Modern or classic furniture: how to choose bedroom sets and salons

What makes a bedroom set modern

A modern bedroom set has flat-panel wardrobe doors, simple or hidden handles, and a headboard that is either plain or upholstered with straight, vertical channels. Colours stay calm: greys, creams and light or mid-tone wood veneers. The Harlow Grey Bedroom Set, with its grey upholstered bed and wide, vertically channelled headboard, is a modern set.

What makes a bedroom set classic

A classic bedroom set is built around a statement headboard: tall, button-tufted or framed in ornate wood. Wardrobes and dressing tables carry mouldings or decorative trims, and the wood tones are deeper, such as walnut. The Classic Dark Bedroom Set, centred on a tall, button-tufted headboard with an ornate dark surround, is a classic set.

Modern sofas and salons

Modern living room furniture sits lower, with straight or broad arms, deep seats and simple legs, often arranged as a corner or sectional sofa. Neutral fabrics such as ivory, beige and grey keep the room light. Examples from the collection include the Ivory Modern Living Room Set, the Como Beige Sectional Sofa and the Grey Corner Sofa with Blue Accents.

Classic salons

A classic salon uses rolled or carved arms, tufted backs, visible wood frames and richer fabrics such as velvet or jacquard, usually as a formal set of sofas with matching armchairs around a central table. It suits a formal reception room more than an everyday family room.

Mixing modern and classic

• Keep one style dominant in each room and add the other through one or two pieces.
• Repeat a colour or wood tone across both styles so the room reads as one.
• A modern sofa works with a classic dining set when the two rooms are separate or clearly zoned.
• Upholstered headboards in grey or cream soften both styles.

Choosing wood, veneer and fabric for each style

Dark walnut veneer reads classic and formal; light oak or ash veneer reads modern. Pale fabrics suit modern salons but show every mark, which is where water- and stain-resistant upholstery earns its place. On made-to-order bedroom sets and office furniture, Gallery Elmir customers choose the veneer species and colour, so one design can lean modern or classic. Read what our furniture is made of.

From the collection

Marchetti Beige Living Room Set

Light neutral seating · Tapered wood-tone legs

$2,400

Como Beige Sectional Sofa

Low profile · Deep seats in a neutral palette

$1,400

Harlow Grey Bedroom Set

Grey padded headboard · Warm wood-tone storage

$3,300

Vesper Grey Living Room Set

Grey upholstery · Straight arms and curved chairs

$2,400