As you consider the solution for your new or renovated home, you wonder what is the best fit. What makes sense as an investment for you, your family, and the future value of your decision? Let’s take a look at where design trends are headed.
Basically, there is a stylistic range that starts with traditional on the left and contemporary on the right (note: we use the term contemporary as opposed to modern because, technically, the latter refers to a particular style popularized during and specific to the mid-20th century). Traditional Style is about familiarity: shingles, clapboards, window panes, pitched roofs. It makes us feel comfortable, it seems to fit the existing context. At the other end is Contemporary. This is harder to define. Is it cold and edgy? Impersonal? Some people think so. It does seem to have the advantage of allowing for more glass and relationship to the views and the outdoors.
As a result of this dichotomy, an intermediate style, Transitional, has come into favor. Transitional Style is somewhere in between Traditional and Contemporary, closer to the former and generally referring to a solution that has a traditional wrapper with a (somewhat) contemporary interior. This seems to respond well to the desires of new homeowners who want familiarity paired with open plans, improved view, plenty of natural light, and indoor-outdoor connections.
As we move forward, it’s likely that the Transitional Style will continue to grow but creep closer to Contemporary. Familiar exterior forms will remain, but they will be abstracted and less restricted by overtly historical elements, allowing for more glass, greater indoor-outdoor connections, and superior integrations of current-day sustainable building practices.
The best solutions will always be those that emerge organically from the wants and needs of the homeowner combined with the specific opportunities of the site and context. A good architect understands this and will make your project all that it can be and more.