The problem when you label an era “modern” is that the years will continue rolling on and what was once new becomes old, even very old. These days “Modern style” is one of our oldest architectural styles, more than 100 years old. You can’t really blame the labelers back in the early 1900s. The world had never seen such dramatic change in such a quick burst – people were driving themselves around in automobiles, humans were flying in the sky, pictures were moving on screens. What else would you call a new style of architecture that rejected the decorative excesses of the Victorian Age in favor of functionality? It was nothing if not “modern.”
But “modern” also sucks up all the space for the styles that come next when they become current. In the 1970s the word “Contemporary” was coined to tackle the challenge. “Contemporary Style” can really be anything as long as it is happening in the moment. It can be retro, it can be futuristic. Contemporary style is fluid, not pegged to any time period. There will never be a “Contemporary Revival” style.
If you see a building in a style that you’ve never experienced before that is Contemporary architecture. These buildings often begin on a computer screen and not a printed blueprint. And there is nothing more modern than that.
While flexibility is the hallmark of Contemporary Style there are a few design elements that have stuck to its ever-changing carapace. Clean lines and uncluttered spaces predominate. The color palette will lean heavily towards blacks and whites and grays. Accent pieces with no function are more welcome than in the heyday of modern architecture, especially if they are organic to the present environment.
Or not. The only way to be certain that your home decor is Contemporary is to keep your design magazine subscriptions current so you never miss the hot new trend.