What We Love about Contemporary Home Design
Our team designs and builds a wide range of home architecture styles that cater to every client’s unique needs and tastes. Whether you’re drawn to sleek modern designs, cozy traditional homes, or something totally different, we specialize in designing and building homes that are true to the vision of each client. We aren’t a copy and paste design firm – each home is crafted from the ground up to reflect the individuality and lifestyle of the people who will live in it. After learning about what we love about contemporary homes, you can explore some of our other favorite home design styles here.
What is Contemporary Home Design?
Contemporary home design is distinguished by the fact that it is constantly evolving, taking inspiration from a variety of styles and combining them in a way that is clean and forward-thinking. Unlike modern design, which refers to a specific historical movement, contemporary design is fluid and adapts to the latest trends, innovations, and cultural influences. Typically, the style can be defined by a number of elements including simplicity and clean lines, open floor plans, and an emphasis on natural light. However, unlike other design styles, contemporary home design doesn’t have an extremely specific set of rules by which it abides. At its core, contemporary design seeks to create homes that are not only visually striking but also comfortable, functional, and reflective of the lifestyles and values of the present day.
Elements of Contemporary Home Design
Minimalism and Simplicity
A key identifier of contemporary home design is its tendency towards minimalism and simplicity. Stepping into a contemporary home, you’ll notice clean lines, uncluttered spaces, and a focus on essential design elements. Depending on the designer, many contemporary homes avoid excessive decoration and favor a streamlined look.
Open Floor Plans
Open floor plans make way for a sense of spaciousness and a seamless flow between rooms. Often, contemporary home design integrates living, dining, and kitchen areas. The result is a cohesive space that feels larger, more inviting, and conducive to modern living. Not only do open floor plans create visual openness, they also promote togetherness and are wonderful for hosting gatherings. To define spaces without physical walls, contemporary designs often use visual clues like rugs, furniture arrangements, or changes in wall color, flooring or ceiling height.
Emphasis on Natural Light
A hallmark feature of contemporary design is the use of natural light in a home. Large windows, glass doors, and skylights are prominent components in contemporary homes. Not only does this allow for a better view of the outdoors, it creates bright, inviting spaces that ebb and flow with the changing light throughout the day.
This eco-conscious home features double insulated windows and foam insulation to reduce energy consumption
Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Design
Contemporary home design often places an emphasis on eco-friendly design, which reflects the growing importance of environmental stewardship and energy efficiency in modern living. Sustainable design can be incorporated in a number of ways, including using sustainable materials, energy-efficient systems, renewable energy integration, water conservation systems, smart home technologies, and more. As a team that’s incredibly passionate about sustainability in home design, we love talking with our clients about eco-friendly components that can be implemented and will fit their lifestyle.
Blend of Materials and Textures
Utilizing a wide range of materials and textures is characteristic to many contemporary homes. Each material has an effect on a home that can be mixed and matched to create the desired effect. For example:
- Wood adds natural warmth and texture
- Metal introduces a modern, industrial edge
- Glass enhances openness and light
- Concrete brings a minimalist, raw aesthetic
- Stone adds a sense of permanence and luxury
Layering unlike or contrasting materials allows homes to achieve a balance between being both warm and modern, while adding visual richness.
Connection to Nature
A common thread throughout contemporary home design is connection to nature, either through incorporating natural materials, or by featuring indoor/outdoor living spaces. We love including spaces like this in client homes that take in the beauty of all of the seasons.
Our Favorite Things about Contemporary Home Design
While we love designing and building homes in a variety of styles, contemporary home design offers some unique aspects of which our team is very fond. The lack of specific rules within contemporary home design means that we’re able to experiment with unique materials and layouts. The style encourages originality and personalization, and the end product is largely dependent on the client’s taste. The integration of natural materials and emphasis on eco-friendly building is right in our wheelhouse, as we are passionate about mindful, sustainable homes. The dynamic, evolving, and personal nature of the style allows us to continuously push creative boundaries, ensuring each project is a fresh and exciting experience for our clients.
If you’re interested in building your dream contemporary home with SSDB, we’d love to connect with you.