Over the years, contemporary design has been characterized as cold and sterile. Following the post war years, its straight lines and hard edges appealed mostly to those who had turned their back on tradition and history for a brave new world. More recently there has been an interest in the clean lines and crisp details, but with the softening touches of traditional design motifs and the warmth of wood. In the world of home furnishings this design movement has long been referred to as transitional.
Transitions is clearly an example of this approach. The two focal points of the room—the mantle hearth and the built-in seating—reflect the Prairie period. Olive ash burl parquet paneling plays a key role in both these areas. In the mantle hearth it creates a sense of mass and a strong horizontal line and in the framing of the striking art glass windows it provides weight to counter-balance the hearth. The built-in seating is flanked by maple cabinetry in the traditional inset frame and panel styling with its simple square edge design and contemporary mullions that reflect the earlier Arts and Crafts period. Another Hallmark of traditional design is the chamfering of the cabinetry’s vertical edges. The creamy alabaster finish with dark glazing adds a contrasting softness to the clean geometric lines of the door style and a balance to the oak cabinetry in its rich “merlot” color.
Tapered leg subassemblies elevate the island cabinetry and the hutch unit for an open furniture quality. The oak door style with its wide framing is a contemporary version of the more traditional frame and panel use in the upper doors. Its heavier appearance was chosen for the base cabinets. A favorite of the Arts and Crafts era, oak, is combined with olive ash burl parquet door panels. The cabinetry’s contrasting finishes play off the wall color and blend with the cork flooring for a graphic quality often seen in historic homes.
The contemporary crown used for the box beams relates to the smaller scale crown treatment of the wall and tall cabinets with its Asian influence. Both the beams and the horizontal molding that sweeps the room effectively lower the room’s scale to a more comfortable height. This horizontal trim is then carried around the room below the frieze. Window and door trims are crisp and clean. Natural materials like the cork flooring, glass mosaic tiles, and quartz countertops could have easily come from the Arts and Crafts or Asian motifs. Stainless steel hardware and appliances with their clean lines and easy maintenance are suitable choices as well.

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