Different decorating styles

You are about to embark upon an exciting project: the redecoration of a room in your house. Before you begin, some reflection and planning is necessary for you to ensure that the fruit of your labour will match your dreams. You must decide on the decoration style you want. Are you the contemporary type, Victorian by nature, rustic, or eclectic? There are many trends and an infinite number of possibilities. Here are a few avenues you can explore so that you’ll make the right choices for you.

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Traditional style
Contemporary style
Rustic style
Victorian style
Southwestern style
Eclectic style
Transitional style

Traditional style

The Traditional style in decorating remains hugely popular due to its timeless quality; it can derive from many different countries and all periods. Some may find Traditional a very predictable style, with little room for originality and innovation, but it is truly remarkable for its graciousness and elegance.

Traditional is synonymous with texture and embossed details. Walls and ceilings are rich with mouldings, coves, paneling, baseboards, and trim. On furniture, drawer fronts and cabinet paneling, whether in the kitchen or the bathroom, mouldings and trim are used extensively. The combined effect of these elements is an ordered, classic style, one where graceful lines, 90 degree-angles and corner arches prevail. To highlight these details, they should be painted in a contrasting colour, usually white, or stained a transparent colour with a glossy finish to bring out the wood grain.
Symmetry and order are important in establishing a Traditional decor; architectural details, such as windows and columns, are arranged in pairs and on a straight axis.

The colour scheme in a Traditional room is drawn from a palette of moderate colours, although either brighter or more sombre colours are possible if the general character of the decor is observed. Neutral colours like beige, brown, cream, vanilla, or earth tones are forever current, whatever the trend, and are very suitable for a Traditional decor. If you opt for stains instead, stick to semi-opaque or dark colours.

Wood is the material par excellence in a Traditional decor - preferably oak, but maple and cherry wood are also perfectly acceptable.

The fabrics used for cushion covers or window dressing are generally neither textured nor bright. Flowered motifs, plaids, stripes and geometric shapes represent good choices, as do tone-on-tone patterns; they will never be out of fashion or look passé. And if you an choose expensive fabric, you will probably want to replace it some day simply through a desire for a change.
Well-designed lighting adapted to your decor is ideal for creating atmosphere. Light fixtures that exhibit classic features, neither modern nor antique, should be used. Complementary standing lamps and table lamps will complete your decor. So long as classic lines and shapes are adhered to, wood, metal or fabric lamp shades can be included in a Traditional style decor. Wall sconces positioned in perfect symmetry on either side of an arch, mirror or decorative element such as a beautiful painting, are very suitable and fitting for this style.

Classic and timeless accessories provide the finishing touches for a Traditional decor: baskets, urns, plants, mirrors and leather accessories should be placed either symmetrically or sequentially to ensure a harmonious effect. The rule: strive for balance, as much with shape and colour as with number.

Contemporary style

Contemporary is by far the fastest evolving style. Ever modernizing, it changes a little every year, influenced by other trends. But, simplicity, sophistication and clarity will remain its signature trademarks.

The Contemporary style is therefore fluid, clean and spare. There is little room for ornamentation; pure lines, symmetry, and smooth surfaces are the objectives. An overcrowded space is to be avoided at all costs and minimalism, by contrast, should be the aim with this decor.

Geometric shapes prevail in Contemporary style, whether in the furniture – such as armchairs in quasi cubic shapes – or in the way space is used, particularly how various decor elements are arranged.
Neutrals – white, cream, grey, beige and brown – are the main colours in a Contemporary style interior and the backdrop for other decor elements. Black and white is also used extensively. Add a personal touch, warmth and life by adding touches of a vivid secondary colour to this palette: yellow, orange, red, or electric blue are particularly effective. These accent colours can also be translated to various accessories, such as cushions, rugs, throws and the select frames hanging on the walls,
installed in order to create punchy visual effects.


