The boundaries between contemporary design styles have blurred. Combinations such as loft minimalism now make apartments genuinely stylish and unique. Let’s look at how to combine different directions and why it is worth doing.
6 Contemporary Ideas in Apartment Design
When thinking about contemporary design, many people imagine a generic remodel from the early 2000s. This is completely wrong. That kind of remodel is practically a swear word and the harshest insult to a designer’s work. Forget all those curved drywall structures painted pale blue or pink, peach or malachite bathroom tile, and so on. When we talk about current contemporary design, we mean:
- Geometry. Angular shapes and strict lines in the floor, wall, and ceiling finishes. Flowing lines and rounded shapes appear only in furniture and textiles.
- A variety of shades. The color spectrum is practically unlimited. Pure and muted colors, any saturation, and so on are used. This does not cancel the importance of combining colors.
- Natural materials. Natural materials or good imitations of them are used. Wood, stone, concrete, metal, and glass are the main materials.
- There is no such thing as coziness. With good design, even an apartment dominated by concrete and metal will be as comfortable as possible, even without a rug on the wall.
- Maximum light. Want to vary the design with accessories? Add more light sources instead: hidden, background, and low-level. Light is a designer’s weapon. You should have many switches.
- Zoning. If the amount of living space per person allows it, combining spaces is everything.
These rules are already enough to avoid going wrong with the design. It is difficult to ruin a remodel with natural materials and plenty of light. There is one more golden rule:
The main thing is not to overcomplicate it. Simplicity is your friend.
Combining Contemporary Design Styles
Contemporary apartment interior styles have no clear boundaries, and all of them work well together. It is more accurate to talk about directions and ideas without forcing yourself into rigid limits. There is no place for snobbery here.
Minimalism: The Basic Contemporary Style
One of the main features of almost every contemporary style is simplicity. That is why minimalism is the basic background and foundation of contemporary styles. Some result from simplifying it, such as Scandinavian style, which is essentially minimalism dominated by light wood with small muted-color accents.
Others result from making it more complicated. For example, minimalism with expensive ultramodern light fixtures, appliances, furniture, glass, and metal – which cost a great deal in an interior – already turns into high-tech.
Remember the main thing: contemporary design is easier to ruin with excessive complexity than with simplicity. Use decorations and elements with no function only if you are completely sure they are needed.
Combining Loft with Other Contemporary Styles
Loft once meant only large spaces with high ceilings and a pile of objects from the past. Design trends changed, and loft elements, especially exposed concrete, entered almost every contemporary apartment design. This is wonderful. Concrete is a genuinely great material, and hiding it is a crime.
Besides being used in apartments, loft style became more contemporary and varied. Originally, it used accessories, light fixtures, and furniture that referred to the past. Old light fixtures and furniture were restored for this purpose, sometimes industrial objects never intended for apartments at all. This method is still used, but it is no longer required.
Read how to create a loft-style kitchen in a typical apartment.
Concrete is the main and best thing that came from loft into every contemporary style. Because of its color and texture, this material is very practical. And very beautiful. Some people still reject it as too rough. But when properly balanced, it is a very interesting accent. Concrete walls, columns, and ceilings look especially great under side lighting. Light from the side does not reach the hollows in the concrete surface, so they remain in shadow. This makes the texture look very deep and beautiful. Playing light across uneven surfaces is a well-known design technique.
Features of Contemporary Apartment Design
Contemporary apartment design means a clear division into functional zones, and this does not always match the division into rooms. Developing any design means balancing appearance and practicality. This balance differs from room to room.
Contemporary Kitchen Design
The kitchen is the most actively used room. Even if you spend less time there than in the living spaces, you perform many more active tasks there. Those tasks also involve moisture, dirt, and moving a huge number of small objects. That is why, in the kitchen, the balance shifts completely toward practicality.
A kitchen in a photo and a kitchen in real life are two different things. Choose practicality.
You have probably seen photos of sterile white kitchens. They look very stylish and contemporary. But did you get the feeling that no one uses them? For real photos to match the picture, it is important to account for the heavy functional load from the start and know how to choose kitchen cabinets, so you do not have to scrub away every dried drop of water.
A Scandinavian-style kitchen is interesting in this respect: a slight mess is part of the design.
Among contemporary choices that combine convenience and appearance:
- Breakfast bars
- Glossy white cabinet fronts
- Wood-look laminate countertops
- Tile or laminate flooring
- Built-in appliances
- A large, deep sink with a drainboard
- Upper cabinets all the way to the ceiling
- No black
Let’s explain the less obvious points. Laminate is now as strong and durable as tile. Built-in appliances look great, save space on work surfaces, and do not collect dirt on or behind them. They cost more, but they are worth it. Cabinets to the ceiling look solid and do not let clutter and dirt collect on top. You can achieve this by lowering the ceiling slightly above them. The duct from the range hood is usually hidden in the same soffit. Black is terribly impractical: it shows fingerprints and dried water spots because water contains minerals that remain when it dries.
Living Room and Bedroom
These rooms take much less wear, so you can give your imagination free rein and carry out your ideas. The main thing is not to forget moderation. A good idea is to make one room as striking as possible and the other simply comfortable. The living room is perfect for the wow-effect room. There, you can experiment with decorative plaster, designer light fixtures, and complex structures on the walls and ceiling. The main thing is not to overdo it.
In a bedroom, the main element is light. There should be several lighting modes: main, additional, minimal, and individual. Additional light is for watching TV without making the room completely dark. Minimal light lets you move around and do something while the other person is asleep. Individual light is for reading books. Combinations of these modes also look very cool. It sounds scarier than it is to carry out in practice.
Do not forget three-way switches beside the bed.
Contemporary Studio Apartment
Everything is becoming more expensive, and housing is no exception. Contemporary apartments keep getting smaller in response to rising prices. But this reduction gave us an absolutely wonderful contemporary type of housing: the studio.
Designing a studio apartment is harder than designing an ordinary apartment. First, we need to manage to cram everything necessary for life into a small space. Second, because there is no division into rooms, one space will contain many zones, objects, colors, and textures with different functions. None of it should conflict.
The good news is that if you follow the principle that simpler is better, you will already avoid most mistakes. If you still want an elaborate contemporary studio design, the previous paragraph links to a useful article.
Conclusions:
- Do not be afraid to combine styles.
- Natural materials will not ruin a contemporary design.
- Do not overcomplicate it.
- Keep a balance between practicality and appearance.
