Style Guide: Timeless Interior Design

Selecting your dream home’s floor plan, fixtures, and finishes is a fun, exciting, and sometimes overwhelming adventure! From effectively capturing your individual style to considering the long-term needs of everyone in the home, designing a timeless interior space is no easy feat. 

Luckily, with just a few simple techniques, you can turn design hesitation and indecisiveness into stunning, long-lasting results. Eastbrook Homes invites you on a journey to discover the beauty and simplicity of timeless interior design. Follow along as we discover easy steps you can take to transform your home into comfortable, enjoyable spaces that will last for generations to come. 

Timeless Design Technique #1: Perfect the Backdrop

Create timeless design throughout your home by first identifying features that are costly or difficult to change. This includes flooring and wall treatments in large rooms and home elements like cabinetry, counters, windows, and trim. Incorporating timeless design into these aspects of your home helps avoid expensive updates later while providing the perfect backdrop for art, cherished home furnishings, and focal objects.

Timeless Design Tips to Try Today

• Update cabinet fronts with simple designs like shaker-style, beadboard, or flat-front 
• Replace dated hardware with stainless or polished nickel finishes
• Consider adding trim or simple molding for timeless elegance 
• When building a new home or updating kitchens or bathrooms, keep in mind that marble and granite countertops are considered some of the most timeless countertop materials available on the market (Tip: did you know that quartz is an included feature when you build with Eastbrook Homes?)

Timeless Design Technique #2: Conceal Technology

Ensure technology doesn’t detract from the overall look of your home with clever disguise techniques designed to help hide away televisions, phones, and cords. Timeless design isn’t about living without technology and modern convenience, but rather how to be thoughtful about storage, wiring, and displaying modern conveniences in your home. 

Timeless Design Tips to Try Today

• Hide cables using special trim pieces made specifically for cable concealment
• Craft a DIY TV stand that keeps boxes, cords, and screens tidy and clean
• Declutter surfaces and ensure all electronics are stowed away when not in use
• Create a designated charging station for all phones, laptops, or activity pads
• Secure routers and computer components behind built-in cabinets or curtains

Timeless Design Technique #3: Keep Colors Neutral

Neutral color palettes induce feelings of calm, tranquility, and of course, timelessness. While various decades have inspired their own set of bold, bright color trends, timeless design hinges on easy comfort and tones that allow the mind to rest. This includes neutral, lighter shades of coffee, ivory, stone, and sage.

Timeless Design Tips to Try Today

• Avoid patterned wallpaper, heavily-textured paint techniques, or colorful borders
• Update trim and cabinets to a single shade of soft, warm white
• Try using timeless versions of your favorite paint colors, like muted gray, champagne pink, slate blue, or sage green
• If you prefer patterns, stick to classic prints like stripes, botanicals, or damasks
• Don’t forget furnishings; choose neutral color palettes for large sofas, dining room chairs, and carpets 

Timeless Design Technique #4: Creatively Weave in Trends

Even the most classically-designed rooms call for a few eye-catching trends now and then. Don’t be afraid to incorporate trends in smaller, easier-to-change areas of your home, especially if those trends bring you joy and a sense of excitement about your space. Timeless doesn’t equate to a lack of personality; it simply calls for a discerning, thoughtful eye when trying out trends.

Timeless Design Tips to Try Today

• Let trends shine through accent pieces like pillows, picture frames, rugs, and throws
• Try incorporating a trendy light fixture or two in your favorite room of the house
• Use paint patterns or wallpaper on the backs of cabinets, in drawers, or in small spaces like powder rooms and pantries
• Install timeless curtain rods in neutral, classic tones while showcasing trends with curtain panels
• Try your favorite tile or flooring trends out in small spaces like a mudroom or laundry room

Timeless Design Technique #5: Lean on Architecture

Nothing speaks to the timeless quality of a home more than its architectural features. Whether building a craftsman-style home from the ground up or renovating your space to include timeless focal points, a home’s architecture provides both style and functionality. Lean on your home’s natural features when selecting timeless design elements you wish to highlight and accentuate in your gathering spaces. 

Timeless Design Tips to Try Today

• Built-in bookshelves never go out of favor and serve as both style and storage
• Wide-plank flooring is a welcome addition to any room and incorporates a feeling of historic charm and natural durability
• Subway tiles are a classic, timeless choice for all your backsplash, kitchen, and bathroom tile needs
• Natural stone and wood last for generations, making these materials a great timeless design choice for floors, countertops, and exterior spaces

At Eastbrook Homes, we recognize the value and importance of creating homes that last for generations. Our customizable home plans and move-in ready homes showcase timeless design features both inside and out, so you can enjoy four-season living in family-friendly, amenity-filled communities throughout West Michigan and the Greater Lansing Area. Eastbrook’s distinctive Home Creation Studio features an extensive selection of name-brand finishes and fixtures, making your dream home design process easy and enjoyable every step of the way. Connect with one of our Eastbrook Sales Agents here to learn more or to schedule a design-inspiring model home tour in your favorite Eastbrook community.