A little bit country, and a little bit rock and roll. An unyielding desire for the warmth and comfortability of the past and an urgency for the new and different, something fresh, something unexpected.
Transitional design stands directly over the line between traditional and modern design styles. It brings the warmth and curve of the familiar and couples it with the innovative boldness of the uncommon. Transitional design is the dedicated daily practice of balance.
You’ll recognize traditionally styled rooms by their mixture of classic fabrics, bold colors, rich woods and clean lines. Where your eye expects softness, there will be hardness. When you anticipate straight lines, there will be curve. Transitional designers value the street cred of traditional aesthetics, yet have a streak of internal rebellion that needs to be explored.
To achieve a transitionally designed room, choose one or two traditional pillars, a curved sofa or an antique hutch. Pair them with a marble and bronze coffee table, and a big personality color like coral or teal. Or go sophisticated with a regal blend of stoic neutrals, a gray that isn’t too brown and isn’t too blue, a little accent of glass and chrome, and the warmth of the finest wool throw.
Transitional design knows there’s two sides to every room. By day it’s coffee with the girls. By night, it’s wine with your guy. Transitional design is living its best life. It’s a “room for all” mentality. The sentiment of the old and familiar, happily married to the new and exciting. Friends will come in and jealously gasp, “Where did you get that?” And the answer might be, “It belonged to my great-grandmother,” or “it’s a one of a kind piece I found at Thirty One West.” The only rule is that rules are made to be broken.