Shiny metal, a light wood like maple – either polished or stained in a darker shade like chocolate brown or espresso – tiling, granite, frosted glass: these are the materials that make up the contemporary universe, reflecting light and creating the impression of purity and luminosity.
Rooms decorated in a contemporary style benefit from recessed lighting, which integrates well into a plain, minimalist decor. Adjustable spotlights on a rail are perfect for creating focal points or casting light on a sculpture, painting or work area. For this kind of lighting fixture, we recommend metal, such as stainless steel, brushed steel, chrome or aluminium. Standing lamps are also made of metal, but lamp shades including light-coloured fabric or wood represent an excellent choice. Remember to make lighting choices that match your Contemporary style: clean, straight lines and design simplicity –no embellishments or decorative details.

To offset the cold impression smooth surfaces and metal can give, you would be wise to choose soft, warm accessories like cushions, rugs, and throws made of synthetic fur, chenille or velvet. Those drawn to a contemporary style will also be drawn to natural fabrics such as wool, cotton, linen and silk. And a contemporary decor lends itself well to those who like animal motifs; Zebra stripes and leopard prints are wonderful compliments to a leather sofa.

Simplicity extends to the floor as well, and that means ceramic tiles, satin finished hardwood flooring or vinyl in a solid colour, without any motifs or textural patterns. Cozy, soft-textured and bright-coloured rugs will lend the decor a personalized ambiance

Rustic style

The Rustic style in decorating can be streamed into a number of inspirations, such as Country, French Country and English Country. In all cases, this style is characterized by a decor from another era, with antique furniture that recall the homes of our forbearers but that is also distinguished by a warm, embracing and welcoming ambiance.

Architectural details in the Rustic style of decorating are meant to recreate the decor of homes long ago: exposed beams, pine paneling with all the knots and irregularities, brick and stone. Rustic decor has a soul; it shows the passage of time. Scratches, wear and tear, a used look, and old pieces are all welcome. This is why objects gleaned from a flea market, found at a garage sale or passed down through the family fit in perfectly with such a decor. To replicate this “used” look on furniture and armoires, sheens and glazes can be used in such a way as to mark or stain the wood, tarnish the colour and give an “old” impression.

The Rustic colour scheme features warm colours such as earth tones, terra cotta, and full-bodied reds. For a more luminous decor, a pastel palette would work with colours such as lilac, lavender, golden wheat and tender green.
For a decor in the French Country style, use lots of cream and white matched with bright blue, green or pink. Plant motifs are prominent in French Country fabrics, but toile de Jouy – a piece of muslin on which a pastoral scene is depicted – is also exceedingly popular.

English Country style displays a more formal palette of deep reds, brown and forest green. Leather and tapestries are favoured as materials, wood and stone are everywhere.
Botanical motifs and floral motifs in particular are a staple, whether used for wallpaper, fabrics, embroidered on cushions or painted on picture frames. Don’t hesitate to combine different motifs – two different floral patterns, for example, or stripes with flowers.

If you like the Rustic style and would like to make the most of it, don’t hold back on accessories such as candle holders, oil lamps, figurines, cushions, embroidery, polished metal objects, etc. You can afford to be a little over the top when it comes to this decor style.

Rustic equals accessible: odd furniture, like an assortment of different chairs around a wood table, makes for a nice ensemble effect that fits in perfectly with the convivial character of a Country look.
Wrought iron or antique brass lights would integrate well in a Country decor. Ceramic table lamps with lamp shades made of a fabric matching your decor are perfect; they serve the dual purpose of backup lights and of decorative accessories. Suspension lamps are also very popular. And the older-looking they are and the more intricate, the more they will accentuate the rustic look.

Flowers are, of course, emblematic of a Country style. Whether fresh cut or dried, in a bouquet or a pot-pourri, flowers accentuate a rustic look more than any other element. Mine de rien, a bouquet of lavender brings freshness and adds a gentle fragrance to the Country-inspired room.
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