The Makings of a Modern Traditional Home

Searching for an up-to-date design aesthetic that's also timeless? Bring these elements into your home to create a trendy-yet-classic look that will always be in style.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.

August 01, 2022

By: Maria Conti

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Photographs by Sarah Dorio

Photo By: Aaron Leitz

Photo By: David Christensen

Photo By: Nickolas Sargent

Photo By: Emily Followill

Photo By: Emily Followill, Kitchens by Design

Photo By: Nickolas Sargent (Sargent Photography)

Photo By: Jeff Herr

Photo By: Ryan Hainey

Photo By: Adam Potts

Photo By: Werner Straube

Photo By: David Christensen

Photo By: Greg Zabilski Photography

Photo By: Julie Soefer

Photo By: Paige Rumore Photography

Photo By: Ashley Gilbreath

Photo By: Laura Hull Photography

Photo By: Ashley Gilbreath

Photo By: Odd Job Landscaping

Photo By: Julie Soefer

Photo By: Julie Soefer Photography

Photo By: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Photo By: Ashley Gilbreath

Photo By: Nora Ripple

Photo By: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Photo By: Jeff Herr Photography

Photo By: Julie Soefer Photography

Photo By: Jeff Herr

Photo By: Aimee Mazzenga

Today's Traditional: Current Meets Classic

A modern traditional home marries classical architecture and furnishings with a relaxed, contemporary lifestyle for an inviting space you're happy to come home to. This design style is refined but unfussy and tells the story of your home through curated collections, fabric selections, millwork and more. Keep reading to learn the key elements of a modern traditional aesthetic, plus get our tips for mastering the look in your home.

learn more: Traditional Design Style 101

From: HGTV Magazine

Make a Grand Entrance

Set the tone for elegance in your modern traditional entryway. Recreate this dreamy vignette from Massucco Warner Miller Interiors with heirloom furniture and thrift store treasures. Here, an antique foyer dresser is topped with an ornately carved mirror and styled with a patinated brass pineapple table lamp. Round out the display with silver-beaded catchall trays, a blue-and-white vase and a bundle of fresh-snipped blooms.

See More Photos: 20 Designer Entryway Ideas to Steal

From: Massucco Warner Interior Design

Get Your Beauty Sleep With Blue and White

Give your main bedroom a modern traditional makeover with this tried-and-true color story: blue and white. This show-stopping design encapsulates the updated classic appeal with a slew of icy blue and white finishes, luxurious chinoiserie-style wall panels and a dramatic canopy bed. Together, the airy hues and opulent finishes create a tranquil space to begin and end each day.

See More Photos: 50 Inviting Main Bedroom Color Schemes

Reach New Heights With Classical Columns

Columns are synonymous with classical Greco-Roman architecture and remain a cornerstone in design today. Usher ancient elegance into your modern traditional home by incorporating marble, plaster or wood columns indoors and out. Greek Revival and Georgian-style homes boast stately, soaring porch columns for an inspired and inviting curb appeal. Beyond the threshold, freestanding pillar columns make posh pedestals for sculptural art, timeworn vases and lush floral arrangements.

learn more: Greek Revival Architecture

Lather in Luxury

Skip the streamlined freestanding tub and opt for a classic clawfoot soaker instead. Here, a clawfoot tub, creamy marble floors and timeless, brushed nickel hardware come together in front of a brick fireplace to create the blueprint for the ultimate, modern traditional bathroom design. Designer James Farmer installs a mixed metal chandelier, chinoiserie Roman shades and a handwoven rug underfoot to bathe the ensuite with glamour.

See More Photos: 20 Timeless Clawfoot Bathtubs

From: James Farmer

Turn Heads With Chippendale

The Chippendale pattern is a failproof way to bring a modern traditional flair to any corner of your home or garden. Here, designer James Farmer incorporates the iconic geometric pattern via four sun-bleached bamboo barstools in this airy white kitchen. Follow Farmer's lead and invest in chippy chairbacks for your dining space or use the sleek lines to create a custom garden fence or deck railing.

