How to Update Tired Traditional Decor

Use these 5 easy steps to modernize your tired traditional home decor for a new traditional style that feels both timeless and fresh.

traditional wood coffee table with chinoiserie accessories in front of a netural sofa

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Traditional home decor is having a huge resurgence, but it isn’t the same look that was popular in the 90s.

Sometimes called grandmillennial, new traditional, or modern traditional, it retains the classic elements that we all love, such as symmetry and timeless pieces, but does so with a fresh appeal.

You’ll be glad to know that you don’t have to get rid of your current furnishings to embrace new traditional interior design!

Keep in mind that you don’t have to tackle every change. Updating just one or two areas—whether it’s your color palette, patterns, or a few key accessories—can have a big impact and give the entire room a fresh, updated feel.

The Things That Are Making Your Decor Look Dated

Assess what you have. If you think your home feels a little stuck in the past, it could be due to a few key elements.

I’ll use these very bad images of the office in my former home as an example. Bear in mind that this room was decorated around 2003’ish, when Tuscan style was still very popular.

home office with side chairs, desk, file cabinet decorated with gold, green and red

While the color palette and decor in this room was very much on-trend at the time, it’s definitely dated in today’s decorating world.

Here are the things that might be making your home decor look dated:

Heavy, dark furniture, or furniture with intricate carved details.
Large doses of overly formal fabrics, such as brocades, velvet, or tapestry.
Overuse of busy, ornate patterns, such as bold florals or damasks. Flamestitch and paislies can also look dated if made with dark, rich colors.
Ornately designed window treatments, heavy drapery, such as thick, interlined curtains, and valances can quickly date a room.
Brass is back in a more subdued, matte finish but brass fixtures in their original shiny, 90’s form can date a room.
Crowded surfaces overly filled with knick-knacks.
Wall-to-wall carpeting, especially in bold colors.
Matchy-matchy furniture sets.

Freshen Up Your Color Palette

A great way to breathe new life into your traditional decor is by freshening up your color palette.

tropical floral print armchair sitting in front of a white entertainment center and pine console table

For neutral lovers: Incorporate different shades of the same neutral color throughout a room to create depth and interest. Lean into various shades of these colors:

Warm whites, like creamy white or soft ivory.
Greige, which is the perfect mix of gray and beige.
Soft taupe feels elegant, but understated.
Pale beige is always a classic color foundation.

If you’re a color lover, focusing on using your favorite bold hues as accents will bring a fresh, vibrant feel to classic decor.

But don’t fill a room with color. Instead, keep the background (walls and large furniture pieces) neutral. Then strategically add pops of color so as not to overwhelm the room.

Here are a few colors that work beautifully:

Slightly muted jewel tones, such as deep sapphire blues, emerald greens, and burgundy add richness.
Sage green is a soft earth shade of green that feels both timeless and fresh.
Soft and subtle blush will add warmth and charm to the room.
Dusty blue creates the perfect balance between traditional and new traditional styles.
Mustard yellow (in limited doses) will add a pop of color without feeling too bright or overpowering.

Update Fabric Patterns

The patterns that you use in a room have a huge role in determining the look and feel of a room.

dining room with traditional brown furniture and chinoiserie accessories

To bring the new traditional look into your home, you’ll want to use updated versions of the patterns used for upholstery, draperies, and throw pillows.

Swap heavy, formal fabric patterns, like roses and damasks, for updated prints:

both abstract and realistic animal prints, like cheetah, leopard, or tiger prints
oversized botanical patterns
traditional patterns, such as stripes, plaids or herringbone, but in fresh colors
modern solid colors with contrasting covered cording
modern style florals
colorful abstract pattern

Update Area Rugs

Apply the same principle for selecting patterns to your choice of an area rug.

beige couch against the wall with a blue recliner beside it and colorful pillows on the couch and accessories on the tables

Area rugs take up a lot of the real estate in a room. An outdated rug with a heavy, ornate pattern will instantly date a space.

Choose a rug with simpler, more modern patterns, such as geometric designs, animal prints, abstract motifs, or updated florals like an oushak design.

Update or Incorporate Affordable Accessories

One super easy way to give a room a new traditional look, without making big changes, is by updating your accessories.

That may mean replacing some of your existing accessories with different ones or it could mean refreshing older ones with spray paint.

fall vignette on a wood table beside a floral upholstered arm chair

In the above image, you can see that I have a very traditional mini ginger jar paired with a faux boxwood in a modern shaped container.

I think the two complement one another very well.

TIP: Add multiple coats of clear high gloss sealer to spray painted accessories to give them an authentic look.

Shopping for new accessories could mean visiting retails stores or sites or shopping at thrift or consignment stores. Updated accessories to look for:

colored glass vases or candlesticks in contemporary shapes
anything lucite – trays, candlesticks, ice buckets, picture frames, lamp bases, drapery rods
lamps with contemporary shaped bases paired with a simple drum shade
contemporary sculpture
twisted candles
lacquered trays
unusually shaped bowls, planters, and vases

Pay Attention to Details

The details and finishing touches are often what truly bring a design together.

When updating a tired, traditional style room incorporating thoughtful accents and modern updates can make a big difference.

Look for details such as these when freshening up your decor:

burlwood accents – coffee tables, end tables, lidded boxes, picture frames
decorative trim on draperies
bamboo – whether real or faux
lacquered furniture
abstract art
contrast covered cording on upholstered furniture pieces
geometric wallpaper added to the back of bookcases
contemporary overhead light fixtures
paint trim work an accent color pulled from the most prominent fabric in the room

It’s plain to see that with just a few simple updates, you can easily transform your traditional home into a fresh, new traditional space.

Even small changes can have a big impact, so whether it’s refreshing your color palette, or adding modern accessories, by applying these tips you’ll create a home that has the timeless charm of traditional decor with a modern, updated twist.