Interior Design Styles – Transitional

Interior Design styles – transitional

The borderline personality disorder of interior design. That’s the way I would describe the interior design style, transitional.  It’s not  too contemporary, nor is it too traditional. So, what is Transitional design style? Well, it is a perfect combination of the two. It is the best of both worlds.

Decor

Transitional Living Room by Naples Architects & Building Designers Weber Design Group, Inc.

The decor for the Transitional design style marries the comfort of traditional with the clean lines of contemporary. While furnishing may be plush and comfy, the fabrics will be neutral without any flair or flash. Rarely will you see curved lines, and ornate finishes are not common place with this style.

Colors for the Transitional Design Style

Transitional Dining Room by Lake Forest Interior Designers & Decorators Lisa Wolfe Design, Ltd

Neutral shades abound in the Transitional style. If you love this style, then you are perfectly happy to forego bold, in your face, paint colors for a more serene color scheme of monochromatic shades.  Tone-on-tone soft whites, beiges or grays are the way to go, with perhaps a splash or two of accenting.

Kitchens

Transitional Kitchen by St. John’s Photographers Becki Peckham

Kitchens will be both clean and sleek, much in the style of contemporary, except they will have all the warmth of a traditional. Raised panels are out; however, in the right design some ornamentation is acceptable.

Transitional Kitchen by Winchester Kitchen & Bath Fixtures Shenandoah Cabinetry

Shaker style cabinets and Mission style mill work is common place in a Transitional design, because they offer such classically clean lines. These are generally offset by a more traditional countertop and/or sink fixtures.

Lighting

Transitional Dining Room by Evanston Architects & Building Designers Morgante Wilson Architects

Lighting can go either very traditional or very contemporary, depending on the rest of the room’s elements. It’s very common to see a crystal chandelier hanging over a plain and even contemporary dining table.

Transitional Dining Room by Chicago Interior Designers & Decorators Mary Cook

The opposite is also true, a contemporary light fixture looks at home hanging over  plush seating.

Are you transitional

If you prefer less frills but still like the occasional bling, or if you feel the most comfortable in a home that is bright and comfortable, yet still has the sleek look of a contemporary, you may love the Transitional design.

I sometimes like to use fashion as an analogy. In which case, Transitional is like wearing your most comfortable jeans with you  nicest blazer or jacket. :-)

So what do you think?

Are you Transitional, or does your taste fall more in line with Modern or Traditional?