If you want to design your house in a way that will wow your neighbors, family and friends years after you do the decorating, then sticking with a classic style as your design framework is the way to go. Some people love the revolving door that fads and hot décor can bring into a room, whereas others love the traditional staples of good design and would enjoy not having to bother with redecorating ever again. Here are a few classic style tips to keep your home looking fresh and inviting year after year.

Buy Furniture with Unique Details 

When it comes to furnishing your home, it can be tempting to choose cheap and poorly made big-ticket items based upon price. Even if you are budget conscious and you want to have a classically beautiful room, it may take a one-time investment to get it there; it certainly beats having to buy unoriginal furniture time and time again. Look for furniture items that have unique details, rich stain, or a rare wood. These types of characteristics can take an otherwise boring room into the realm of timelessness.

Also, mix and match your furniture. Don’t be afraid to mix a deep brown armchair with a more natural looking wood coffee table. Take notes from nature when it comes to creating a traditional room. If the color occurs in nature, then it will look good in your staple pieces. Oatmeal, creamy whites, pale blues, and neutral greens are sending a message of “fresh” and “clean”. When you have a home where not much changes, you want the overall message to be lively and crisp- this can be done by choosing the right base colors for your furniture.

Consider the Big Picture 

Try imagining your house as an entire collection in an art show. That may help you better understand how to develop a scheme that will be cohesive and classic. Where one room may be acting as the main attraction, the other rooms should be equally helpful and add beneficial accents to the whole home. You don’t want to create one room that is in a Bohemian chic style and another that is minimalist modern- this isn’t the way to create a design style that can stand the test of time.

Mixing and matching different types of design is what can make a room a perfect blend of traditional and modern- but those blending techniques have to be subtle. If you love an off-the-wall chunky wooden bowl as a centerpiece or want to add some interest to your wall by hanging antique keys, make sure that you have a more streamlined couch or dining set, and a traditional color of carpet or hardwoods. That way when you introduce a unique element to the room it adds interest instead of taking away attention.

Get to Know Your “Staples” 

Everyone has certain staples they are drawn to. Whether that is a certain design or pattern, or a certain type of couch or style of kitchenette, there will be a running theme in your style if you take the time to recognize it. Once you realize you have a certain affinity for white furniture or that you have always loved curtains that have certain variations of leaves or circles, then commit to that being your signature piece, and have one of those elements in every room of your home to create continuity.