Chic Traditional Designs

Marco Polo

Traditional style is chic once again! Today traditional décor is everywhere from television set designs of Will & Grace and Gilmore Girls to music videos and print advertisements. It’s also becoming more and more popular among designers and homeowners.

Once reminiscent of the stuffy rooms of your grandmother’s home, traditional décor is now back with a twist – a fun kick of color. Although the colors of today’s wallpapers are not new, they are more vibrant. The new combinations of colors are fresh and enticing. With the help of advances in printing techniques, wallpaper colors are lush. Thibaut, a wallpaper and fabric company known for traditional designs and fresh colors, offers “Great Estates.” The collections’ colors range from azure, pink, cherry red, and black to pistachio, turquoise and gold. Lori Reagle, art director at Thibaut, a wallpaper and fabric company known for traditional designs and fresh colors, believes “the colors are what baby boomers, thirty-somethings and everyone in-between find exciting.” Taking a cue from fashion, more people are moving away from the relaxed style and monotones of the 90’s to a colorful, lively, and tailored look.

Not only are the colors vibrant, but also the designs themselves are exciting. Wallpaper design houses like Thibaut are taking antique fabrics and papers, mixing up the designs and recreating them to fit today’s home décor. Thibaut’s “Marco Polo” design from its “Great Estates” collection pictured here is an example of these newly created designs. In this pattern, drawings that were once popular in the 18th century were rescaled, re-colored and rejuvenated for today’s home. “The shift now is away from the small, closely clustered designs of the past, to larger open designs that have a jolt of color. Traditional designs are a lot more daring and this has people inspired,” states Reagle.

With their bold, vibrant patterns, today’s traditional designs can also add an instant “shot of style” to the home. They are easy to use, and can create a polished look. Obtaining a chic traditional look can be as simple as adding a bold wallpaper or fabric to a dining room, front hallway, or powder room. To keep the look stylish, remember to include furnishings with clean lines and focus on a simple color pairing to maintain a focal point.

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