8 Ways to Add a Little Tradition to Your Style

There is often something utterly comforting about a home decorated in traditional style — a place where heirlooms are lovingly displayed, furniture is rich with heritage and every detail has been attended to. But if your decorating style until now has been transitional, contemporary or modern, it can be hard to know how to change to traditional without completely redecorating your entire house.

It is possible, though. Here are eight key changes you can make around the house to cultivate that traditional vibe, no matter what your style is right now.

1. Seek sophisticated furniture shapes. Certain pieces exude elegance — think backless sofas, swoop-arm sofas, demilune tables. Even a shapely detail, like turned wood legs, can ramp up the classic feel of a room.


2. Bring in traditional accessories and accent furniture pieces. Gilt mirrors and picture frames, ginger jar lamps, Oriental rugs and petite antique furniture are traditional-style mainstays. You don't need to fill an entire room with these pieces; even one or two will help your space instantly read as being more traditional.


3. Buy in pairs. Traditional design relies heavily on symmetry, so when you are out shopping, think in twos. A pair of matching armchairs, lamps or vases, is definitely better than one when it comes to traditional design.


4. Try a more formal window treatment. Traditional spaces have a longstanding love affair with fancy window treatments of all types. So instead of hanging up basic matchstick blinds or curtains and calling it a day, try something a little different — valances, pelmets, balloon shades and Roman shades are the darlings of the traditional crowd.


5. Get a little matchy-matchy. A carefully planned and tightly edited color palette is a hallmark of traditional style. Consider starting with a fabric, such as the blue gingham used on the chairs here, and bring a swatch to the paint store to pull your wall color right from the fabric. And if you love a certain fabric or color, don't be afraid to repeat it in matching curtains, on Roman shades or on a second piece of furniture.


6. Think "casual elegance." A traditional home should feel completely and effortlessly comfortable — yet in a really elegant way. As in cushy down-wrapped seat cushions on the sofa, plump tufted ottomans, great lighting and plush rugs.


7. Try on a table skirt. Traditional rooms tend to have fewer exposed legs. Give your console a demure cover-up, such as a tailored skirt that just brushes the floor. A crisp, tailored skirt, like the one shown here, can easily mix with contemporary and modern furniture.


If you want a more relaxed traditional look, go for a loose floor-length cloth over a round table. Of course, you can always put your skirted table in a corner of the living room, as shown here, but it would also make a lovely entry table in a gracious foyer.


8. Choose luxurious finishes and details. A traditional home, more than one in any other style, tends to be fully decorated, with no detail left to chance. If you want to go more traditional, look beyond your furniture to your walls, floors, light fixtures and hardware. Think hefty pulls on kitchen cabinets, graceful pendant lights, hand-painted wallpaper, a patterned or painted ceiling, and marble counters.


Tell us: Have you gotten more traditional in your decorating style? What appeals to you most about traditional style? Share your thoughts in the Comments.

URL: 8 Ways to Add a Little Tradition to Your Style http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-21507.html