I am a big fan of modern design when it comes to furniture and houses. I especially like the aesthetic that focuses more on mixing nature and organic shapes with highly contrasting forms and materials. Modern interior design also tends to have high contrast in color schemes. Although a lot of modern interior design also incorporates hard edges, a contrast can be seen in general shape quite often.
Scandinavians are well known for integrating organic materials with unnatural shapes. This table for example has a hard edged, sleek and shiny glass top with very soft looking and matte finished wooden legs:
But to stray from single elements, I like modern design as a motif for interior design. I like the high contrast and very straight forward design solutions. This bedroom has some flare with the quilted leather bed, but the high contrast motif and use of hard edges and natural materials still stands:
However, like any aesthetic, it can be taken too far. This living room, for example, has a lot of hard lines and edges. Notice the walls and floor as well, more lines! Even the reflection of the hard edged stairs in the glass wall negatively add to this effect. In my opinion, I think there is not enough contrast with softer materials and shapes in this room, thus making it look uninviting.
This take on design can be done quite beautifully and functionally. This house is in Aspen, CO. I’ve actually been to a graduation party in this house and I have to say, it is a very inviting and nice place to be. The outside may look intimidating with zinc panels and sand blasted concrete, but the inside is comfortable and functional with Barcelona chairs and lots of windows that let nature blend with the house.
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The image really speaks to your point made in your blog. every image looks really cool, and i had a lot of fun reading this blog. This modern designs look very futuristic, kinda something you would see in a movie. although the designs are really cool looking I hope that we always have the choose to incorporate a more natural look. I really liked the first image with the table, the look is very interesting but at the same time there is something comforting and familiar. Good Job with the Blog.
Cool insight. I never have thought about using natural materials within the modern styling look, but I really like it. To your point, many of these modern, sleek interior (or exterior) designs can lack personality and warmth, but I think using natural materials could mitigate this, keeping the aesthetic effect derived from the form and shape of the objects while avoiding the “coldness” a lot of these hard lines can create. That first table is awesome, I want one for my future bachelor pad.
I really enjoyed your photos of the aesthetics of modern design. I assumed that you talking about modern design as in contemporary rather than the modern style that was used in architecture in the 1930’s or so. I liked what you said about the blend of organic and nature with the hard lines of more geometric forms. I think this is a cool aesthetic that is hard to define in a short blog, but you did a great job!