INTERIOR DECORATING IDEAS
The model home is not just a selling tool for builders. In many ways, model homes are the portrait of contemporary decor, with their manicured lawns, gourmet kitchens and designer window treatments. The model home is what we all aspire to have our homes look like.
Of course, living in the perfection of a model home may not be realistic for most of us, especially with children. The good news is there are many ways you can borrow some model home tricks for your own abode – and boost your home’s value, and your enjoyment of it, in the process.
Models display all the facets of contemporary home decor: contemporary furniture sofas, tables, book shelves, chairs, and bedroom furniture; major accessories like bedding, lamps and lighting, candles, mirrors, clocks, wall decor, curtains, and window treatments, to mention but a few.
Contemporary designers are going out of their way to carry a single theme throughout the entire house. It’s a modern design trend called unification. "I want the space to be consistent, with a natural flow from one room to the next. No one wants their home to feel like a showroom so use things like kitchen cabinetry to unify the design theme and connect with the rest of the home decor," says South Florida designer Jessica Amaral. For example, you can match storage bookshelves and cabinets in the family room with the kitchen cabinets.
While visiting furniture stores or leafing through Florida Design magazine take notice of the basic elements that make up contemporary design. These elements include bold colors that accent neutral ones, mixed textures, and minimal decoration. Once you get the basics down for contemporary home decor you can begin your search for contemporary furniture and home decorations. Shop our Home Decor Store for an endless variety of interior decorating and home improvement items.
Draw your color scheme from nature's own spectacular color palette. Spring and summer flowers, trees and vegetation provide an endless array of possibilities. A simple and effective way to incorporate color into the unification theme is to paint one transitional wall, as opposed to the entire room. By doing this, you can pair your seasonal decor items -- such as throw pillows and area rugs -- with the newly painted accent wall. This adds a dramatic change to your room at minimal cost and in a minimal amount of time.
Contemporary furniture is also a key to creating the modern look. Smooth, clean shapes are desirable. Furniture pieces should be simple, with clean lines, and not cluttered with decoration. Sofas, chairs and ottomans have exposed legs. Beds and chairs usually have no skirt, trim, fringe or tassels. Accent pillows add a shot of color and texture in clean geometric shapes.
