Furniture Styles to Consider for Your New Home

Once you've purchased a new home, there are many things to consider. Among them, how you're going to furnish your new living space. With so many different styles of furniture, it can be a little tricky to figure out which one you want to use. Here are some of the styles you could potentially incorporate into your new home.

Contemporary

As the name might suggest, contemporary-style furniture consists of furniture pieces in the style and trends that are currently popular. Because of this, it's a pretty fluid style. It’s constantly changing and developing as new trends become popular. This can make it a tricky style to nail. At the moment, it's heavily based on the mid-century modern style, though it tends to be less severe and more flexible in its execution.This style often heavily utilizes neutral colors, accentuated by bold pops of color. Straight, clean lines may be interspersed by sweeping, curved lines. This furniture style is great for people who want to keep up with the latest trends and don't mind changing up their furnishings frequently.

Modern

Though modern and contemporary are often used interchangeably when describing furniture and interior design styles, there are differences between them. The confusion exists in part because modern furniture designs are currently heavily influencing contemporary trends. Modern furniture is much less flexible as a style though. It tends to have something of a minimalist style, favors smooth surfaces, and utilizes wood and metal as the material base. Lines tend to be straight and clean, with almost a utilitarian feel to them.

Coastal

If you live in a coastal region, using coastal-styled furniture could be a good option for furnishing your home. Even if you don't live in a coastal climate, this style can be great for creating a light, breezy atmosphere in your home. Slightly differing from nautical or tropical styles, these furniture pieces often feature light colors, such as whilte and blue, creating a light, comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Natural materials such as wood, whicker, and rope are commonly used to make different coastal furnishings, which help emphasize the natural elements of coastal regions. Weathered furniture pieces can help bring the feeling of the coastal climate into your home.

Mission Style

Mission style furniture started in the 1800s and grew in popularity beginning in the 1900s. It gained its popularity in part due to how different it was from the extravagance of the Victorian era, in addition to its handcrafted appearance, which differed from the mass produced pieces common to the Industrial Revolution. Mission-style furniture emphasizes straight, clean horizontal and vertical lines, rectangular shapes, 90 degree angles, and highlights the natural grain of the wood. Though it tends to have a handcrafted appearance, it may be made using both machine and handworking techniques. If you want to cultivate a functional, practical, and simple look for your home, mission-style furniture may be a good option for you.

Country

Comfort meets practicality with country-style furniture. The specifics of what may qualify as fitting into the country style may vary somewhat depending on the region. "Country" can be a broad term for furniture styles that can encompass more specific styles such as rustic style, French country style, American country style, and cottage style. Even coastal can sometimes fit under this umbrella. Regardless of the more specific style, country furniture should create a relaxed, homey atmosphere. These pieces tend to use natural materials and are often left unfinished or are weathered to some degree. One of the defining characteristics of country furniture is that it often tends to be somewhat mismatched. This can be great for homeowners who haven't put together a thoroughly matching set of furnishings for their home. If you want a cozy, relaxed feel to your home without having to worry about keeping your furnishings perfectly matched or in perfect condition, country furniture might be a good choice.

Scandinavian

Initially gaining popularity in the middle of the 20th century, Scandinavian focuses on functionality, minimalism, and simplicity. It was originally developed in the countries of Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. Thanks to the longer, harsh winters common to this region of the world, a certain degree of warmth and comfort is a commonly defining characteristic of Scandinavian furniture pieces. This is also why this furniture style often incorporates more lightly toned woods, such as birch, spruce, and pine, and natural, lightly-colored fabrics. It's a way of brightening the room during dark winter seasons. 

Minimalist

If you have limited space in your new home, or if you're trying to downsize your belongings, choosing to furnish your home with minimalist-style furniture may be a really good option for you. Minimalist furniture focuses on efficiency, functionality, and saving space. Some of these furniture pieces may offer secret storage spaces to help their owners make the most of the living space they have. Multifunctional furniture options can also work to your advantage here. When choosing minimalist furniture, keep in mind that every piece should have a purpose and should work in concert with your other pieces.

Vintage

Vintage furniture is typically anywhere from 30-100 years old. Once it's over 100 it isn't considered vintage anymore. At that point it becomes an antique. Other period styles, such as retro, can fit into the vintage category, making this furniture style another option for homeowners who like to play with mixing and matching furniture items. Aside from the age of the furniture, to be considered vintage the piece of furniture should be an example of the best characteristics that defined the specific period it comes from.

There are lots of different furniture styles to consider when making decisions about how you want to furnish your home. Which style works best will depend on the look you're trying to cultivate within your home. Just be sure to take your own comfort into consideration in addition to your style preferences when choosing a furniture style for your home.

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