From Retro to Chic to Minimalist, there is an abundance of unique design styles to choose from. Interior design styles are like Nigerian soups; so diverse and tasteful that you find it hard to choose the flavour to go with.I don’t know about you but i’m so indecisive and greedy when i’m at a buffet that I end up combining 2-3 soups (or maybe 4, hahaha, don’t judge me) and as different as these soups are, they come together so well to tantalize my tastebuds. I like to attribute design to taste- the way it awakens your senses and makes you aware of the environment you are in.
Like the Lays tagline “Life needs flavour” and I couldn’t agree more. The best part is that you can create a union of styles and still end up with a beautiful result. Where we live and work are representative of our lifestyle and thus needs to exude exactly that.
This post is an attempt to touch on 6 design styles that are relevant to this clime, how you can spot them when you see them and most importantly, choose your flavour.
Contemporary
Everyone loves contemporary design. What we are just not sure of is if they like it for the aesthetic appeal or just because the name sounds ‘ghen-ghen-ish’. However, Contemporary designs resonates with the essence of youth- it’s clean, trendy, detailed and fresh. This style gets easily mixed up with the Modern style and vice-versa and this happens because there is a strong similarity between these styles. Only experts can tell the difference. However, The most striking characteristics of this style are clean visuals, muted colour, understated furniture.
Modern
For the modern style, simplicity is the watchword. No fuss, no drama just clean forms, endless space and open floor plans. It is more suited for apartments i.e small spaces as it gives an illusion of continuity.
The differentiating factor between this style and the contemporary style is the contrast with hues on walls and furniture, strong geometric shapes and asymmetry.
Traditional
This style stands at the other end of modern. Traditional style represents depth, layering, rich color palettes and clusters. There’s nothing light about the traditional style. It is flamboyant and excessively decorative, almost like the Victorian style except it lacks that royal touch. What you would see in a traditional setting includes upholstered furniture, dark wood floors, curtains made with heavy textile like brocade or velvet. Like the name, this style is old and rooted in culture.
Transitional
The freedom to be more and to do you is what defines this style. Taking the old and the new with a modern twist. Here, your favourite grandma chair can be upholstered with modern fabric and prints. There is a sense of balance that you can only achieve with this style. It is, personally a favourite style of mine because why choose one when you can play with so many different styles to create your own signature look.
Coastal
Sea shells, sand, blue marine and freshness, welcome to the coast! This style is best suited for the beachside. A lot of the inspiration for this design style comes from the sea. Furnishings are usually light with a lot of blue and white striped pieces all around you. The lightness of this style is deliberate as it helps you feel relaxed and refreshed.
Art Deco
Have you ever seen a photo of Fela at his house? That’s probably an apt description of the art deco style. Wall frames and more wall frames and then more WALL FRAMES! It’s crazy, I know but most people that have this style live and breath art. The choice is usually not intentional when they start out but because they acquire more and more art overtime, this style becomes them. Very prominent in the 20’s and 30’s, art deco is known for its lacquer finish or polished wood flooring, black and white paint but sometimes it wouldn’t be out of place to see lots of pastels juxtaposed with each other.
Now that you’ve got the industry vocabulary to describe your style, tell us what your interior design flavour is.
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