9 Design Elements of a Modern Home

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When designing a home, there comes a time to decide the style of the interior furnishings. Of all the design styles, modern is a popular one. If you’re wondering how you can incorporate more modern elements into your home, keep reading for my top nine ideas for a contemporary space. From the staircase to the flooring, find out all the do’s and don’ts when it comes to making the right design choices.

1. Keep it light & airy!
Sunlight is a powerful force in home design. In older homes, rooms were closed off with four walls and smaller windows. Today’s modern home features light & bright open floor plans. Windows are typically larger nowadays so more sunlight streams in. Even if you can’t re-design the architecture of your home, try keeping curtains open during the day for more sunlight. Personally, I love a bright room so I am always leaving the curtains open so sunlight can brighten my home.

2. Install a modern staircase!
When it comes to staircase design, a lot has changed over the years. Nowadays staircases in residential homes are sleeker and more streamlined than ever. This site features a number of modern staircase designs. Notice the open feel of the staircases and the preponderance of glass, metal, and wood. If you are considering upgrading your home, be sure to pick a contemporary staircase design that complements your style.

3. Incorporate natural elements!
Natural elements can add an interest and texture to an otherwise-boring space. Consider incorporating natural, organic materials into your home design. The prudent combination of natural materials (wood, rock, wool, leather, etc.) can really add a contemporary vibe to any space. I absolutely adore combining natural elements into my home decor. In fact, I never feel like a vignette is complete without some addition of a natural element.

4. Choose furniture with clean lines!
The furniture styles of the past were marked by over-stuffed sofas with huge cushions and elaborate designs on large wooden pieces. Modern furniture is marked by clean rectilinear lines, which results in the home feeling lighter and more casual. The sofas in our home are fairly modern, but I always like to add plenty of cushions in bright colors to add a fun, comfy vibe to the space.

5. Choose floors wisely!
To keep your home feeling modern, be sure to choose the rihgt flooring. Bare floors in hardwood, tile or stone are the foundation of modern flooring. Bonus: they’re the easiest to clean! Sleek, low-pile rugs are also a mainstay in modern homes. These are smart choices for play rooms and kid’s bedrooms, where a soft flooring is preferred.

6. Add metallic elements!
I have always loved a copper element in home design. Adding copper (or any metallic) pieces to a living space is sure to impart a contemporary vibe to the space. I made this Copper Pipe Magazine Rack using only a handful of supplies in one hour. This Copper Pipe Wall Planter was another DIY project that gives my living room a decidedly modern feel.

7. Keep details simple!
When you think about your home’s details, keep them simple and streamlined for a contemporary look. Lighting fixtures should feature a simple design. The lighting fixture in our master bedroom is very modern, but I am interested in upgrading the lighting options in the girls’ bedrooms. They have builder-grade flush-mount lights and I’m totally loving these fun globe-shaped modern designs. Updating their lights is on my to-do list.

8. Conceal the unsightly!
Want to hide that internet modem? Are those cables an eyesore? Today’s design of clean, simple lines requires a smart way of hiding all those unsightly elements of a technologically-modern home. You can hide remote controls in a stylish box on your coffee table. You can tuck the internet modem behind the sofa. One clever solution I have devised to hide the TV cables is to route them behind some decorative molding – get all the details here.

9. Keep the floor plan open!
One fundamental feature of modern floor plans is an open layout. It is not uncommon to see one huge room, in which the living area, kitchen and dining room exist. This open floor plan is a sharp contrast to the closed-room style of yesteryear. Our current home has a middle-of-the-road floor plan. While our kitchen is open to the dining room and kitchen, there are half walls that serve to divide the various spaces. We have been discussing removing those half walls to improve visibility and increase light.

I hope this post has inspired you to make some modern updates to your home. What is your home’s style? Have you ever considered changing the style of your home?

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