Tradition Meets the Modern Age
Tradition Meets the Modern Age
Say “traditional” and most people think “safe,” “reliable” even. And let’s face it, when it comes to your kitchen, safe and reliable are noble goals. Maybe even as good as it gets, right? Well, not quite. If your family is like most, it’s busy and you need a kitchen that performs-one that can entertain the soccer crowd as effortlessly as the book club, one that can accommodate homework and dinner prep simultaneously, one that has storage room to spare. Oh, and you’d also like a look that nods at a pedigreed past but stays planted in the present. Meet Tailored Traditional, a design and decorating trend that’s been contemporized and customized, fine-tuned and fitted for modern lifestyles.
The modernizing of a traditional kitchen starts with colour. White and its sibling shade, cream, are perennial palette pleasers, while soft grey and mushroom shades offer elegance, too. These neutrals take a glamorous turn when paired with black. In our showcase kitchen, inky touches – on the sleek island and, interestingly, on the cabinet uppers – are unexpected and energize the space.
Heritage and heritage-look homes are also helped into the modern age with the clever use of contemporary finishes. Dark wood flooring is also exotic and the perfect foundation to high-contrast black-and-white cabinetry. (Eucalyptus is a solid choice given its refined look and durability; its graining is also rich and handsome. Silestone countertops are both functional and fabulous, while top-performing, chef-inspired stainless steel appliances serve as a counterpoint to the kitchen’s traditional design lines.
If you have an older home, today’s Tailored trend calls for celebrating timeless architecture. If you have new, build in that character with beautiful mouldings such as wainscoting, crown and corbels. And while you want to retain an aura of history, freshen up your overall effect through details and decorative elements. A chandelier glamorously salutes yesteryear, but has a contemporary edge with a drum shade-especially when it’s outfitted with a dimmer switch so you can control your own mood lighting. Updated hardware gives conservative cabinets a slick kick, too, while trendy new tiles (mosaic and subway are designer favourites) put modernity within easy reach while still respecting tradition.
Choose pop prints, bold graphics and bright colours for draperies and upholstery fabrics; classic pieces of furniture (bar stools, for example) get a new lease on life when outfitted in a fresh geometric or stylized toile or damask, and vintage dining chairs look thoroughly “now” when upholstered in sherbet-hued leather or faux-leather. Carefully curated collections of art and photography also add contemporary appeal to traditional-looking interiors, as do mirrors, strategically located to reflect light. Finally, layer antique or antique-looking area rugs over flooring to bring intimacy and warmth to your current-day decorating.
The mark of a memorable home isn’t merely decorative; today’s best are functional as well as fashionable. Simply put, they work. In the Tailored Traditional home, modern storage solutions are built right into the blueprint: floor-to-ceiling cabinets and butler’s pantries put every square foot to good use, while custom inserts maximize the utility of kitchen drawers and awning hinges make upper cabinets super-accessible.
Put it all together and the result is a timeless, yet terrifically utilitarian home ideally suited for life in the modern age.
Contact your REALTOR at Coldwell Banker Vantage Realty for more tips and advice on simple design touches you can do to your home and how it can increase the value of your home.
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