How to Make Timeless Interior Design Choices for Your Home

How to Make Timeless Interior Design Choices for Your Home

Jan 13, 2023

As professional interior designers, we passionately believe that your home should be an expression of your personality, lifestyle, and values. Like fashion and interior trends, we are constantly changing and evolving as humans, and our homes should reflect that too.

While it’s fun to spice things up and make your home feel fresh, it’s certainly not fun to tear up floors, replace entire furniture collections, and decimate your bank account every few years, due to interior design choices that quickly became outdated.

There are ways to keep your home's interiors feeling contemporary and to your taste without falling into the pitfalls of short-lived fads or leaning too much into a particular design style that needs an overhaul only a few years later.

When it comes to home furnishings and design, some things just never go out of style. 

If you opt for timeless interior design styles and décor for your home, you’ll avoid the need to redecorate and remodel frequently and instead get more long-term enjoyment and functionality out of your space.

Don’t worry! If you think a timeless look feels a little vanilla for your wild design ideas right now, we’ve got expert tips for making smart home interior choices while maintaining your unique personality and flair. 

You’re guaranteed to create a timeless design style and enjoy your beautifully curated dream home for many years when you make professionally-informed decisions.

1. Consider open-plan elements for timeless design

Traditionally, many homes used to have the dining room separate from the kitchen.

However, many families have since opted to remove that wall, creating a more sociable, functional, and airy room layout for their family to spend quality time together while cooking and sharing delicious meals.

When creating your room designs and layout, an open floor plan is always a great way to create a timeless style while also making the space feel bigger.

You can always play with the flow of the room down the line by creating new sections with furniture arrangements, incorporating indoor plant walls, and other fun new features.

2. Prioritize functionality for a timeless room

One of the biggest reasons people come to us looking to update their spaces is a need for more functionality and comfort for their family. 

It can be incredibly frustrating when you can’t fully relax in your own home because it simply doesn’t make sense for your unique lifestyle and specific needs.

Whether you've got minimal experience, or are looking for inspiration for a remodel, focus on a well-thought-out floor plan centered around functional and timeless design. 

Prioritizing practicality and optimal flow for your ideal room layout will last you a lifetime, saving you money and many headaches in the future.

3. Don’t chase interior design trends

Nowadays, it’s impossible to avoid advertising. While the internet is a fantastic tool for researching home furnishing and design options, it’s always best to refer to trusted, professional resources and blogs (like ours!). 

By doing your own research, you’ll learn more about timeless interiors and avoid making decisions you’ll soon come to regret .

After going down an internet hole researching your dream sofa, it’s easy to be convinced in your half-delirious state that a Y2K resurgence, fuchsia pink, faux fur armchair is in fact precisely what you need after seeing it for the 27th time on a sponsored Instagram ad.

Remember, these algorithms are backed by serious marketing budgets looking to sell trends, not necessarily style and quality.

4. Interpret classic interior design styles

Certain traditional styles are classic for a reason. If you’re furnishing a new home or reimagining outdated rooms, one way to ensure longevity in your room designs is to create a timeless interior design style as your base with classic-look pieces.

Instead of choosing cheaper options lacking durability and detail, invest in quality materials and key pieces that will provide you with a lifetime of comfort and enjoyment.

There are so many beautiful options to suit every taste. Whether you want to opt for classic focal point furniture pieces, natural materials for flooring and surfaces, or be more daring with a bolder accent piece, there are so many ways to achieve timeless interior design.

5. Embrace neutrals, but don’t be afraid of color

Choosing what color scheme you want to introduce into particular spaces can feel overwhelming. You don’t want to overpower a room with an overly bold or imposing color, but you’re afraid you’ll grow tired of a muted, understated tone.

If you’re unsure, a neutral color palette is a sure bet that always gives that timeless look.

Painting a room a neutral color lends itself to more inspiration through introducing color into the space in other ways, allowing you more freedom to add color to the room with your furniture, furnishings, décor, or even a navy blue accent wall.

6. Use art and decoration to modernize & change with the times

It's always the details that ties a space together, making it feel cohesive and unique. Everything from the art you hang on your walls to how you decorate the house is profoundly influential to classic design.

Thankfully, these are the easiest components of interior design to update and change, allowing you great flexibility to change with the times and to alter as your taste expands and develops while still maintaining a timeless style.

When it comes to taking interior design risks, home décor is undoubtedly the safest area to break out of your comfort zone and incorporate trendy elements, as it won’t cost you thousands to change if you’re unhappy with your choices.

7. Mix old and new pieces for timeless design

Your home should spark joy and a sense of calm upon entering your personally-curated sanctuary. If your home needs a little refresh, you don’t need to replace all the furniture, upturn your living room, or totally reinvent the style of a room to create a significant effect.

Mixing different styles by keeping some classic pieces you’ve had for a long time and adding in new elements of visual interest and modern décor makes a considerable difference in reviving any room and creating a timeless feeling.

You can’t go wrong when you create a foundation of classic style with timeless interior design in your home.

Not only does it save you money and effort, but it also gives you more freedom to change other elements, making any room in your house feel fresh and renewed without really having done much to it.

Need help determining what timeless interior design styles and classic pieces are best for your space?

Schedule your discovery call now so we can create a timeless house you’ll be proud to call home for years to come.

