful tablecloths or pretty fabric placemats and napkins.