Q. What do the different design styles: Traditional, Transitional, and Modern/Contemporary mean? And how do I know which is right for my bath fixtures?
A. We often hear these three terms—Traditional, Transitional, and Modern—in relation to interior design styles. In truth, many of us don’t actually know the difference either by definition or by sight. And, more importantly, we don’t know which will work best in our own homes.
Let’s start with a brief tutorial.
Traditional Style is the easiest to describe—it covers architectural and design styles that date back from the first settlers to the early 20th century. Historical styles would be Colonial/Colonial Revival, Federal, Greek Revival, or Victorian, for instance. The White House is a prime example of the architectural styles (Federal and Greek Revival) of the late 18th to mid-19th centuries.
One can imagine that the fixtures in the bathrooms of the White House have a classic styling that, while obviously not original, looks like it could have been. Your home doesn’t look much like the White House, you say? If you take off the embellishments—the columns, the overlarge portico—you might find that you are living in a very similar, although significantly simpler, house. One of the most prevalent architecture styles from the East Coast to the plains states is Greek Revival, which was popular through the mid-1800s and followed our westward expansion. Many a farmhouse is classic Greek Revival made plain.
