Style
Timeless Elegance
Symmetry, dark wood and inherited forms, arranged for comfort rather than for display.
See the living room, $4,693
About the style
Traditional is the only profile of the six built on symmetry as an organizing rule. Pairs of things, a clear focal point, and furniture arranged square to the walls. That structure is why traditional rooms feel settled, and abandoning it is why attempts at the style often feel merely old-fashioned instead.
It is also the most forgiving profile to furnish secondhand, because the shapes it wants have been made continuously for two centuries and the used market is deep. Age is a feature here, not a defect.
The risk is stuffiness. The version that works keeps the bones and thins the ornament: good wood, a pair of lamps, one patterned textile, and considerably less on the walls than a period room would have carried.
Palette
- Rich neutrals
- Burgundy
- Navy
- Forest green
Materials
- Polished wood
- Brass
- Crystal
- Silk
Key elements
- Architectural details
- Symmetrical arrangements
- Antique or reproduction furniture
- Classic art
Where to start
- Establish a focal point and arrange the seating square to it rather than floating at angles.
- Buy the case goods secondhand and the upholstery new.
- Use pairs deliberately: two lamps, two chairs, two sconces.
Want the full guide?
What defines traditional, where it goes wrong, and how it lands in every room of a house.
Read the full Traditional guide