Traditional interior design ideas for UK homes.
Traditional means a room that would have made sense fifty years ago and still does: rolled-arm sofas, a proper rug, table lamps, framed pictures, and colours from a paint chart rather than a trend. It suits period homes and people who want a room to last.
How to get the look
Symmetry is the tool. Two lamps, two chairs, a sofa facing the fireplace, pictures hung in pairs. Walls in a heritage colour, from soft stone to deep red, with woodwork in a warm white. Furniture in dark wood, upholstery in linen or a woven pattern, and a rug with a border. Traditional rooms are lit by lamps, so plan for several and keep the ceiling light off.
The Traditional palette
Materials that carry it
- Dark wood, polished
- Linen and woven wool
- Brass, aged
- Bordered wool rugs
- Framed prints and mirrors
If you only do one thing
Common questions
Is traditional style old-fashioned?
Only when it copies a period exactly. Traditional bones with a modern piece or two, and a current paint colour, reads as timeless rather than dated.
What paint colours are traditional?
Heritage stones, sage greens, deep reds and blues. Farrow and Ball and Little Greene both build their ranges around them.
Does traditional suit a flat?
Yes, in a period conversion especially. In a new build, keep the palette and lighting traditional and the furniture simpler.
Your room, in Traditional.
Send us photos and tell us what you want to keep and what you want to spend. We send back a photo-real picture of your own room in this style, the exact colours, and every piece priced and linked to a UK shop. £150, charged only when your plan arrives.
Start your room