From: James Farmer

Treat Your Walls to Trelliage

Bring the outdoors into your modern traditional sunroom or breakfast nook by installing trelliage on the walls and ceiling. The show-stopping latticework envelops a space with unmatched texture and luxe, resort-inspired vibes. Install trelliage on walls painted the same color to create an understated look or follow designer Paloma Contreras’ lead and pair trelliage with textural grasscloth for an elevated look.

See More Photos: 20 Trellis Designs That Will Take Your Garden to New Heights

Or, Wrap the Walls in Warmth

From moody mahogany to pared-down pine, wood-clad studies and sitting rooms are popular features in modern traditional design. The organic texture and warm tones create a welcoming cocoon within a busy home, offering an escape from daily responsibilities with a hardcover book and a cup of coffee. Designer James Farmer carves an inviting formal sitting room in this southern home with pine paneling, antique brass fixtures and a buttery velvet sofa.

See More Photos: Tour a Family Lodge in Georgia That Celebrates the Sporting Life

From: James Farmer

Checker the Foyer

Marble checkerboard floors are as timeless as they come, friend. This high-contrast pattern lays the groundwork for grandeur and brings refinement to even the most modest entryways. Designer Amy Carman creates a soft, lived-in look with a mix of honed black and white marble tile in this handsome foyer. Capture Carman’s understated results at home by using honed marble or stone for your checkerboard; go high-glamour with polished marble tiles in saturated tones.

See More Photos: 20 Stare-Worthy Staircases We're Obsessing Over

From: Amy Carman Design

Bring the Indoors Out

Bringing the outdoors into your home is age-old advice, but modern traditional design encourages you to bring the indoors out. Outfit your porches, decks and patios with a collection of elegant furnishings that blend seamlessly with your existing interior finishes. Designer Anna Braund appoints this Atlanta balcony with luxurious drapery, an upholstered bench, a wood pedestal table, framed artwork and twin rattan table lamps.

See More Photos: 12 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Outdoor Living Spaces

Make a Statement With Showy Umbrellas

Christian Douglas Design uses scallop-edge umbrellas to bring polish and whimsy to this modern traditional patio. Invest in an umbrella with this shapely silhouette in a crisp white or cabana-stripe fabric to cultivate the same timeless appeal for your outdoor space.

Shop Our Favorites: The 9 Best Outdoor Patio Umbrellas for Your Backyard

From: Christian Douglas Design

Go Glossy With Lacquered Walls

A tailored ivory sofa, neoclassical column lamp and floral slipper chair ground this living room in tradition while lustrous, olive-lacquered walls wrap the space in a blanket of glamour. The high-shine finish enlivens the otherwise airy furnishings and creates a captivating juxtaposition in the design. Copy designer Wendy Labrum’s look: Lacquer your walls (and ceiling) in a saturated jewel tone to set off your more traditional furnishings.

See More Photos: Trend Alert: Lacquer and High-Gloss Finishes

From: Wendy Labrum

Show Off Your Plate Collection

Wall-mounted plates bring sophistication, dimension and symmetry to otherwise lacking walls. Pull your prized plate collection out of storage and put it on display on your dining room or kitchen wall. And, yes, bonus points will be awarded if your collection happens to be of the blue-and-white transferware persuasion like the set featured in this southern vignette.

See More Photos: How to Create a Beautiful Plate Wall Design

Put Mixed Metals on Your Menu

Mixed metal hardware is key to cooking up a decadent modern traditional kitchen design. Designer Michelle Workman uses the coveted La Cornue range as the focal point in this high-end kitchen design. Workman outfits the greige cabinets with unlacquered brass pulls that coordinate with the knobs on the range while a stainless-steel pot rack displays timeworn copper cookware on the wall above. Recreate the results at home by using these sleek hardware combinations: unlacquered brass and polished nickel hardware, matte black and brushed gold hardware, oil-rubbed bronze and antique brass.

See More Photos: 35+ Kitchen Design Ideas From Top Designers

From: Michelle Workman

Make Florals Bloom in Every Room

Plant seeds of modern traditional style in your home with fresh floral details. Simple accessories like bloom-embellished bedding and cut centerpieces are easy-to-swap-out options to add seasonal flair to your space throughout the year. Floral statement wallpaper and bold murals are valuable elements to invest in to infuse otherwise simple rooms with personality. The walls of this traditional dining room by Marie Flanigan feature a sage wallpaper hand-painted with a chinoiserie-inspired motif featuring pale pink blooms, leaning trees and dainty butterflies.

