Can it add panelling to my walls?

In the picture, yes: panelling and mouldings are a wall finish, so the walls stay put and gain the detail. Ask a joiner or decorator what suits your real walls.

Does it suit a new-build flat?

Often very well, because it adds the detail a plain new room lacks. Keep the panelling simple if the ceiling is low.

Can it identify my antique furniture?

No. It does not identify makers, brands or periods. Mark the piece Keep and it stays in the design.

Room Redesign · by style · first redesign free

Modern classic, applied to your own room

Modern classic takes the bones of a traditional room (panelling, mouldings, symmetry) and furnishes it with cleaner, quieter pieces. It is the look of a well-kept Paris or London flat, and it suits period homes that have lost their details as well as plain new rooms that never had any.

Redesign my room free See real examples

What the Modern Classic preset asks for

Panelled walls and mouldings, symmetric arrangement, tailored upholstery, marble, polished nickel, elegant lamps.

Things you can ask for

“Wall panelling in a soft white, a symmetric seating arrangement and a pair of lamps”
“Greige panelled walls, a velvet sofa and a brass and marble coffee table”
“Keep the antique chest and make the rest modern classic”
“A darker version: blue-grey walls and mouldings with cream upholstery”
“Bedroom with a tall upholstered headboard, matching bedside tables and floor-length curtains”

What defines the style

Panelled walls and mouldings, often in a single soft colour so the detail shows as shadow rather than contrast.
Symmetry: a sofa facing two chairs, a pair of lamps, art centred over a console.
Tailored upholstery in plain fabrics, with straight arms or gentle curves and no heavy trimmings.
Marble, polished nickel or brass, and a few antique or antique-style pieces.
Elegant lamps with fabric shades, at several heights.

Panelling on your own walls

Panelling and mouldings are applied to a wall rather than built into it, so a redesign can show them on your walls while the walls, windows and doors stay where they are. This is the style where seeing your own room helps most, because panelling looks very different under a low ceiling than under a tall one. If it overwhelms your room, ask for it at dado height only, or in the same colour as the wall.

Common mistakes

Panelling in a strong contrasting colour, which makes a small room busy.
Everything antique. The “modern” half of the name matters: a clean-lined sofa and a plain rug keep it from looking like a museum.
Symmetry everywhere. One symmetric group per room is enough; the rest can relax.
Cold white light, which flattens mouldings. Warm lamps bring out their shadows.

The palette

Soft whites, warm greys, stone and greige carry most modern classic rooms, with one deeper tone (blue-grey, bottle green, aubergine or charcoal) kept for a study, a dining room or the inside of a bookcase. Fabrics stay plain or subtly textured: linen, wool, velvet. Pattern, if any, comes from one rug or one pair of curtains. Metals are polished nickel, brass or bronze, chosen once and repeated, and art often sits in a wide mount, which suits the formality.

Rooms it suits, and how to try it

Living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and hallways. Upload a photo from a corner with the ceiling line in frame, choose the Modern Classic preset with Redesign, and mark any old pieces you own Keep. If you are unsure how traditional to go, ask for Contemporary and Modern Luxury as the other two options and compare.

Frequently asked

Can it add panelling to my walls?: In the picture, yes: panelling and mouldings are a wall finish, so the walls stay put and gain the detail. Ask a joiner or decorator what suits your real walls.
Does it suit a new-build flat?: Often very well, because it adds the detail a plain new room lacks. Keep the panelling simple if the ceiling is low.
Can it identify my antique furniture?: No. It does not identify makers, brands or periods. Mark the piece Keep and it stays in the design.