8 Contemporary Decor and Design Ideas to Update Your Home

More than half of people say that if they were given the chance, they would move to a new home. But unless you’re Oprah or a billionaire, you probably can’t just move houses all of a sudden on a whim.

Perhaps all you need is a little contemporary decor to give yourself the home of your dreams. Start getting inspired by these contemporary design ideas.

Contemporary Decor Ideas to Update Your Home

The home decor market was measured to be about 65 billion dollars a year. If something’s that popular, it’s something you want to break into. You won’t even want to go on vacation, because your house will feel like one all of its own.

Wide Open Spaces

One major staple of contemporary decor is playing with open spaces. When things look cramped or crowded, not only is it more of a vintage or cottage look, it just feels less peaceful.

Even if you have a small home, you can create the appearance of space by eliminating unnecessary furniture. You can also use windows to your advantage by using light curtains and letting in the natural light.

Focal Color

With modern decor, it’s more common than not that you’ll be playing with neutral color palettes. You’ll be looking at white and black, and similarly calming tones like beige or off-white.

With this in mind, you can play off a focal color to bring character to the room. Perhaps you have a mostly white room, but want to bring some character to the modern look.

You can bring in a few accessories with an unexpected color to make the room pop. A bright orange or green vase could do the trick.

Resting Beach Face

Beach themed homes are one of the trends that have been around for some time, and is definitely here to stay.

Make your home feel like a beach resort by playing with color. You can opt for whites and sandy neutrals to start playing up the theme.

To make it look more contemporary, go for a minimalistic approach. Read more here on how to achieve this look.

The Materials

Contemporary rooms often use stone, metal, or glass fixtures to bring that stylistic and sleek feel to the area.

If you’re looking at redoing your kitchen with a contemporary look, consider these materials for countertops or flooring.

To play off these strong elements, you don’t want to overwhelm the area with heavily printed decorations. Keep the accent pieces simple and neutral, and the bold materials you’ve chosen for decorating will stand out and dominate the room on their own.

Art Pieces

Wooden frames are and an excellent way to blend contemporary art into your home. You can also get matte black frames or glossy finishes to give off that futuristic and modern vibe.

If your art is a period piece, it may not fit into the mood of the room. It could be that your taste in art is slightly too rustic or too vintage, and it will throw off the contemporary feeling that you’re trying to achieve.

Most contemporary art is simple, with clean lines and bold depictions. The busier a painting or art piece is, the more likely it is that it won’t match with the idea of modern decor. Switch out complicated pieces for the simple, and you’re going more in the modern direction.

You can also take advantage of bare space on walls. A clean, unobstructed wall can actually be a statement piece in itself when it comes to making your house look more modern.

Light it Up

You’re going for strong natural lighting when it comes to creating a modern atmosphere. You can layer your lighting to some degree, but if it’s too warm and complex, it will start to feel less contemporary and cozier.

True, you want your room to be cozy. But you can achieve this with recessed lighting or track lighting that will illuminate your home in a more modern way. Washing a wall with light is a great way to light up your home in a unique, modern style.

Metallic light fixtures are a classic nod to modern style. Where you can, use metal elements in lighting to evoke the streamlined theme.

Overhead lights with color or metallic elements also play into the modern theme very well. Bold and bright lighting reigns supreme in this style, so you’re going to want to invest in some lights that really mean business.

Your Furniture

No room is complete without the furniture. Contemporary furniture will always make a bold statement. There is no clutter and not a lot of frill.

Instead, the shape of the furniture is what will do the talking. Clean, geometric shapes play perfectly into a modern room and make the statement you’re looking for. Use neutral tones in the fabric that blend with the rest of the room.

You can use pillows to add texture to the furniture you use. Make sure they’re also streamlined and simple. They can be made with different fabrics in order to add intrigue to the eye.

If you’re feeling adventurous, your accent piece with the pop of color can be a couch or a chair in the corner of the room. An all-white room with a boldly colored couch can scream contemporary design.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s all about the structure of the item. The geometry itself is the statement when it comes to contemporary design, and you can play off that shape with the rest of the accessories in the room.

Specialty Rooms

Keep on getting inspired by room ideas, and in no time you’ll have the contemporary decor you’re looking for. As long as you’re proactive and put these ideas into reality, you can significantly increase your happiness with your house.

You can even move on to more specialty rooms, like a man cave for your husband or a craft room for yourself. When you’re ready to get something done, the roof’s the limit. Following DIY blogs is the next step that will get you there.