Modernize your home

Photo Credit: Flickr

As modern technology changes our lives, it changes our homes too. At the turn of the twentieth century, closed-off rooms and cramped living spaces were about what the average person could expect. But now we have more solutions to home and design-based problems than we’ve ever had before, and a fabulous modern interior could be right at your fingertips.

Find the look you like

The best thing about modern home design is that there are many different styles to experiment with, styles that can be adapted and individualized. Maybe you’re a lover of the outdoors and want your living room to fade seamlessly into the garden. This can be done by using the same design elements and colors in both, and opening your living room up to the light with open space and large windows. Textures like fur (preferably not real fur), stone and wood can also add to an ‘outside’ effect in an indoor room.

Or – maybe you hate the outdoors, and want a cozy space where you can keep your widescreen television and favorite gadgets. Using soft lighting (pinks, reds) and bringing in lots of comfortable seating space can help you there. Remember, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your house, as does everyone! It needs to be something you enjoy. Make your favorite things the focal points of any design.

Choose your favorite things

Clutter isn’t going to do a room any favors. Go through your stuff and decide what you really need- don’t be afraid to get rid of anything that just doesn’t work for you. Those hideous pink cushions from your grandma? She’ll forgive you if you throw them away.

Invest in some clever storage solutions

Hidden storage spaces are often the backbone of modern room design. Sliding panels can keep things out of sight, or a piece of furniture with storage space beneath it can be used to store books, DVDs, or anything you like.

Some designers incorporate the storage space right into the room – shelving units in bright colors, a bookcase as the biggest, boldest thing in the room – which is also a perfectly valid design choice; weigh up the options and see what works for you.

Decide on the furniture

Trendy minimalist spaces often use minimalist furniture, but perhaps that’s not for you. Perhaps you want lots of cozy sofas and chairs so you can entertain guests. Well, the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive – minimalism is about the freedom of space. There’s nothing stopping you making a seating area the focal point of a minimalist room.

Try and choose furniture that will last a long time and that can be adapted to any style. Things that can be easily painted to fit in with any color scheme are a good idea too!

Choose your favorite colors

A modern design usually blends the functional with the vibrant. So you can have the metals of your chairs and the textures of your worktops topped off with a bright color, anything you choose – shades of green if you want your room to match your garden, perhaps.

Different colors can open up (or close) your room in different ways. Yellow can make an otherwise drab room feel cheerful; purple, in the right places, can make a room look sophisticated and luxurious. Blue is apparently the best color for productivity, so use it for an office or study!

But keep green in mind

Sustainability is a big issue right now. Therefore, designers are making choices to save on energy and money – did you know there’s a house made entirely out of recycled materials? – and using natural resources instead. Open plan houses with lots of windows to bring in the light use a lot less electricity. Solar power and wind power are being used as the main source of energy for some houses. This extends to the garden as well – people are creating vegetable patches to provide food for themselves, and doing away with wasteful patio heaters and outdoor lights that eat up electricity.

A modern home, done right, will always be a modern home – ideally it should be easy to update whenever an update is needed. But it should also be an open, useful, sustainable space, tailored to fit in with the likes, dislikes, and personality of the person living in it. That’s you!

Guest Post By:

Jelena Djurdjevic is a business woman, mom and wife. She is currently staying at home due to a great reason, her family. In her free time she loves  blogging about home design.