Feb 21, 2025
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Onton Team
Learn about the fundamentals of Traditional style, exploring its roots, key features, and influences — then learn how to create your own timeless designs at home.
If you love a timeless look that makes you feel like you just stepped out of an elegant 18th-century palace, Traditional style could be just what you’re looking for. With curated pieces and rich materials and colors, Traditional spaces are effortlessly classic without being confined to a particular time period.
Understanding Traditional Style
Traditional style evolved over centuries, taking influence from 18th and 19th-century European palaces and French design.
The classical details of the 18th century, such as columns, symmetrical design, and elaborate ornamentation, along with the French’s ornate carvings, dark woods, and gilded surfaces, created a versatile and timeless interior aesthetic.
Sir Edwin Lutyens
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Sir Edwin Lutyens was known for his traditional approach to building design. He emphasized simple and intentional themes in his work, like long parallel windows, which brought light and warmth to his buildings.
Elsie de Wolfe
Beginning her career as an actress, Elsie de Wolfe later became known as one of the first modern professional decorators. Her home designs brought a feminine essence to Traditional style that had not yet been seen. In her first space, she removed the dark wood and wallpaper and opted for ivory walls with floral and leopard decor.
Key features of Traditional interior design
Because Traditional style isn’t confined to just one period, designs can include a wide range of elements, often overlapping with the opulence of Art Deco or the rustic simplicity of Shabby Chic. The Traditional style creates elegant spaces with a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Layered patterns
Traditional style uses patterns to keep spaces feeling modern while still remaining in touch with its historical roots. These patterns include luxurious damask patterns, intricate chinoiserie patterns, and scrolled metalwork featuring detailed spirals and curls.
Ornate decor collections
To remain true to the influences of centuries of design, Traditional homes often feature a collection of timeless and unique decor. These pieces include intricate ceramic vases and plates, metal chandeliers and candle holders, and gold-framed wall art.
Layout symmetry
Traditional design embraces symmetry, which creates balanced and harmonious designs. Living rooms may feature a couch with matching end chairs across from a coffee table or two couches directly facing each other. Dining rooms might include regal chairs and tables with large, symmetrical artwork in the background.
Rich colors and subtle fabrics
Traditional palettes contain warm neutrals offset by the designer’s choice of accent colors. Accents might be jewel tones, like deep reds and greens, or earthy tones, like deep browns and charcoal grays. Other options include metallics, like gold and silver. Most large furniture pieces, including couches, are made of subtle and cozy fabrics like cotton, linens, and velvet.
Tips for curating a classic Traditional look in your space
Traditional style enhances the warmth of any space, offering a versatility that empowers you to pick and choose elements that align with your aesthetic. Here are a few ways to bring this elegant and classic design into your own home.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with patterns
When choosing decor for your interiors, avoid sticking to just one pattern throughout your space. To create warmth and depth, choose several patterns as accents. Consider a white and blue chinoiserie-patterned vase with damask-patterned pillows and rugs. Then, find crown moldings and metal pieces with scrolled designs.
Be bold with accent colors
Traditional design uses warm neutrals as a base color — so consider what pops of color you’ll use to bring life to your space. If you love simplicity, choose a single color to emphasize — like an all-beige room with rich green couches as a focal point. If you prefer a little more excitement, go for more intricate color palettes. Imagine, for example, a space with dark wooden window frames and pops of blue, orange, and red throughout the wall art and area rugs.
Opt for soft and subtle but high-end textures
To maintain an elegant vibe, stick to high-end, timeless fabrics. When you’re hunting for furniture, go for thick cotton or linen couches and leather armchairs. Fabrics can be more fragile for display pieces — think drapery in rich velvets or decorative pillows in soft silks.
Look for timeless pieces
When you search for decor, find timeless pieces that resonate with you, not with current trends. This approach means pieces can remain a focal point of your space for years or decades to come. Try adding large, beautiful bookcases covered in antique books. Or, step up the opulence with European paintings in lavish, gilded frames.
Find your home’s perfect Traditional Design with Onton
Looking for the perfect Traditional design for your space? Onton is here to help you create the home of your dreams.
Onton Discover
Using Onton Discover, venture through user-generated images that inspire a fresh outlook on your Traditional design journey.
Onton Imagine
Get a preview of the Traditional style in your home with Onton Imagine. Use Onton’s preset rooms (or upload a photo of your space), then select the room type. Then, choose “Traditional” in the style dropdown. Next, detail all the features you want to see in the prompt section and watch as the space renders within seconds.
Onton Search
Lastly, using Onton Search, explore within images and curate Collections of all the perfect furniture and decor. Then, implement your design in real life.
Try Onton for free today and explore infinite Traditional design possibilities!