Contemporary

Where it comes from

Not a period style — the moving average of what is being built now.

Contemporary is modern with more warmth and fewer rules: soft neutrals, curved forms, mixed metals, one strong material moment. In a remodel it is the safest brief and the hardest to make memorable, so it usually needs one deliberate risk.

Lighting

Layered and dimmable, with at least one sculptural fixture allowed to be visible.

What breaks it

• Matching sets
• Small scattered artwork
• More than two strong accent colours
• Anything that reads as a trend already past

Where to spend

The one bold element. Contemporary schemes without a single committed decision read as showhomes.