Is Traditional Interior Design dead?
In the world of interior design, being too ‘traditional’ can be seen as uncool. So is traditional style dead?
Image: Heidi Callier Design
I have been afraid to commit myself to traditional style, though it has always drawn me in. I love, and have worked in, many styles. But the materials, pieces and projects that give me chills often skew traditional.
In the world of interior designers, my experience has been that ‘traditional’ design is often seen as uncool, when held to its contemporary or edgy counterparts. Yet, when we look to the most prestigious publications, traditional design elements are all over the pages (though it often goes by another name).
So, what does traditional actually mean? And does it still exist?
What (really) is ‘traditional style’ interior design?
In simplest definition, traditional style refers to interior design styles dating from 18th and 19th century Europe (with many American landmarks built to emulate). But it is important to note that at it’s time, it was applied undiluted. Everything from drapery to chair legs to picture frames was pleated, curved, gilded, and trimmed. All of it, everywhere; this is the pure meaning of ‘traditional’ interiors.
This maximalist style can be seen at its best in the old palaces of Europe, and the ornate homes of the Gilded Age. The Grand Palace in Madrid, The Breakers in Newport, Hearst Castle in San Simeon, and Windsor Castle are breathtaking examples.
These landmarks are also proof that, by one definition - appreciation - the style is not dead. The Breakers welcomes almost half a million visitors a year. Windsor Castle attracts three times that many, and the Royal Palace almost two million. Traditional homes are still places we love to visit; but design trends tell us that this heavy and ornate style isn’t where we want to live.
Pure-form is rarely how we apply traditional style in modern North America, and especially not here in breezy California. Yet, we still have spaces we call ‘traditional.’ Thus, by a second definition - word use - traditional is not dead. But if it isn’t what it once was, what is it?
Modern Traditional : A Paradox
Traditional style today is scaled down from its palace roots, both in square footage and intensity. We are selective, taking just the best bits. We pivot, including elements in ways that they would not have been in historical context. We lighten the colors. We blend in other styles. We blend a lot of ‘upstairs, downstairs’ from the era, in ways that would never have occurred at the time. Unmitigated traditional style can feel fussy, stuffy, dated, and is expensive; the modern version maintains an elegance, but is more casual, comfortable and breezy about it.
As an example, Have a look at the beds below. You can see how each pulls certain traditional attributes and drops others (curves, wood frame, tufting, darker materials), each giving various levels of modernization.
Transitional vs. Traditional
Transitional is a term used to describe spaces that are a blend of traditional and contemporary, but typically describes spaces that skew contemporary on this scale.
Thus, ‘traditional’ as we use it today describes transitional spaces that skew traditional. Since any space with an ounce of old-world can be described as transitional, the term traditional is more to describe spaces that sit on the traditional end of the spectrum.
Next Chapter
There is another term, that avoids this whole debacle, and that most people prefer: timeless. This will be the subject of my next post. You cannot have timeless style without traditional - but there is a lot more to it than that.
Let me know your thoughts below - is traditional dead?
