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If you live in Washington, D.C., need an interior designer, and don’t want classic furniture with ornate details, silk fabrics with damask and paisley patterns, a formal layout and perfectly symmetrical furniture arrangements with matching side tables and lamps, you may be wondering where to begin. While the overall design aesthetic in the D.C. area veers more traditional, at Lorla Studio, we focus on crafting modern and contemporary interiors, often in historic homes. The spaces we design typically feature clean lines, open floor plans, and a beautiful simplicity that lets the organic materials we love to use speak for themselves. Let’s dive a little deeper into what “modern” design looks like, and why we like it so much.
What is Modern Interior Design?
Modern design, which came about during the early 20th century, is an interior design style characterized by a monochromatic color palette, clean lines, minimalism, natural materials, and natural light.
Pioneers of the modernist movement emphasized volume, functionality, minimal ornamentation, and asymmetry in their work.
Is Modern Interior Design the Same as Contemporary Interior Design?
Modern interior design shares some similarities with contemporary interior design, like the emphasis on clean lines, natural materials, open floor plans. However, contemporary interior design incorporates more of-the-moment tastes and trends, including things like new materials, technology and new construction methods.
Now that we have our history lesson out of the way (congrats, A+ on your report card!) we want to share with you why we like it, and why you should consider using contemporary and modern design in your home.
Things We Love about Modern and Contemporary Interior Design
Simplicity + Functionality
One of the alluring qualities of modern interior design is the value it places on simplicity and functionality. These values resonate with our clients, as well as most modern families and working professionals. We are overloaded 24/7 with information, screens, apps, bad news, emails, and texts, and the list goes on. Coming home to a somewhat minimal and soothing space is an excellent respite.
However, don’t mistake minimal and serene for boring, cold, or lacking in any way. We prioritize using warm and organic materials (think marble, travertine, walnut, white oak, lime plaster, and more) in all of our projects to ensure that the spaces we create and design feel approachable, livable, and have a timeless component.
Perhaps some of this is because Lorla Studio originated in New York City, where having one’s own space is a true luxury. The small footprints of the spaces we designed required a lot of creativity and necessitated that every element serves a purpose, another hallmark of modern interior design.
Functionality is paramount in small spaces, and this has had a lasting impression on the way we design spaces today, whether it is a 7,000 square foot home or a 1,500 square foot condo. This is why we spend a lot of time up front on client discovery, and understanding how YOU live, what your needs are, and how we can create a home that truly reflects your lifestyle. We never want our clients to end up with a formal dining room that they don’t use, because together we can come up with an even better use for that room (like a family game room, or a library, or even a wine room!)
Natural Light is King
If you search past interviews with our founder, or read through our archive of blog posts, you most certainly will hear us preaching about the value of natural light. In our world of design, natural light is king.
A trademark of modern design is prioritizing natural light with open floor plans and expansive windows. In projects where we’re not making changes to the existing architecture yet are working with a less than optimal natural lighting, we always find ways to make spaces brighter and connect the interior environment to the outside world. In some projects, we introduce new windows and doors, and in others, we do things like strategically placing mirrors across from windows or using one paint color on the ceiling and walls to help the space feel visually brighter and make the boundaries disappear. Nature has proven benefits like reducing stress and anxiety, so who doesn’t want a greater connection to the outside from the comfort of their own home? The other upside to prioritizing natural light and a connection to the outdoors is that it always informs and shapes our color palette in a really interesting and unique way.
Clean Lines + Warm Materials
Whenever possible we love collaborating with smaller shops and craftsmen to create really unique and one-off pieces of furniture for our clients, providing them with family heirlooms that can be passed down for generation (this is also a hallmark of LUXURY interior design). Often these custom pieces are made using advancements in design technology and using sustainable materials, making them a win-win for the client and the environment. We have commissioned custom pieces using materials like walnut, white oak, glass, plaster and various stones. The clean lines found in the furniture that we specify or commission enables a sense of fluidity and openness, important details when working with an open floor plan.
Contemporary Elements
All of this said, we do stay on top of current trends, attend trade shows and are always seeking to broaden our horizon of what is possible and available. Most of our projects integrate today’s technology in big ways. This can be seen in everything from motorized drapery (they fit the motors in tiny tracks!), smart home alarm and thermostat systems, modern appliances, and the methods in which the furniture and materials are made. We love bringing in a little more color than is true to purely modern design, and typically do so in ways that are easy to update over time (pillows, paint, et. cetera), as color can be a very trendy element.
Well, what do you think? Is modern interior design for you?
By embracing clean lines, minimalist decor, and the integration of modern technology, you can create a home that not only reflects your personal taste but also adapts to the evolving needs of modern living, and creates a respite from the sense of overwhelm that we all feel in today’s world. The blend of old and new creates a juxtaposition and tension that leads to some of the most compelling outcomes (we LOVE modern interiors in older homes, and in fact are breaking ground on a modern renovation of a historic Queen Anne Victorian home now), magical spaces, and truly unique experiences. Whether you are embarking on a new build, or renovating an older home it is worth considering the timeless appeal of modern and contemporary interior design—it's a decision that promises to redefine the way you experience your home, and simplify your life.
Just remember, life is complicated, but your interior design doesn’t need to be!
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