Traditional vs. Modern

Martha Stewart I am not and that is pretty evident by the current decor of my rented house. I like to use the excuse that I'd rather not spend the money or the time to decorate a house that 1) I can't paint or 2) doesn't really belong to me. It's not that I completely lack imagination, I just have a hard time deciding how to marry several different styles seamlessly. I love the traditional look and feel of a farmhouse, as well as the boldness and elegance found in modern pieces and decor. For me "farmhouse" decor, means traditional, nothing too frilly or fancy, organic, and simple. As for "modern" decor, I picture bold colors, either straight or flowing crisp lines, graphic, and very minimalistic. On the outside both styles seem like polar opposites, but when you get down to basics they're pretty similar. They're both simplistic.

In my future dream house I see traditional furniture made from real wood (not sawdust glued together) with modern accents and paint. In my head it looks good, not really sure how it would turn out, but that's my plan of attack for the moment. Let's take a kitchen for example. I think simple, traditional cabinets painted a dark color and a light colored farmhouse sink would look great paired with a bright red metal workbench that would serve as an island. (Exactly like the one pictured below!)

I fell in love with this table while searching for metal cabinets over at Car Guy Garage.com. I love the color, the fact that it's made from metal, and that it has 3 drawers for storage. This would be a great place to store knives and because the drawers can be locked it would keep little hands away from dangerous kitchen tools...or nosy cooks away from your secret recipes! It would be easy to care for and you wouldn't have to worry about placing hot dishes on the top. Also because it's made to be a workbench it's the perfect height for preparing food. And can't you just imagine a stool at either end? They also have an 8' butcher block workbench as well that has a solid hardwood maple top that sits on steel legs. This would be another great option for a kitchen that brings in the traditional elements of farmhouse decor with the wood and modern elements with the steel legs. Again, since it's meant to be a workbench the height is great, the wood could stand up to chopping, and hot dishes wouldn't harm the surface. Plus these things were built to take a beating, so I'm sure they could take whatever my family could dish out. I think perhaps I'm on to something here. There's a lot to pick from, all metal workbenches or ones made completely from wood. Decisions, decisions!