[ ]styleguide

Discover Contempor ary St yle by OSWALD HOMES

“On trend”

www.oswaldhomes.com.au

D e�ned as meaning ‘of the present time’,

Contemporary style is an ever-changing feast of shapes,

colours and materials, all coming together to create a

design that is ‘of the moment’. That’s not to say that a

Contemporary home can never be timeless. With its

roots in the pared-back, unadorned aesthetics and

indoor/outdoor layouts championed by the

International and Bauhaus movements of the 1920s and

30s, Contemporary style can remain current for decades

to come, cleverly shunning the fads and fashions that

come and go.

Lighter and not as ‘earthy’ as the International and Bauhaus

styles, Contemporary design can often hint at the Minimalist or

the Industrial, with streamlined edges, blocky shapes and

chunky pro�les inside and out. You’ll also �nd it re�ected today

as what is sometimes referred to as ‘cubist design’, often with

the roof concealed behind a parapet wall to enhance square

lines and bold shapes.

Demanding a meticulous eye for detail and an unerring sense of

balance and proportion, Contemporary design is all about

carefully selected design elements that are simple, yet stunning.

Making it our ownThink of Contemporary style as a blank canvas that’s ready and waiting for your

artistic masterpiece. The ideal backdrop for the furniture designs, art, colours,

textiles and accessories of the day, it’s a style that you can truly make your own.

Exploring everything from tiles and timber, to zinc and copper as cladding,

designers relish the opportunity to work with the clean lines and open spaces of

a Contemporary home. Indoors and outdoors are seamlessly connected, while

soaring ceilings and double-height voids accentuate light, space and volume.

Design detailsStrong, sleek lines and cubist-inspired shapes are enhanced by all manner of

cladding materials, from the traditional to the quirky and the innovative. Big, �at

façades o�er an opportunity to create bold street appeal, while roofs are

typically pitched, ‘�oating’, ‘�at’ or skillion. White or light-hued rendered walls set

o� feature panels, statements porticos, and door and window frames in black or

silver. There’s typically lots of glass, with big picture windows and extra-tall

stacker doors gliding back to let the outside in. Because Contemporary style is

constantly changing and evolving, it can be interpreted in many di�erent ways.

A skilled designer can also weave in elements from other favoured styles to

create a beautifully balanced bespoke home that is both individual and ageless.

Finishing touchesToday’s focus on entertaining and outdoor living means that in a Contempo-

rary-style home the emphasis is often on the kitchen, everyday living area and

alfresco. Dark-coloured timber veneers accentuate the uncluttered lines of sleek

built-in kitchen cabinetry, while benchtops in engineered stone show o� chunky

pro�les and high-gloss �nishes. What is typically a double-sized alfresco has

literally become an extra room, with a commercial-style stainless steel outdoor

kitchen complete with a bar fridge, pizza oven, barbecue and teppanyaki plate.

The colour palette in a Contemporary home is diverse, but rich tones, metallic

�nishes, timber and tile are all good choices, often accentuated by fresh white

walls and sometimes accompanied by shots of zingy colour. Encouraging us to

seek out the latest styles in furniture and homewares, Contemporary design

o�ers an adaptable approach to style that helps build longevity and �exibility

into our homes.

If you like this style, you may also like...The warehouse chic of a home inspired by the Industrial design style.

www.oswaldhomes.com.au

Contempor ary

[ ]to get the look, we love- Arthur G, Claremont, arthurg.com.au

- District, Subiaco, district.com.au

- King Living, Nedlands, kingliving.com.au

- Mobilia, Claremont, mobilia.com.au

- Bespoke Furniture Gallery, Nedlands, bespokefurnitureperth.com.au

- The General Store, Osborne Park, generalstorefurniture.com.au

- Mark Tuckey, Melbourne and Sydney, marktuckey.com.au

- Contempo, Osborne Park, contempocollection.com.au