Important Differences Between Traditional And Contemporary Sofas

When it comes to furniture and decor, you may hear people throwing around the words traditional and contemporary sofas. While it’s easy enough to associate traditional furniture with classic styles and contemporary furniture with modern styles, what does that really mean?

Traditional and contemporary sofas have multiple differences and will obviously appeal to different people, but they are both amazing in their own way. If you’re not sure which direction to go in with your living room decor, read on for the main differences between contemporary style and traditional style sofas.

What Is A Traditional Style Sofa?

The earliest styles of traditional sofas date back for centuries in Europe. Originally made using natural materials, such as intricate, hand-carved wood, their designs were supposed to imitate the kinds of luxury furniture that royalty would have in their homes during that time period.

While sofa styling has come a long way since the 17th century, aspects of the traditional style have remained firmly implanted into modern interior design. One of the most popular features of the classic furniture style is the sophisticated scroll arms. As an example, our gorgeous Flitwick collection boasts this incredibly elegant arm design, that instantaneously adds an extra layer of elegance to a couch.

The leather sofas in our Frinton collection accurately represent some key features of traditional furniture. Similar to the Flitwick collection, these sofas are complete with scroll arms. However, the furniture in this collection has gorgeous turned wooden legs, that give the illusion of extra floor space, as well as stunning deep-buttoning details in the dark leather, that leaves the sofa looking utterly distinguished.

Traditional styles of sofa, while they look outstanding, are usually meant to prioritise comfort. This is proven by the typically curved or rounded nature of the sofa with the addition of deep-set cushions, which allow you to sink into your seat and leave you feeling totally relaxed. You’ll often find that traditional sofas are made in predominantly warm colours, giving them a charming warmth and homely quality.

What Is A Contemporary Style Sofa?

Contemporary furniture design is simple – literally. The main difference between traditional furniture design and modern furniture design is that contemporary styles are designed to look as minimalist as possible.

Over the years, what the world considered contemporary began to drastically change. Stemming from the modernist movement of the 20th century, people began to swap out the heavy wood carvings and dark tones that they were used to, for clean lines and neutral palettes and put their focus on functionality rather than grandeur.

A huge difference between traditional and contemporary sofas is that modern and contemporary styles of sofa are essentially the polar opposites of any traditional design that came before them. They replaced the rounded features with sleek, straight lines and exchanged the deep seating for higher raised seat cushions.

Our Beau collection showcases the beautiful simplicity of this style of modern design. The clear-cut lines, compact size, and neutral tones make these sofas a perfect fit for rooms of all sizes and themes. The beauty of sofas with a contemporary design is that very little thought is needed about how they will fit into your home, as they go with all kinds of furniture styles.

Which Style Should You Pick?

As with most things, choosing between traditional and contemporary sofas is all a matter of personal opinion. If you’re stuck, there are a couple of things you may want to consider to help you make up your mind.

Function – Be honest with yourself: when it comes to your new sofa, is your top priority style or comfort? While a modern sofa will blend seamlessly into any living space, it may be harder to find a traditional design that works for your pre-existing decor. On the other hand, the deep seating of traditional sofas tends to make them infinitely comfier.

Size – The larger-than-life luxury of a classic sofa typically means that they will take up more space, their curved edges may make it difficult for you to squeeze one into your lounge, whereas the standard clean lines and modest nature of a contemporary sofa make it easier for them to fit into most homes with ease.

Conclusion

Traditional and contemporary sofas work well for completely different reasons and it is down to the specific criteria of the buyer to ultimately make the decision. Regardless, both styles are sure to re-energise your home and bring vibrance to your living room.