Testimonials

See what clients are sayingAbout us

"We enlisted KBI's help for our project- remodeling 6 different rooms in our house: Formal living room/entry, family room, kitchen/laundry, dining room, hall bath, and office. We came into a house that needed a lot of help and now have a beautiful home that we're proud to call our own. They are have been extremely thoughtful, accommodating, and professional. They are definitely your advocates throughout the process and make themselves available if you ever have questions.

This was our first remodel project and they were very patient with us. We couldn't have asked for nicer people to work with. Their ENTIRE team has been great and you can trust they

Highly recommend Design Lifestyles if you're looking for a partner in designing a home that will suit YOUR style."

Crecia Magee

"We absolutely LOVE Design Lifestyles!! Shortly after moving into our brand-new house, we had some an idea of how we wanted it to look inside.  However, we soon found ourselves extremely overwhelmed by all the options at our local furniture stores, along with the thousand of ideas from social media sites. To add to our challenge, we have 3 young children that keep us very busy throughout the week. We really needed some professional help, so we contacted Design Lifestyles. After our initial meeting with Kim, we knew we wanted to work with her.  Throughout the entire process, Kim really listened to our desires and took detailed notes of our vision.  She also challenged us to think through the process since we had never hired a design firm before. Kim brought a tremendous amount of creativity and suggested amazing ideas/layouts/colors that we never thought of or imagined we would love. She and her team were very professional, kind, upfront with expectations and on top every single detail of our project. On our reveal day, we were blown away by how Kim had turned our house into a beautiful warm and inviting HOME.  There is no way we could have ever done this without Kim’s expertise, hard work and commitment to her clients.  Our words of gratitude do not adequately express the joy we feel each day living in our new home.

We highly recommend Design Lifestyles to help anyone looking for assistance with your interior design needs. She is amazingly talented at what she does and is truly a treasure to work with.  Looking forward to working with her again in the future!"

Jason H.

"I had a wonderful experience working with Design Lifestyles, and I love how they have transformed my home! Kim and Lauren are extremely talented and really good at discerning and respecting a client’s likes, dislikes and personal style.

I love how they presented me with options.   I could choose furnishings and materials, without being overwhelmed with too many choices.  It was fun, and it felt good to participate in the process of creating a pretty, cozy home for my family. Their attention to detail is amazing.  Every color, fabric, pattern and accessory is coordinated and intentional, without being too “matchy,” if that makes sense. I also have to say, Kim has a calm, reassuring demeanor that really helps in the midst of a remodel.

Kim and Lauren are kind, talented ladies, and they are a joy to work with.  Stephanie and Kelly are lovely to work with as well! Thank you, Design Lifestyles team! I hope I get to work with you again on future projects!"

Luisa A.

"We absolutely LOVE Design Lifestyles! After our initial meeting with Kim, we knew we wanted to work with her. Throughout the process, Kim really listened to our desires and took detailed notes of our overall vision. Kim brought a tremendous amount of creativity and suggested amazing ideas/layouts/colors that we never thought of or imagined we would love. She and her team were very professional, kind, upfront with expectations and on top every single detail of our project.  On our reveal day, we were blown away by how Kim had turned our house into a beautiful warm and inviting HOME. There is no way we could have ever done this without Kim’s expertise, hard work and commitment to her clients. Our words of gratitude do not adequately express the joy we feel each day living in our new home. We highly recommend Kim Bailey Interiors. Kim is amazingly talented at what she does and is truly a treasure to work with!"

Angela H.

"Design Lifestyles helped us with our flooring. Kim gave us many different options to consider and helped us make the best decision for our home. She and her team are very professional and communicated throughout the entire process.  She definitely delivered with everything she promised. Her installers were right on time and did an amazing job. They were detail oriented and tidy. I would totally recommend using Kim Bailey Interiors for all of your decorating and remodeling needs."

Sherri McGee
SEe more reviews

Think we might be

a good fit for your project?

Members of

Quality you can Trust

IDS 2022 – 1st runner up – Kitchens $50k and below
Kitchens $50k & Below
IDS 2022 Winner – Kitchens $50k-$100k
Kitchens $50k - $100k
IDS 2022 Winner – Home Office
Home Office
IDS 2021 – Winner for bedrooms 30K and below
Bedrooms $30K & Below
IDS 2021 1st Runner Up - Bathrooms $30K & Below
Bathrooms $30K & Below
IDS 2021 – Winner for Kitchens 50k-100k
Kitchens $50k - $100k
IDS 2017 – 1st runner up – kitchens 50k and below
Kitchens $50k & Below
IDS 2017 – 2nd runner up – Whole Home 2017
Whole Home
IDS 1st runner up – Home Office 2016
Home Office
Best of Houzz 2024 - Service
Best of Houzz 2023 - Service
Best of Houzz 2022 - Service
Best of Houzz 2021 - Service
Best of Houzz 2020 - Service
Best of Houzz 2020 - Design
Best of Houzz 2019 - Service
Best of Houzz 2018 - Service
Lux Life 2018 - High end design
Lux Life 2018 - Outstanding Interior Design Firm
Best of Houzz 2017 - Service
Best of Houzz 2016 - Service
Best of Houzz 2015 - Service
Houzz 10K Saves