Your Guide to Transitional Style

Understand the elements, colors and features you can use to get this popular look in any room

by Laura Gaskill

Cinnabar Design

What Is Transitional Style?

Whether you’re working with a designer or decorating on your own, being well-versed in the style you love most can be a big help. If your style falls in the happy medium between traditional and contemporary, then transitional style may be right in your decorating comfort zone. Read on for the need-to-know details about this popular style, including key elements, color palettes, furniture and accessories.

Transitional style pairs the classic, time-tested appeal of a traditional look with the clean silhouettes and understated color palette of contemporary style. By avoiding the extremes of either style — like the elaborate scrolling and embellishments of traditional style or the most cutting-edge contemporary pieces — transitional style walks an elegant line between the two while carving its own distinct niche.

Keith Wing Custom Builders

Transitional style is:

• Refined ease. It’s embracing comfort without sacrificing elegance — like the room equivalent of business casual.
• Updated classic. Imagine a slimmed-down wingback chair or marble counters paired with simple Shaker-style cabinets.
• Understated. In a transitional space, nothing jars the eye. The colors, patterns and textures play in harmony.

David Charlez Designs

Transitional style is not:

• Eclectic. Although transitional style does draw from two different style camps, it’s decidedly not all over the map. You may spot a few pieces from other styles, but for the most part, transitional spaces stick with traditional and contemporary elements.
• Trendy. Transitional style may incorporate a trend or two — if they seem to have some staying power — but the hot-right-now trends are not usually a big part of these timeless, elegant spaces.
• Overly ornamented. You won’t find much in the way of ornate millwork, elaborate trim or fussy photo frames in a transitional space. Ornamentation and embellishments are present but tend to be more restrained and carefully considered.

Savvy Interiors

Key Element: Serene Hues

In transitional spaces, neutrals are not an afterthought. Whether you opt for cool or warm hues, the colors in a transitional space lean toward soft and subtle, not bright or high-contrast. 

Great shades for transitional spaces:

• Warm neutrals. Cream, beige, taupe, chocolate
• Cool neutrals. Dove gray, silver, snow white
• Serene colors. Misty blue, dusty rose, blue-gray, soft sage green

Endless Ideas Interiors Inc.

Key Element: Sophisticated Furniture

Furniture with clean profiles and gentle curves strikes the right note. Look for updated traditional furniture shapes like slimmed-down wingback chairs, as shown here, and sofas with straight or gently curving sides. Solids make up the bulk of upholstery, with texture playing a larger role than pattern — think of rich velvet, nubby linen and a touch of nailhead trim. Patterns (when they do appear) are subtle and small-scale.

Chango & Co.

Finishing Touches: Less Is More

Transitional style, while not as spare as contemporary style, is still a streamlined look. When it comes to accessories and details, let a few carefully chosen pieces take center stage.

Classic accessories for transitional spaces:

• Contemporary artwork, simply framed
• Glass or ceramic gourd lamps
• A luxurious cashmere throw
• Potted orchids
• Roman shades or simple drapes in a solid neutral hue

Mimi & Hill interiors

Transitional Kitchen Design

Clean but not starkly minimalist and refined without being stuffy, a transitional kitchen has wide appeal. This can be a beautiful compromise for couples with differing design tastes. The elegant finishes and hint of embellishment help satisfy the traditional design lover, while the clean lines and serene color palette nod to contemporary style.

Standard Tile

Features of transitional kitchens:

• Shaker cabinets. Not too sleek, not overly embellished, Shaker cabinetry is just right.
• Neutral color palette. White and gray are popular choices, while blue adds a subtle hit of color.
• Marble or quartz counters. Light and elegant, marble or quartz counters bridge the gap between more traditional and contemporary elements.
• Natural wood. Flooring, butcher block and other wood accents bring warmth to a transitional kitchen.
• Clean-lined furniture. Bar stools can swing contemporary or updated-traditional.

Kitchens by Eileen

Kitchen Detail: Neutral Backsplash

Subway, hexagon, fish-scale and mosaic tile can work well in a transitional kitchen as long as the color palette stays neutral. For a luxurious option, consider gray marble tile, as seen in this space from Kitchens by Eileen, combined with quartz counters and Shaker cabinets that have glass-front uppers.

Knocknock

Can Transitional Style Be Colorful?

Although transitional style tends to lean toward neutral hues, there are certainly ways to bring in bursts of rich color if that’s what you want. Any style is flexible and intended to be adapted to your personal preferences and taste.

In this transitional kitchen, deep green cabinetry fitted with warm bin pull hardware adds a punch of color, while the marble counters and traditional rug keep the overall look elegant and calm.

Anchor Builders

Transitional Bathroom Design

Many of the same features that give transitional kitchens their streamlined, classic look work well in the bathroom too. Consider a Shaker-style vanity, light-colored counters, neutral subway tile or stone accents, a glass shower, a claw-foot or sculptural freestanding tub and lighting with clean, classic lines.

Cabinet-S-Top's experienced designers can assist you with bringing a new Transitional Kitchen or Bath to your home!  Stop in today to get started.  Cabinet-S-Top, 1977 Medina Road, Medina, OH  44256 |  330.239.3630   |   www.cabinet-s-top.com