See More Photos: 20 Gorgeous Rooms Inspired by Gardens

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Save Seats by the Fire

Make the most of your stately fireplace by placing matching armchairs near the hearth to enjoy fiery conversations with your partner or escape with a good book after dinner. Designer Connie Vernich sets the bar with twin club chairs in front of the geometric fireplace in this moody emerald study.

See More Photos: 40+ Fabulous Fireplace Design Ideas for Any Budget or Style

From: Vernich Interiors

Throw a Classic Curveball

A key component of creating an updated traditional space is adding unexpected accents into a largely classic design. A pair of blue upholstered chairs head the table to interrupt the classic mahogany dining set and infuse fresh style into the otherwise ultra-traditional space.

See More Photos: Traditional Living and Dining Rooms With Touch of Whimsy

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Elevate Your Staircase

A sophisticated, well-dressed staircase is a non-negotiable element in modern traditional homes. This dapper foyer features a classic, Colonial-style stairway that exceeds expectations with decadent white molding, espresso-stained railing and a smart beige runner underfoot. Use Barber's elegant entry as your blueprint; skip contemporary iron or blonde oak accents and finish your staircase with satin-white balusters and a classic Jacobean handrail for timeless appeal.

See More Photos: 20 Stare-Worthy Staircases We're Obsessing Over

From: Tim Barber Ltd.

Dream Easy in a Four-Poster Bed

Four-poster beds are timeless and adaptable — ideal for modern traditional bedroom designs. This handsome, wood four-poster bed sports fresh white linens and blue details throughout for a calm space to catch some Zs. Best part? You can find the same four-post silhouette at an antique shop, thrift store or estate sale for style on a budget.

See More Photos: Transform Your Bedroom With One of These Dreamy Four-Poster Beds

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Invest in Vintage Art

Simple, minimalist prints have their place in design and the modern traditional home is not one of them. Vintage oil paintings and illustrations take their place to bring color, personality and dimension to walls and desks alike. Use this vignette by designer Ashley Gilbreath as your muse and display fine art in gilt frames to provide the space with opulence and warmth.

See More Photos: Wow-Worthy Art of HGTV Urban Oasis 2021

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Corner Curb Appeal With Climbing Plants

A modern traditional home boasts classic beauty both indoors and out. Creeping vines and climbing ivy are garden essentials for adding an effortless and timeless quality to exteriors of updated traditional homes. Here, a tailored, wire trellis flanks the front doors and overflows with climbing English ivy. The creeping foliage brings vibrancy and texture to the façade of this stone and stucco cottage home.

See More Photos: 20 Trellis Designs That Will Take Your Garden to New Heights

From: Odd Job Landscaping

Lounge in Leather

Updated traditional spaces are often airy and bright, with soft neutral walls and light window treatments. Rich, mahogany-colored leather furnishings make for beautiful accents to the bright, modern backdrop. Designer Marie Flanigan uses a rich, masculine leather chair to ground this breezy sitting room and bring balance and contrast to the design. Best part? Leather furniture becomes more buttery and beautiful with age.

Caring for Leather Furniture

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Install Head-Turning Millwork

Great design begins with good bones. Striking millwork instantly elevates any space and brings character and charm to any modern traditional home. Pro tip: Use your home’s architecture as your guide to select crown molding, wainscoting and trim details throughout that are in keeping with the age of your home. This dove-gray home office sports board-and-batten walls that bestow the space a sophisticated, storied quality sure to withstand the test of time.

Get the How-To: How to Install Wainscoting to a Wall

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Polish Up the Details

Details are everything when it comes to this elegant design style. Beaded silver picture frames and dainty pewter trinkets go a long way in prettying-up modern traditional dining room buffets and bathroom counters alike. Here, designer Marie Flanigan uses a chic silver serving tray to provide a picture-perfect base for fresh-cut ivory roses and a petite ring dish in this marble-clad primary en suite.

