Design Styles: A Helms Guide to Finding Your Perfect Home Aesthetic

Design Styles: A Helms Guide to Finding Your Perfect Home Aesthetic
August 6, 2024 Angela Anthony

Helms Bakery District embraces all forms of design, from traditional to transitional to modern, and we encourage you to bring several styles into your home to create a rich, collected look and feel. When it comes to decorating our homes, the design style we choose plays a major role in creating a space that feels comfortable, personalized, and pleasing. With the wide variety of design styles available, finding the right one that suits your lifestyle can often be overwhelming and confusing. Use this guide to explore popular design styles, featuring examples from our showrooms, to help you discover the perfect aesthetic for your home.

Room & Board
KOHLER Signature Store
Rejuvenation
Scandinavian Designs
Cisco Home
Harbour
Jules Seltzer Associates
The Shade Store
Maharam

Modern/Contemporary: This style is often defined by clean lines, minimalism, and a focus on function. Modern or contemporary design style embraces simplicity and sophistication. This style features open spaces, neutral colors, and sleek furniture emphasizing simplicity and minimal ornamentation. For more than 30 years, Room & Board has focused on the simple idea that good design should be beautiful, affordable, and long-lasting. They work closely with American artisans to offer furniture and accessories, even custom pieces, that fit the needs of a thoroughly modern life.

Traditional: This style is rooted in classic European décor and a traditional design style exudes elegance, symmetry, and comfort. It incorporates rich colors, ornate furnishings, and intricate details like molding and trim work. Traditional interiors often feature antiques, patterned textiles, and a sense of timeless charm. KOHLER offers a unique and comprehensive shopping experience, distinguished by a modern, innovative shop and a merchandise mix that completely indulges you as you experience the KOHLER brand. While their product mix goes beyond the traditional design style, elegance and timelessness can be found throughout the entire showroom.

Industrial: The industrial design style is inspired by urban lofts and industrial spaces, and emphasizes raw and unfinished elements such as exposed brick, metal, and distressed wood. It often incorporates utilitarian fixtures, a neutral color palette, and a fusion of modern and vintage pieces to create a rugged, yet stylish aesthetic. Rejuvenation is built on a passionate love affair with history, architecture, and bringing back the best lighting and house parts ever made. They obsess over the details of period authenticity and great design like no one else. Upon entering the Rejuvenation showroom, you’ll find handcrafted, period-authentic lighting and house parts, along with furniture and one-of-a-kind salvage finds

Scandinavian: Hailing from the Nordic region, the Scandinavian design style focuses on simplicity, functionality, and a connection to nature. It embraces light, airy spaces, clean lines, and a neutral palette. Natural materials like wood and textiles characterize this style. Scandinavian Designs is a home furnishings destination rooted in a love for modern design and fine craftsmanship. As a family business 50 years in the making, they recognize that your home is more than just a dwelling. Their product is made to complement the art of living well – because Scandinavian design is a way of living, not simply a design style.

Transitional: A transitional design style evokes a clean, comfortable, and calm aesthetic, without compromising on character and personality. Transitional is the perfect balance of authentic materials, understated traditional shapes, millwork, and comfortable textiles, all combined with effortless elegance. There’s no better spot than inside the Cisco Home showroom to experience the art of cozy and comfortable. For over three decades, Cisco Home has been creating inspiring environments that simply feel good. Each unique item is built with pride by craftspeople at their factory in North Carolina. Every piece, big or small, brings timeless style and beauty to your home.

Coastal: Inspired by the seaside, the coastal design style reflects a relaxed and breezy ambiance with a palette of blues, whites, and sandy tones. It often incorporates natural materials like rattan and jute, nautical elements, and a light and airy feel that evokes a sense of coastal living. Harbour creates furniture with unique design, incredible durability, and a deep sense of culture derived from the harsh coastal climates that Australians call home. Every piece is built to withstand a variety of climates, made with beautiful but durable materials like powder-coated aluminum, sustainably sourced teak, and luxury performance upholstery.

Mid-Century Modern: Popularized in the mid-20th century, this enduring design style emphasizes clean lines, organic forms, and a thoughtful balance of function and beauty. The aesthetic celebrates craftsmanship, timeless silhouettes, and materials that age gracefully—making it as relevant today as it was decades ago. Jules Seltzer Associates has been at the epicenter of both classic and contemporary furnishings in Los Angeles for more than 80 years. With a passion for simple, timeless design and lasting value, this family-owned showroom curates iconic mid-century and modern pieces for both residential and commercial spaces. Representing legacy manufacturers, JSA offers a refined, soulful approach to modern design rooted in heritage, quality, and pride of ownership.

Window Treatments: Selecting the right window treatment can immediately bring a space to life, enhancing the design like the icing on a cake. Start with determining the needs for that window. Do you need blackout versus sheer? Does the room beg for long luxurious drapery or a Roman shade? Are you looking to infuse drama or keep things understated and simple? The Shade Store has handcrafted the finest shades, blinds and drapery in the USA for over 70 years. The brand was established under the belief that finding the perfect custom window treatments for your home should be an effortless experience from inspiration to installation. When you choose The Shade Store, you choose Custom Made Simple®.

Fabrics: Thoughtful interiors begin with textiles. From upholstery and wall coverings to panel systems and drapery, fabrics play a defining role in how a space looks, feels, and performs, balancing comfort, durability, and visual impact. Maharam, founded in New York in 1902, is a leading creator of textiles for commercial and residential interiors. Renowned for its rigorous commitment to design, Maharam works across disciplines including product, graphic, and digital design, as well as art and architecture. Stewarding the creative direction of Maharam, Knoll Textiles, and Edelman, the studio introduces innovative materials and timeless patterns through long-term collaborations with some of the world’s most influential designers.

Other styles exist, such as maximalism, rustic, southwestern, and more, but ultimately, choosing a design style for your home comes down to personal preference and the atmosphere you want to create. Whether you’re drawn to the clean lines of modern design, the warmth of traditional decor, or the lightness of coastal living, there’s a style that resonates with everyone. By understanding the key characteristics of different design styles, you can confidently create a home that reflects your individuality, welcomes your guests, and brings you joy for many years to come.