By: Tanuja Rane, Interior Designer, Co-Founder Tanuja & Associates
Our planet has always bestowed upon us its precious resources. Nevertheless, we are also aware of the fact that resources are limited, hence the mentality of discarding materials & structures as soon as they go out of style is irrational. Fortunately, the world is becoming increasingly cognizant of the need for sustainable design and thus people have started to recycle, up-cycle and remodel their homes. There are many ways by which designers can use their creativity to give refurbishment to the old-fashioned objects. The goal of designers should be to design sustainable and timeless interiors and subdue the urge to change the interior every couple of years. To serve the objective of achieving timelessness is by choosing quality over quantity, classics over trendy, and functionality over ornamentation.
The traditional furniture usually has sentimental values attached to the people thus discarding them can be a tough deal for them. On the other hand, new generation people favour the futuristic, contemporary and sophisticated interiors. Traditional interior design requires a high level of ethical commitment to the culture and traditions. The influence of Western culture and the new generation of inhabitants looks for an increased level of comfort in their houses raising the demand for modern & new age interior, however, with careful use of traditional furniture & using modern interior style one can build a more pleasant home.
Material:
Still, traditional furniture made out of Burma teak wood is highly durable than modern furniture but both of them can coexist with modern interior dealing with transformation. The types of materials used in traditional interior designs differ greatly than the modern style. While traditional interiors generally made out of extensive use of wood, stone, brick and plaster materials, the modern design will use materials more nostalgic of contemporary or by using material like metal, beads and wood.
Shape:
In terms of the shape of the objects, the traditional interior designs have substantial curves whereas modern will follow more geometric, with straight lines, minimalistic & tends to be far more sleek. Modern edgy furniture can be combined with more comfortable cushions to give it a traditional yet a contemporary look.
Revamp the furniture:
Traditional furniture, especially sofas are usually upholstered in multi-coloured floral prints or clustered patterns. Also, they come with adornments, tassels, frills and so on. In order to modernise the look of these pieces, revamping them with fabrics in block colours, liner striped patterns or simple geometric patterns that visually look much lighter should be done.
Balance:
When you want to mix traditional & modern style together, choose carefully objects which you want to use into your interior because balance is very important so that it should not offset too much of the other style. Grand traditional crockery unit or dining table can become the focal point of your interior. Wooden flooring or Italian marble flooring can bridge modern & traditional style together recreating beautiful & harmonious space.
The essence of a modern home is that ‘form follows function’. So if you want to add utility to some antique accessories or decor elements which you possess, then combine them with some modern pieces of furniture. Merging of two styles can become your own characteristics or your own style to create a different story all together.
