The 5 Most Popular Furniture Styles – Explained

Furniture Styles

Find out which style is right for your home in this easy-to-follow guide

What’s your home’s style? With countless design options from casual to classical and modern to vintage, deciding what furniture style will work best in your space can be daunting for even the savviest homeowner.

Here is the lowdown on the five most popular furniture styles in the interior design world today, to help you pick the perfect look for your home.

1. Modern Furniture

Although the word ‘modern’ might suggest it refers to present day design, in fact modern style has nothing to do with timing, and everything to do with simplicity, clean lines and a neutral colour palette.

Modern furniture style will typically have a smooth silhouette, with crisp form or geometric shapes, in muted colours such as black and white, grey or beige, in matt or glossy finishes. Think metal, plastic, steel or glass, complemented by accents of natural wood or a wood grain pattern.

Pieces that fit the modern style are ideal as part of a wider design scheme that focuses on uncluttered simplicity, even in the soft furnishings such as curtains or rugs. This is the furniture choice for those who love sleek form as well as function.

2. Contemporary Furniture

Contemporary furniture style is often mistaken for modern, and it is not hard to see why – it features the same simple silhouettes, crisp lines, geometric shapes and glossy, neutral tones that can all also be seen in the modern aesthetic.

The key difference between the two is timing. If you like to move with the times in your interiors, then consider contemporary design, which evolves to reflect present day trends. Hallmarks of the here-and-now contemporary style can be seen in minimal, bright and spacious rooms that are elegant yet welcoming, with curved lines, iconic furniture shapes or compact pieces that can transform and adapt as life requires. You will spot contemporary design when energy-saving elements are major features as well.

3. Classical Furniture

If you want to install your home with elegance, luxury, a welcoming warmth and an unmistakable character through your furniture style, then consider going classical.

Classical furniture tends to be sinuous in shape and made from wood or marble, with a smooth, high-end finish. These pieces are ideal for showcasing various accessories and trinkets such as silverware or porcelain ornaments.

Although you can infuse classical design with elements from other styles as you prefer, classical rooms typically feature rich upholstery on the curtains or sofas with silk, velvet and brocade. The classical eye for quality also extends to gold and silver details as well as crystal chandeliers and intricate lampshades.

4. Industrial Furniture

Imagine that you are relaxing on a plush black leather sofa in a trendy warehouse or urban loft apartment, perhaps in New York, surrounded by exposed brick walls, rustic wood finishes and tarnished metallic features such as pipes or pendant lamps. Chances are, you are now visualising a space that is designed in the industrial style.

The unfinished, chromatic character of industrial design can easily be adapted into other styles, from the shabby chic to the modern. A popular design decision is to pair it with bright pops of colour such as oversized art pieces or photography prints on feature walls, creating an eclectic, vintage vibe. Industrial is also ideal if you already have furniture pieces that you want to up-cycle, contrasting perfectly with the cosy ‘hygge’ feel of faux fur rugs and textured cushions that you can include elsewhere in the space.

5. Vintage Furniture

Just as the definition of contemporary furniture style will move with the times, so must those in the vintage style. Vintage pieces and furnishings are those that belong to – or are inspired by – a particular time period. Since it can apply to any era in the past, vintage style is a fluid concept that you can interpret however you wish.

While most vintage enthusiasts tend to focus on decades from the 1920s onwards, the mid-century modern design aesthetic remains especially popular, channeling the minimalist forms, sophisticated lines and natural wood finishes such as oak, pine or walnut that were so often found in the interior trends of the 1950s.

Vintage also umbrellas the enduringly popular shabby chic furniture designs, which have an up-cycled, weathered, hand-painted quality that showcases the natural wood grain patterns underneath.

The RE/MAX takeaway

Your home should reflect you and your lifestyle – so why not mix and match these popular furniture styles to create something that is uniquely you?

Of course, you can only design your home once you have found the right property. The real estate experts at RE/MAX can help you every step of the way, from finding your dream home, to decorating it with the guidance of an interior designer, and beyond. Get in touch today at www.remax-malta.com to get started!