Surprisingly Familiar

Designers are changing the way they outfit homes to include a mix of contemporary and traditional products and finishes

Photo credit: Jennifer Farrell

The rules about which products work in a traditional modern home are changing. Items that represent a mix of eras and styles are becoming more common and gaining the acceptance of design professionals.

The new rules even apply to appliances and fixtures. Take, for instance, the traditional oil-rubbed bronze finish. It has a timeless feel, it doesn't smudge like stainless steel does and it goes with more colors than black. What's new is that this old-world finish is showing up on the most contemporary of products: Jenn-Air offers a suite of kitchen appliances that combine sleek styling with a bronze finish and stainless steel handles. Moen has added an oil-rubbed bronze faucet to its contemporary Woodmere line, and will introduce it at this year's Kitchen and Bath Show. Moen marketing manager Kathy Yates says the company is adding the new product because customers and showroom consultants requested it. "They were specifically asking for traditional finishes on contemporary faucets," she says.

Model-home consultants were some of the first to ask for such products. They are experts at what catches buyers' attention. Many noticed that a thoughtful mix of traditional and contemporary products helped prospective buyers imagine themselves living in a home. Most executions add contemporary elements to a largely traditional setting - but it must be done with subtlety. The idea is to give the buyer a surprise, not a shock.

Judith Sisler Johnston's Jacksonville, Fla., company designs model homes, community centers and hotel suites. She advises creating memory points in different parts of the home by mixing contemporary furniture pieces with a modern or transitional furniture scheme. (Think Stanley Furniture or Crate and Barrel.) "Baby boomers want variety. Their kids want more contemporary styles. If you can't get a builder to change style, then you can at least use accents to make the house look updated and appeal to both groups."

Kathy Peterson a nationally known design expert and author based in Palm Beach, Fla., uses a more eclectic blend of old and new styles to attract buyers. "In some models you feel like you're walking into a furniture showroom. But if everything matches it can be boring. If you want to make sales, you need to evoke good feelings." Like Sisler Johnston, she recommends creating focal points by using transitional pieces or by mixing styles.

The thoughtful blending of styles is a good way to start a conversation about clients' wants, needs and tastes, according to Jennifer Farrell, a Los Angeles interior designer and host of the A&E show Find & Design. One blend of modern and contemporary elements that she used to decorate a conventional-looking home "had mirrored tables, which are very 1930s. The buffet behind the dining room table was a boxy 1950s piece, and the dining table was a 21st century version of modern design. Putting it all together gave the room a feeling of dynamism."

Farrell cautions that overt style mixing is best received in urban markets and by young buyers. Nonetheless, even designers working on more-conservative projects should consider combining elements from different styles or periods. The result can be a home that's marketable to a wider range of buyers. "It gets a discussion going and helps you appeal to different age groups," she says.


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