What's the Difference: Traditional vs. Transitional Style Interior Design | The Kitchen Showcase (2024)

Not every style can be placed in one particular style box. You may love traditional interior design, but also be looking to modernize. The difference between traditional style interior design and transitional style interior design is subtle. Let’s take a look.

Traditional interior design

What's the Difference: Traditional vs. Transitional Style Interior Design | The Kitchen Showcase (1)

You’ll recognize traditional style interior design by the ornate and luxurious elements. There are intricate design patterns in the woodwork. Although the traditional style comes from 17th and 18th century Europe, the style is rich and timeless. Intricate crown moldings on cabinets and decorative legs on tables and chairs create lavish texture to your kitchen, while the natural wood finished in deep, rich colors will ensure the kitchen still feels warm and inviting.

Transitional interior design

The transitional style trend is going to take the characteristics from traditional design and modernize it a bit. The elaborate and ornate details in crown moldings and other areas are going to be more subtle and subdued. The lines in a transitional kitchen are going to be softer and smoother, helping your traditional kitchen slowly transition to a more modern kitchen. The colors are going to go from dark to lighter, more neutral tones.

What's the Difference: Traditional vs. Transitional Style Interior Design | The Kitchen Showcase (2)

Similarities

Both styles are elegant and timeless. They celebrate the classic characteristics of traditional design, but the transitional will take the ornate details and tone them down for a more modern effect. The transitional style elements will allow you to add modern touches, like lighting fixtures and hardware.

Classic taste with a modern twist

If you’re ready to take your classic taste and make it more modern without sacrificing some of the traditional elements that you love, look at transitional kitchen design.

Check out the difference between traditional and transitional kitchen design when you visit The Kitchen Showcase in Denver.

What's the Difference: Traditional vs. Transitional Style Interior Design | The Kitchen Showcase (2024)

FAQs

What's the Difference: Traditional vs. Transitional Style Interior Design | The Kitchen Showcase? ›

Both styles are elegant and timeless. They celebrate the classic characteristics of traditional design, but the transitional will take the ornate details and tone them down for a more modern effect. The transitional style elements will allow you to add modern touches, like lighting fixtures and hardware.

What is the difference between traditional and transitional style? ›

The tone and colors of a traditional space are more intense and saturated while a transitional space consists mostly of neutral colors with some pops of soft pastels.

What is transitional style kitchen? ›

Transitional kitchens, which blend contemporary and traditional styles, are bright, relaxed, and often loaded with storage. So it's no surprise a recent National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) study identified them as the most popular style (and predicted it to remain that way for the next few years).

What is the difference between traditional and modern interior design? ›

Traditional styles can be considered more similar to maximalist styles, as traditional design focuses on rich, dark colors, floral patterns, and lots of details around the home. Modern styles focus on appealing to minimalism by emphasizing muted light colors, open spaces, and fewer details.

What is transitional interior design? ›

As noted, transitional design is generally defined as an interior style that combines modern style with traditional design. “Transitional spaces are defined by a tonal, textural, monochromatic, and minimal aesthetic,” Feldman says.

What is the traditional style? ›

Traditional style often includes silk, linen and velvet upholstery and window coverings in damask, florals, stripes and plaids with ornately detailed dark wood, inspired by 18th and 19th century designs. Layered in color and texture, traditional style interiors bring a sense of history and glamour to a space.

What is the meaning of transition style? ›

In interior design and furniture design, Transitional Style refers to a contemporary style mixing traditional and modern styles, incorporating old world traditional and the world of chrome and glass contemporary.

What is a traditional kitchen style? ›

Traditional kitchens typically incorporate painted cabinets with or without glass front doors, simple granite or laminate countertops, and hardwood floors. The best traditional kitchens lean on classic elements, while still allowing room for family fun or guest entertainment.

What is the difference between modern farmhouse and transitional style? ›

Open cabinetry is a hallmark of modern farmhouse kitchens, providing you with ease of access and the ability to display your dish and pan collections. With a transitional focus, your kitchen is all about clean, timeless features that won't go out of style.

What is the most popular kitchen style? ›

Today, kitchen design styles trend towards a combination of classic and modern styles, known as transitional. However, as we mentioned above, traditional and contemporary are still holding the top spots.

What is the new traditional style? ›

New traditional style incorporates modern elements like central kitchen islands, open-plan spaces, bolder colors, and contemporary accents alongside antique, vintage, or reproduction furniture and decor.

Can you mix traditional and modern decor? ›

Yes. Mix modern and traditional pieces to give your home a layered look that feels collected over time. Stick to neutrals to make mixing and matching periods and styles easy to pull off. Or update traditional upholstered furniture with colorful or patterned modern fabrics for an unexpected feel.

What is a traditional interior design concept? ›

Traditional interior design styles use bold colors overlapped with neutral tones on the walls and carved-out ceilings, moldings, etc. It has traditional furniture with round shapes and contours added with antiques to bring out the character from the past.

What does transitional mean in kitchen design? ›

The word transitional means relating to a period (in time) of transition. In the kitchen design world, this is the middle between traditional styles that are familiar and remind us of the past and contemporary styles which are the trends of today and looking towards the very near future of kitchen style.

What are the colors for transitional design style? ›

Some people opt for a subtle take on the traditional decorating style. On the other hand, others create a layered mood by going for four/five tones of the same shade or darker hues for a dramatic feel. Typically, a transitional home uses a neutral color palette. This has shades of tan, beige, taupe, ivory, and grey.

Is transitional style outdated? ›

Embracing a timeless aesthetic, transitional style celebrates natural light and a relaxed feel with smooth, blending details that create warm yet modern [interiors]. If you think your style is somewhere between traditional and modern, consider transitional style for a warm but up-to-date look.

What does transitional mean in fashion? ›

Simply speaking, it refers to clothes that seamlessly 'transition' you from winter into spring, without having to buy a whole new wardrobe. The idea with transitional dressing is pretty simple.

What is transitional art style? ›

Transitional Design. Style is a balanced mix of traditional and modern. Color palette is neutral tones accented with soft, subtle colors. Unique textures like metal, glass, wood, leather, rattan, lacquer, and fabric are often layered.

What is traditionalist style? ›

What is the Traditional Style? The traditional style offers a combination of comfortable furniture, classic designs and casual décor. It is a term that includes several design elements, including warm colors and symmetrical lines and. The traditional style is one of the most popular styles used to decorate homes.

What are transitional characteristics? ›

A fossil that shows an intermediate state between an ancestral trait and that of its later descendants is said to bear a transitional feature. The fossil record includes many examples of transitional features, providing an abundance of evidence for evolutionary change over time.

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