How can you define contemporary design when it’s very definition means it changes with the times? Well, in broad terms contemporary design is anything that is the opposite of retro and traditional and is instead innovative, modern and new. In the 21st Century you can define contemporary design as bold, with clean lines and a strong emphasis on natural materials, stark black, white and bold colours, and lots of light. Contemporary kitchens are easy to spot, with their sleek, minimalist kitchen cabinets, glossy finishes and bright open spaces, while contemporary furniture around the rest of the home often plays with curved lines and innovative materials.

Contemporary interior design is modern in essence, but it should not be confused with the interior design and architecture style of ‘modern’, which was a style introduced in the middle of the century and is often termed ‘midcentury modern’. Modernism is different from contemporary design and architecture but because the word ‘modern’ has become synonymous with ‘contemporary’ in everyday talk, there is often lots of confusion between the two styles. If you’d prefer to see simple, functional design and architecture, with lots of right angles and machine-produced materials, then choose the Modern style. If you love contemporary kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms with gloss, glass and curves, stick with contemporary.