Forget Modern: Long Live The Traditional

It’s all too easy to follow fashion trends when renovating your humble abode.  While you might yearn to be cutting edge, slick and down with the kids, there’s a little voice screaming inside of you, yelling that high gloss kitchens, networked rooms, and automated blinds just simply aren’t you.

Being seduced by a craze can have its pitfalls. What is a fad one moment can quickly become passe leading to you having to live with something old hat or having to renovate once more costing you money?

Instead of being a sheep and following the on-trend crowds, consider what it is that you want from your home. Being a traditionalist isn’t seen as very en vogue at the moment. However, the adoration for period features, beautiful vintage pieces of furniture and form over function is never too far away from the covers of interior design magazines.

If you are keen to throw out the modern and embrace the more traditional, read on to find out how you can create the ultimate time-honored home.

Your Kitchen

The hub of the home twenty years ago may have been your living room. Here the family would have gathered around the television to watch some entertaining show on a Saturday evening while enjoying takeout. Fast forward two decades and the kitchen has overtaken the living room as becoming the heart of any house. Families crave that space where people can come together to share stories about their day, an area where you can invite friends around to set the world to rights over coffee, and space where you can monitor the kids doing their homework while you’re cooking up a gastronomic feast.

The gray high gloss units with granite quartz worktops simply aren’t your thing. In any case, this might merely be a fad and a hugely expensive one. Instead, consider the farmhouse or shaker style kitchen. With cream cabinetry, glazed doors and an oak or laminate work surface you can create the ultimate cozy family kitchen. 

Don’t worry too much about older appliances and their reliability. If you don’t have the money to stretch to replacing your cooker, freezer or fridge, then don’t. If your fridge is still going strong after ten years, why not call a company like Wilshire Refrigeration to check and assess its performance. This way, you could be saving money on new appliances. Spend your money on the essentials like top quality flooring and details such as new cabinet door handles to set your kitchen apart from the rest.

Your Living Room

If you are fortunate enough to live in a property that already exudes period features because it was built in the nineteenth century, then it’s your duty to exemplify them. Rip up the shag pile carpet in the living room and see what is underneath. With any luck, you will have some original oak floorboards waiting to be discovered. With some TLC, these could polish up a treat and exude tradition.

If you don’t have a focal point in your living room, then it’s time to look into purchasing a fireplace. While the new modern varieties are slick, energy efficient and pleasant to look at, they can be a little boxy and boring. Consider heading to a reclamation yard and recycling an old period piece. You might stumble across an old cast iron Victorian fireplace complete with tiled surround and hearth. If you prefer something a little more retro, the 1930s and 1940s marble effect surround with a touch of the art deco are often seen floating around reclamation yards, and antique fairs. Consider what would fit in your living room and go from there.

It’s vital that your living room is fit for purpose. This means you need comfy furniture, seating that envelops you and makes you feel relaxed and the odd piece of storage that exudes period charm. Head to thrift shops and explore the furniture that has been donated to them. The amount of highly desirable retro G-Plan, Ercol and Nathan furniture from the mid-century that is being donated is phenomenal. You could see purchasing some of this furniture as an investment as it is the antique of the future. Teak was the most common wood used back in the 1960s and utility furniture was built to last hence why it is still so prevalent today. You might even fancy upcycling and tweaking the odd piece to make your own unique and one of a kind pieces for your home.

Your Bathroom

While a four piece suite is the epitome of luxury, we don’t always have the space to squeeze in a separate shower cubicle. If you adore your long hot soaks in the tub, consider a period roll top bath complete with brass faucets, and add a nifty little shower attachment to conserve space. This way, you will still have your shower capability but you won’t have to forfeit your quest for a traditional tub.

Seek out an antique bathroom mirror to add a touch of class to your bathroom and look for a heritage waterproof paint for your walls. Your bathroom should be a haven of relaxation so don’t make it a stressful space that is overbearing because it has too many modern fixtures and fittings.

Your home is as individual as you are. Just because your friends and family might have plush modern abodes, doesn’t mean that you have to follow suit. Consider the vibe you want for the interior of your home and make it your mission to go down the traditional route, using this guide to inspire your design choices.

See you again soon!