Your desire to turn your traditional Kerala home into a modern, contemporary home need no longer be a dream. You can give your home a makeover and modernize it by following a couple of basic advances. Let’s walk you through the tips and tricks you can apply to your traditional abode to turn it into a modern home.
Table of Contents
Declutter The Home:
Decluttering is a simple and effective way of prepping a traditional home into a modern one. The best interior designers in Kerala will offer you this advice for free. The Clutter fills up space and creates a ‘heavy’ look. Clutter translates to huge furniture pieces, too many items covering the floor and wall area, and several statement pieces strewn all around the house.
Clutter closes spaces, makes them appear confined. Modern rooms, while being well defined, create an impression of openness. There is no clutter; instead, everything around these rooms is functional.
Get New Furniture:
Traditional furniture comes in sets, the tables, the chairs, the sofa, etc., are all coordinated. But, the concept of coordinated furniture is alien in a modern home setting. The furniture pieces in a contemporary home complement each other but are distinctively different.
If you want to keep your old furniture, we suggest that you paint it. Think of fresh colors; pastels look lovely—white, teal, grey, powder blue, pink or green. Mix and match to create an aesthetic appeal.
Conversely, go bold and throw in some solid colors into the palette—an ink blue, leaf green, or even a red. These statement pieces of furniture would instantly perk up a dull, drab home and give it a modern feel.
Alternatively, change the upholstery. Florals and paisleys are old-styled, choose solid colors or graphic designs since they are more contemporary. But, upholster just a single piece in graphic-designed fabric, keep the rest of the furniture pieces neutral. Use cushions and throws to add color and drama, and you sort.
Bring in Greenery:
Adding tall foliage plants does the trick as well. Palms, fiddle leaf fig, and rubber plants are a few choices to consider. Or, bring in plants growing on moss poles. Monsteras, philodendrons, and pothos varieties add a new dimension to the indoors. Keep the plants in statement containers. You can pick from metal, ceramic, wood, and jute baskets.
Paint the Walls:
Introduce an element of drama by repainting your walls; paint an accent wall in vibrant color. Colour coordinates the wall with the furniture so that it completes the look. There are a lot of things that can try.
A single-colored wall will set off graphic design upholstered furniture quite well. Bold strokes of parallel lines on an accent wall are also a trend. Accent walls give you the leeway to experiment and bring a spark into a home.
A black or dark grey wall may seem unorthodox but is quite the trend. Dark-hued walls with chrome or steel light fittings are in vogue. It is quite a bold design element, but if done right, it looks ultra-chic.
Paint the Doors and Windows:
Give your home an instant makeover by painting all the wooden fittings. White has a subtle sophistication, but we recommend using colors for a modern interior. Blue, green, yellow, red, pick a color from the colors existing in your home.
A room with an azure blue accent wall and ocean blue doors and windows or a coral colored accent wall with grey doors, and windows look great. Play around with colors, but use them to the smallest. You don’t want to create a rainbow of colors.
Let’s talk of drapes, while we are on the topic of doors and windows. Heavy drapes are a big NO. Avoid curtains in doorways, and use blinds for the windows. There is a huge variety of blinds in the market; they come in varied materials, textures, colors, and functionality. You can get remote-operated blinds too. But, if you still want curtains, then sheer ones are what we suggest, not lace, but something light and delicate.
Let there be Light Fixtures:
Change the light fixtures. Invest in LED lights and simple, elegant light holders: nothing fancy and flashy, but something on clean lines. Go in for pendant lights instead of chandeliers. Keep the look minimalistic. Recessed lights and spotlights are excellent additions too.
Dress Down the Walls:
There is often a lot of clutter on the walls—photographs, wall plates, paintings, clocks, and stuff. While they give a home a nice vintage look, these elements disagree with designing a modern home. Your walls should be mostly bare, with just an odd statement piece or two. Think of a huge horizontal mirror or a contemporary painting.
Clear the Floor:
Heavy carpets and rugs have no place in a contemporary home. So, also, cabinets, excess coffee, and side tables, etc. Removing these items will clear up floor space and give the house an expansive, open feel. Keep the extras to the smallest. Change old floor tiles to something modern.
Use all these tips to turn your traditional Kerala home into a modern-day abode. Also, hire an interior decorator for significant changes, such as breaking down walls, changing windows and doors, etc.
