What to look for when purchasing transitional furniture & accessories

When it comes to furnishing your home, you want a style that reflects your personality. If you like a traditional look with a modern twist, then transitional style fits you to a tee. This design aesthetic features traditional furniture, accessories, fabrics, and finishes updated for contemporary living. For classic, timeless design, here's what to look for when shopping for transitional furniture and accessories.

Bedroom furniture

Transitional bedroom furniture features subtle lines for a sophisticated look, whether straight or curved. For transitional style in your bedrooms, shop for basic metal bed frames or modest platform beds. Choose headboards with a minimal amount of detail like a simple shelf, a graceful scalloped edge, or a bit of tufting. Shop for dressers that feature a clean, modern style and traditional wooden pulls.

Living room furniture

In the living room, start incorporating transitional style with your color palette. Pick furniture in neutral colors for a clean, calming ambience. This allows you to go big with texture. Choose fabrics that speak to you like leather, velvet, woven polyester, chenille, or corduroy. Create a blend of feminine and masculine energy in the living room by mixing curved and straight lines.

Dining room furniture

Blending rich woods with metal offers a great way to show off transitional style in the dining room. Picture a dining table with a classic walnut or oak top and wrought iron or brass legs. Marry masculine and feminine lines in the dining room by mixing a round or oval table with straight chairs. For out-of-the box dining room ideas, consider a table with a glazed ceramic top or one made from clear acrylic material.

Appliances

If you're shopping for large home appliances, think sleek, simple, and ultra-functional to achieve transitional style. For bigger items like refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, washers, and dryers, shop for stainless-steel products featuring cutting-edge technology. Modern cafe-style appliances in muted matte colors also offer a chic transitional look in any kitchen.

When it comes to smaller appliances like blenders and slow cookers, stick to a theme with an all-stainless look or add a pop of color in your kitchen. Think a teal blue mixer, a lemon yellow toaster, or a bright red coffee maker.

Bathroom products

To create transitional style in the bathroom, incorporate sleek lines, minimal ornamentation, and a calming color scheme in beige, tan, cream, or light gray. Consider countertops made from natural stone or marble and contemporary or mid-century modern cabinets with elegant knobs or pulls.

Make your bathroom more interesting by blending a modern glass shower with a curved claw-foot tub, but when it comes to window treatments, think simple. Look for woven wood shades, modest cafe curtains, or plantation shutters.

Home decor

When it comes to home decor, transitional style is all about ensuring an easy flow throughout your home with a clean, uncluttered look. In other words, keep accessories to a minimum and choose each piece carefully.

Sprinkle your living room and bedrooms with gold lamps, picture frames, and mirrors to create a sense of warmth and elegance. To add texture, choose pieces like a patterned area rug, woven baskets, a geometric chandelier, and a potted plant or two. Plain heavy drapes featuring modern rods and grommets round out chic transitional style in your living room or bedrooms.

When picking decor for your kitchen, opt for clean lines and practicality. Choose unadorned cabinetry and one-color countertops. Keep wall decorations to a minimum and shop for other design elements like interesting pendant lights, a farm-style sink and faucet, or a traditional range hood. For a pop of color, add a vase of fresh-cut flowers, a bowl of fruit, or a pretty potted plant.

In your bathroom, be selective with accessories. Line a chic, modern shelf with antique apothecary items, and store your toilet paper out in the open in vintage wire baskets. When it comes to bathroom linens, go plush with neutral-colored towels and washcloths made from thick organic cotton.

Patio and garden products

Transitional style doesn't stop when you walk out your back door. Outdoor spaces also benefit from a mix of traditional and modern elements. For your patio or deck, choose basic outdoor furniture in colors like brown, tan, or gray, and add a little pizzazz with woven throws or printed pillows. To make your outdoor space even more inviting, add a simple fire pit, a few benches, a garden fountain, and some stylish pots and planters filled with wild grasses or flowers.