Contemporary Style Tips

Contemporary lighting is one that demands attention. Contemporary interior design is the opposite of traditional. It involves clean-lines and interesting, artistic styling.

What Makes a Light Contemporary in Design? Contemporary Lights

Contemporary design relies on clean lines, smooth and polished surfaces, and few intricate details. It is not stark and cold, but contemporary design is comfortable and spacious, without clutter.

Today’s lighting design is used as an artistic statement in a contemporary interior. Floor and table lamps have straight lines and sleek metallic finishes. Color may be introduced with lamp shades. Focus is placed on recessed or track lighting that draws attention to well-placed art and accessories.

Creating a contemporary look with lighting can be achieved with fixtures that match your home’s interior décor, or with the selection of lighting effects. There are many design options available in various sizes, styles, shapes and colors. Selections are including chandeliers, semi-flush ceiling fixtures, hanging pendants, and sconces to name a few.

Evolution of Contemporary Style

There’s much confusion over the design terms “modern” and “contemporary.” The words are often used interchangeably yet both are completely different decorating styles.

The Modern style is basically the design and decor of the Modernism movement which begun in the very late 1800s. Birthed by the German Bauhaus schools of design and the Scandinavian design emphasis on simplicity and function, the Modern Style is actually very old.

The Contemporary style became popular in the 1970s and was originally a blend of styles before it became recognizable on its own. Contemporary design did borrow a few elements from Modernism and Postmodernism, but it also gathered ideas from many other styles such as Art Deco, Futurism and more.

Achieving a Contemporary Lighting Style

Contemporary design deals with “the present moment”, the style of the design is of the day. Contemporary design is known to feature reflective surfaces, clean and sleek lines, innovative graphical patterns, unusual colors, rounded forms, and asymmetrical designs. In this design style you have the liberty to play with colors and patterns. Lots of polished marble, Lucite and stainless steel details are embedded in the design. The other materials used in contemporary design are recycled materials and variations of chrome, plastic and plaster. The tenets of contemporary style are open ended. As a result, new colors and pieces can be incorporated over time.

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