See More Photos: Crisp & Clean: White Bathroom Ideas

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Subscribe to Symmetry

Two is better than one in modern traditional designs and this dreamy master suite is no exception. The opulent, upholstered bed is flanked by twin table lamps atop matching wood dressers, and the results are nothing short of stunning. Achieve a similar, symmetrical and sophisticated result in your home with paired light fixtures, twin arm chairs or matching upholstered ottomans.

See More Photos: Take a Seat: Main Bedroom Sitting Area Ideas

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Wrap the Walls in Books

Built-in bookcases, brass sconces and an enviable (extensive!) book collection are the building blocks to a killer modern traditional design. This handsome space exudes luxury with dark wooden shelves, cognac leather sofa and a hide rug underfoot.

See More Photos: 45 Must-Know Tips for Styling Your Built-In Bookshelves

From: Kathe Baker

Find Your Light With Shaded Fixtures

This sun-drenched bathroom features sets of coordinating, shaded sconces and a large, central shaded chandelier. The fixtures’ linen shades lend the space a crisp, finished look and appear clean against the ornate wallpaper. Shaded sconces are a sophisticated option to illuminate makeup vanities, brighten bedside tables and add a warmth to an entryway.

Shop Our Favorites: 28 Best Bathroom Light Fixtures for Every Style

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Brighten With Chinoiserie Touches

Fact: A beautiful, blue-and-white vase will never lead you astray. A modern traditional home makes use of chinoiserie vases to display fresh-cut blooms on bedside tables or a collection of blue willow plates to create a dimensional display above a formal dining room buffet.

From: Terracotta Design Build

Put It in Neutral

Updated traditional designs differ from typical traditional designs by swapping bold jewel tones for airy, neutral color palettes to create a cozy, layered look. Airy ivory and cream mingle with muted taupe and rich, marigold accents in this modern traditional den to create a warm space to spend time with family and friends. Honey-toned wood beams give the traditional space an unexpected, modern flair and blends the airy upholstery with the wooden furnishings throughout the expansive room.

See More Photos: The Best Neutral Paint Colors for Every Room

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Dial Up the Drama With Drapes

Cardinal rule of modern traditional design? Never underestimate the impact of window treatments and floor coverings. Take notes from this space and take your drapes to the ceiling to add height to your room. Here ceiling-mounted drapes accentuate the arched windows and bring a dramatic flair to this modern traditional space. A jewel-toned Persian rug adds vibrancy and luxury to the design.

From: Terracotta Design Build

Escape the Day With Built-In Nooks

Modern traditional homes prioritize character and built-in charm with custom nooks and crannies around every corner. Here a crisp white nook is cozy with sapphire velvet upholstery and a gilt frame, yielding a head-turning jewel-box effect. Bring a similar one-of-a-kind allure to your home with custom-built benches, bookcases or nooks.

See More Photos: 20 Cozy Reading Nooks

From: Claire Staszak

The Makings of a Modern Traditional Home

Related To:

Shop This Look

Today's Traditional: Current Meets Classic

Make a Grand Entrance

Get Your Beauty Sleep With Blue and White

Reach New Heights With Classical Columns

Lather in Luxury

Turn Heads With Chippendale

Treat Your Walls to Trelliage

Or, Wrap the Walls in Warmth

Checker the Foyer

Bring the Indoors Out

Make a Statement With Showy Umbrellas

Go Glossy With Lacquered Walls

Show Off Your Plate Collection

Put Mixed Metals on Your Menu

Make Florals Bloom in Every Room

Save Seats by the Fire

Throw a Classic Curveball

Elevate Your Staircase

Dream Easy in a Four-Poster Bed

Invest in Vintage Art

Corner Curb Appeal With Climbing Plants

Lounge in Leather

Install Head-Turning Millwork

Polish Up the Details

Subscribe to Symmetry

Wrap the Walls in Books

Find Your Light With Shaded Fixtures

Brighten With Chinoiserie Touches

Put It in Neutral

Dial Up the Drama With Drapes

Escape the Day With Built-In Nooks

Hot Style: New Traditional 34 Photos

Updated Traditional Home 14 Photos

Traditional Style With a Twist 20 Photos

A Luxurious Home Makeover Gives Traditional Pieces Modern Charm 17 Photos

Traditional Meets Modern in This Colorful and Textured Home 17 Photos

Traditional Design Style 101

Related Pages