Tips for Adding a Contemporary Touch to Your Historic Eastern Shore Home

Open concept floor plans are not a new trend, but they don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. It’s not difficult to understand why. If you own a small home, an open layout can help make any space feel larger while giving that space a relaxed and casual vibe. Not everyone can afford to remove walls in their home to open things up, but there are smaller changes you can make to increase the sense of space in your home to give a more modern feel.

You can start with the furniture. More than a few homeowners have grown accustomed to having furniture sets for each room. Today’s new homeowners tend to take a different approach, finding pieces that enhance the space but with little concern for finding a matching set. Rethinking the furniture you are using and removing pieces can help breathe life into a room. Don’t feel tied to a furniture set when you only need a few pieces to create the right atmosphere.

In the same vein as removing furniture from a space, the same goes for “stuff.” Chances are that you probably have a lot of it, as most homeowners do. Much of it is likely displayed throughout the house, whether it is framed pictures or shelves of souvenirs. Many have an inexplicable urge to fill the empty spaces of their home. Consider taking a more minimalist approach.

Take a hard look at all of the decor pieces in your home. Which of them do you really love? There may be some that you wouldn’t even notice if someone had removed them. If you’re anxious about open spaces, try decorating with houseplants, which can add a natural texture to a room. You don’t have to do away with decor altogether. Just be more selective about what you use and give careful consideration to the impact it has on the space around it.

If you’re looking for simple and easy ways to modernize your home, add color. That doesn’t mean you have to start repainting each room, but consider introducing pops of bright colors throughout your home decor. Traditional plaids and florals are to be avoided -- and removed, preferably -- in favor of colors and patterns that have a more timeless appeal.

Consider the contrast when making your color choices, as well. High contrast colors are popular choices for modern home decor because they look sharp and clean. More homeowners are swapping muted colors for black, white, cream and other bold colors. You don’t need to necessarily fill your home with color. It’s more important to find areas where bolder colors would create more of a visual impact. If you have white kitchen cabinets, for example, add black hardware to give them more of a modern look and feel.

When you’re already surrounded by the natural beauty of coastal living on the Eastern Shore, it makes sense to connect your indoor living space with the outdoors. Sliding glass patio doors bring a contemporary touch to any traditional home. Not only do they allow you to make efficient use of your space because they glide along a track rather than opening inward or outward, you can also make compelling color choices. Thinking about the striking high-contrast look of a black sliding glass door, with minimalist hardware, and what that could do for your space.

If you want to explore more ways you can bring a contemporary touch to your historic or traditional home, visit your nearest showroom and find the Pella product that could become your next home improvement project.