Timeless & Classic Tips from an Interior Designer

Trends come and go, but certain interior design themes never seem to go out of style. This is evident when you walk into a classic, well-designed space. You can sense the balance and the cohesiveness of the room, and it feels elegant and just right.

What Is Timeless Interior Design?

How do you define a classic? By illustration, something is classic if judged to be outstanding and of high quality over time. Classic interior design invokes elegance, dignity, and beauty. Perhaps more importantly, it stands the test of time.

So, what are the characteristics of classic interior design? It is often simple—strikingly so. It can be described as clean and neat. Smart and structured. Often, the excellent quality of the design pieces is the detail that captures the eye.

Here are some tips from Ana Micieli, a Toronto interior designer, to ensure that your space is both timeless and classic.

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What Makes a Design Classic and Timeless?

Create a Sense of Balance

In interior design, balance is a feeling of equilibrium. It is created by more than shape. Colours, patterns, and textures all contribute to the sense of stability.

A balanced space doesn't have to be boring. Traditional or formal rooms achieve balance through symmetry. This kind of balance involves creating two sides that mirror each other, and it can be monotonous. However, balance can be achieved without exact duplication. It can be complex and exciting.

In a classic space, balance creates harmonic elegance. It bestows a magnificent feel to a room because nothing is exaggerated. All is measured and essential.

Bring Harmony to the Space

A space is harmonious when all design elements work together. It's when everything fits together. Harmony creates a sense of cohesion, and you achieve it by showcasing similarity.

If you’re having trouble getting your space to feel harmonious, you should focus on creating a focal point. A focal point is the one design element that makes a statement. It’s the feature that captures your attention the moment you walk into a room. Put simply, you should highlight the best feature of that room.

Ideally, your house may have with a built-in focal point. This could be the windows or the view, a fireplace mantel, vaulted ceilings, or wall built-ins.

In such cases, you would design your space to highlight the existing feature. But if you don't have the advantage of a built-in focal point, you can always create one.

Be sure to choose an element to emphasize. This could be artwork, a feature wall, or most commonly, a large, statement piece of furniture.

Select the Right Colours and Undertones

Colour is a primary ingredient of any design space, more so in classic design. Choosing a colour scheme is one of the most crucial interior design decisions you can make. You can use colour to create the right atmosphere, the right ambiance for your home.

Light soft colours open up your space. They make it airy and cozy, while dark colours can make a room moody, dark and sophisticated. The colour you choose can lift your room above the ordinary and give it more depth.

Neutral tones – your whites, greys, browns, and taupes are a design staple for classic interiors. And for a good reason. Neutrals are undoubtedly the most versatile colours, and some neutral colour combinations like tan and white will simply never go out of style.

Remember, when working with neutrals, always incorporate textures and patterns to create depth and enhance visual appeal.

Like in dressing, it's vital to understand undertones when choosing your colours. When two or more colours are mixed, the undertone is determined by the proportions used. Perhaps while mixing for taupe, the colour formula has a little more red in it, then the undertone will be pink. Pink and green can be the most difficult undertones to work with. When you crack the undertone, everything else becomes more manageable.

Choose the Best Materials

The finishes you choose can make or break the aesthetic you’re going for since finishes greatly influence the style of a room.

Classic interiors are greatly influenced by the classical periods and their aesthetics. Use beautiful and quality materials such as white oak, limestone, marble, oak, and walnut, to achieve a classic, timeless interior.

For instance, marble is distinguished and rich and can turn any room into a showcase. Hardwood flooring is timeless. Oak, ash, and walnut floors create a classic unrivalled splendour that can match any aesthetic. Simple white and beige finishes are classic and will never look dated.

Other key features of classic interiors include fireplace mantels, wall paper, columns, and dentil moulding.

Use Beautiful and Functional Lighting

Timeless style is about bringing elegance and sophistication into your home, and lighting might be your secret weapon. Lighting determines the mood of your space. Like colour, it creates the ambiance of your home.

It's not just about illuminating your interiors; well-designed lighting is decorative as well. Use accent lighting to highlight your chosen focal point. You can use lighting to draw attention to design elements such as accent walls, paintings, or sculptures.

Meet Ana – The Modern Interior Designer

Ana at Micieli is a top Toronto interior designer with an eye for classic and modern design. Ana uses her expertise to create timeless interiors that tell a story unique to each of her clients.

To Ana, classic interior design isn't just one particular style. It's not just about decorating with neutrals or achieving a minimalist aesthetic. Classic style can be rich. It can be bold and colourful.

Ana excels at blending old and new for that classic seamless look. By mixing traditional and modern influences, she has created spaces that look chic and sophisticated. She has paired classic materials like stone and wood with stylish metallic accents to achieve an ageless look.

Make Your Home Renovations Last with Us

Micieli design is one of the top interior design companies in Toronto. Micieli Design is a full-service interior design studio that caters to various clients, tailoring projects to each individual's needs and style.

For us, every project provides an opportunity to develop unique design solutions. Our take on interior design is fresh and pragmatic. At Micieli, we pride ourselves on creating beautiful, functional spaces that reflect our client's personal sense of style. Reach out to us at 905-770-3030 to help you design a classic, timeless home that you'll always love.