If you want your home to look stylish, it is important to find out what style of decorating you prefer. A room that has many different design lines will look chaotic. While an argument for eclectic styles could be made, picking out fine pieces of furniture and hoping they’ll spontaneously work together is better left to the professionals. For your home, it is better to have a clear style in mind.

So what do you like? There’s traditional, modern, coastal, bohemian, and the list goes on. Take a look at home design magazines and T.V. shows to get an idea if you are unsure. It might prove helpful to go to a contemporary furniture store to see what you like in person.

Let’s say you decide you like modern furniture. In art, this style encompasses works from the 19th century through today, with an emphasis on discontinuity and disruption. For furniture, that means something a little different.

Traditional designs had an emphasis on ornate, heavy, and intricate details. Consider the thick brocades and gilt chairs you would expect to find at the Palace of Versailles. So in this case, a rebellion against, or a disconnect from, traditional styles results in the exact opposite. Clean, simplified lines and textures are the hallmark of modernist furniture.

Furniture with a distinctly modern design began with the Bauhaus movement in Germany, and the Arts and Crafts style here in America. Modern home furniture doesn’t need to be expensive. Staples or visible glue marks are a sign of poor construction.

Go to a contemporary furniture store and find pieces that are comfortable and well made. This will be evident by the use of dovetail joints, tenon, or reinforced corner blocks. High end contemporary furniture should have all of these details, with perhaps finer materials such as leather, linen, or real wood instead of plywood.

When decorating your home, it is important to know what you like. Most houses look disjointed because the owners did not choose their pieces with care. It is better in the long run to take the time, choosing furniture that you like and that is well made. Where to buy modern furniture? Look online for contemporary furniture stores, especially those that boast of their attention to details and fine craftsmanship.