How to Create a Beautifully Modern Living Space

Furniture design has evolved from ornate, heavier furnishings to simpler and lighter pieces in the last century. While more traditional furniture relied on dark woods, expensive fabrics, and upholstery, modern furniture design embraces cleaner lines, more economical construction methods, and flexible materials.

However, just because modern furniture has become lighter and more versatile doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style, durability, quality, or luxury.

Using BDI furniture designs as examples, here are a few suggestions on achieving a truly modern living space.

Key Takeaways: How to Create a Modern Living Space

A modern living space combines clean lines, distinctive materials, purposeful shapes, and thoughtful functionality without sacrificing warmth, durability, or personality.

Use a less-is-more approach to reduce visual clutter. Crisp lines, restrained color palettes, natural tones, and concealed storage help create a cleaner and more streamlined environment.
Choose furniture that balances appearance with function. Modern pieces should do more than look refined, incorporating useful features that support technology, storage, organization, and everyday living.
Mix materials to create contrast and visual interest. Combining wood, glass, metal, and other textures can give familiar furniture forms a fresher and more contemporary character.
Let curved and sculptural details soften clean-lined interiors. Modern design does not need to rely exclusively on straight edges. Flowing patterns and organic forms can add movement and sophistication.
Use geometric shapes to establish a cohesive look. Repeating triangular, oval, rounded, or angular forms throughout tables, shelving, and accessories can visually connect the room.
Keep technology concealed without compromising performance. Acoustically transparent doors, remote-friendly materials, ventilation, and integrated storage allow media components to remain organized and out of sight.
Finish the space with a balance of luxury and practicality. Durable surfaces, refined materials, and thoughtful engineering help a modern room feel sophisticated while remaining comfortable and easy to live with.

Align modern tv stand modern design blog bdi furniture

Modern design often takes a “less-is-more” approach by subtracting clutter and adding innovation, resulting in a unique and streamlined aesthetic that is perfect for today’s technology and lifestyles.

Keep It Clean

Modern furniture design is marked by a minimalist sensibility, drawn with crisp lines, simple color schemes, and natural hues.

This ease in form, color, and detail is apparent in the Corridor media collection, which includes an assortment of highly functional entertainment consoles and striking storage credenzas designed to anchor a modern or transitional living space.

Outside of their award-winning design, all of the pieces in the Corridor collection include a host of innovative features, providing the ideal combination of elegance and functionality.

While fine lines are a trademark of the modern aesthetic, that doesn’t mean those lines need to be rigid or straight. Bending the rules can often result in chic and sophisticated styles.

Take, for example, the award-winning Elements collection, which combines precision with a fresh design approach that is inspired by nature. Elements feature laser-cut doors, available in three distinct patterns. They are acoustically transparent and remote-friendly when closed, helping to maintain a neat, uncluttered appearance while concealing components and a soundbar or center channel speaker.

Tanami credenza in Satin White finish by BDI Furniture.

Tanami credenza 7109 BDI storage cabinet white 1 3200

The graceful design of the Tanami credenza incorporates straight lines with flowing, sculpted patterns, making this console a one-of-a-kind statement piece.

Take It up an Octave

The recipe for modern furniture design also includes three main ingredients: newness, originality, and innovation.

Modern designers are spicing up past staples to create striking state-of-the-art looks by mixing traditional textures in inventive ways.

Terrace modern glass top coffee table bdi furniture modern spaces blog 720

The Terrace table collection combines tempered glass with hardwood veneer to create a unique pinwheel design, providing ample display space and a clean aesthetic.

Octave tv stand soundbar shelf bdi furniture modern spaces blog 720

The Octave collection uses sleek perforated steel doors that provide clean and clear acoustics when closed. Contrast that with two distinct hardwood veneer finishes, and you have the recipe for a uniquely modern look.

Play the Angles

Geometric shapes are another integral part of modern design. In today's world, it's hip to be square, triangular, oval, or well-rounded. A single repeating shape can create a complementary and cohesive look to any room.

Many of BDI's table collections offer unique modern shapes, like our surf-inspired Fin tables, the soft triangular Dino tables, and the oval-shaped lift-top Cloud 9 coffee table.

The Eileen Blanc 5157 leaning shelf will take your modern living space up a notch with its clean, white wood frame and tempered glass shelving with abundant space for displaying books, photos, or knickknacks.

Elements Storage Console 8779 Bdi Tm Co Wl Lifestyle Index Hero 1440

Elements 8779 Wh Co Wl Bdi Media Storage Console Walnut 1 2

Nature-inspired door patterns add a unique character to each Elements cabinet.

A Clean Finish

A well-designed and modern living space should combine functionality with a touch of luxury, providing contemporary sophistication in any home.