Transitional Architecture: Explained

You might associate the term ‘Transitional Architecture’ with the glut of bland, safe, developer driven houses that are designed to be built quickly and appeal to the broadest possible audience.
You aren’t necessarily wrong to have this association. At its worst it is a wishy-washy idea that avoids committing to a style or rigorous design. On the other hand, it is a category that covers a broad range of architectural possibilities, and there are examples of very nicely designed and built buildings that fall within it.

What is Transitional Architecture?

As we mentioned, ‘transitional architecture’ doesn’t always have the most positive connotations. Basically any building that isn’t built to a specific style can fall into the category. Everything from modern traditional, mountain modern, rustic modern to suburban McMansions can be described as ‘transitional.’ While the term may have been coined to write real estate copy for showhomes in new developments, the desire to build a home that keeps the best of timeless traditional design, while embracing the best elements of modern design and its adoption of innovations in the building industry is perfectly understandable. In fact, as we have discussed in previous articles, architecture is best seen as a ‘Living Tradition’, that is constantly evolving, trying to improve upon and learn from time-tested practices. In this paradigm, architecture should be always traditional, and always modern.

In the case of ‘transitional architecture’ we are looking at designs that aim to keep proportions, roof types, details, massing shapes found in traditional designs, while incorporating the flowing open spaces, large windows and minimalist themes developed during the early to mid-century modernist movements.
When done well, the resulting buildings can be elegant, beautiful, and timeless. When done poorly, they can be awkward, clunky and quickly dated. When your goals take you down this path, it is important to find the right balance. A house that is too open, or that has too much glass feels uncomfortable and exposed, losing the ‘coziness’ of a traditional home. The all glass houses of the early modernists were beautiful in their simplicity, but most people would find them impractical. A house that strips off all the detail and ornament can lose its sense of scale and the benefits of handcrafted quality. (See our article on biophilic design for more on this subject.) A house that is all steel and glass and concrete feels cold, inhuman, impersonal.

How do you get the best of both worlds? In any project, putting your hopes and dreams into the hands of talented people is important.

A Brief History of Transitional Architecture

The modernist goals of the 1920s and 30s were to break from the tradition of architecture, use new building methods sparked by the technological revolution and the prevalence of cheap petrochemical energy. This was motivated by politics, the horrors of the first world war, optimism for the high-tech future, and a desire to start a fresh history. Much was added to the architectural canon through these experiments, although the desire to ignore/forget history caused some problems that we are still working to overcome.

This was followed up by the largely failed ‘Postmodernist’ experiment of making cartoon versions of traditional architecture and buildings based on abstract ideas and deconstructivist philosophies.

Transitional architecture emerged in the late 20th century as a response to these trends, with people wanting to take the elements they liked best from traditional and modern styles and find ways to bring them together. Influenced by the minimalist movement and a renewed appreciation for classic architecture, transitional design became a way to move architecture forward while still learning from the past.

It is an experiment that hasn’t always worked out, but in the hands of skilled designers there are many examples of excellent buildings that have been designed with these modern-traditional goals.

What are the Features of Transitional Architecture?

• Neutral Color Palettes: Soft, neutral tones are most common. Part of this is the embrace of modernist minimalism, and the use of large blank walls as a backdrop for art pieces. But part of this also comes from the desire to ‘play it safe’ and not offend a future buyer. Colors like beige, grey and cool white are overused, creating spaces that are generic and impersonal and missing out on opportunities for fun and play that would be found in traditional styles.
• Mixed Materials: A blend of traditional, natural materials such as wood and stone are often contrasted against modern materials, glass, concrete and steel. This can work out nicely, but we need to remember that there is an art and a craft involved in designing with any material. Details need to be designed appropriately in order for the building to look right. Having a wall of glass on a modern building element intersect with a heavy stone wall on a traditional massing element can be a nice moment. Smaller details like using a steel wide-flange beam as a window header instead of stone can also be elegant and functional. Note that it’s always advisable to use less materials if possible. Many less sophisticated designs use many types of siding, stone, cladding and trim as a way to replace the depth of variety and detail found in historic architecture, which results in designs that are busy, with poorly executed transitions and details.
• Clean Lines and Simple Silhouettes: First off, it is a bit of a misnomer that traditional architecture was made of complicated shapes and roof lines. Most traditional buildings had extremely simple and functional massing and roofs, evolved through centuries of trial and error. If there is one lesson to learn from traditional design is that good architecture, as a rule, should shed water and withstand the elements as simply and cleanly as possible. One of the fatal flaws of true modernist design is that, although the buildings have a clean elegance to them, the elongated flat roof planes are largely impractical in most climates. Transitional architecture attempts to address this by allowing pitched and gabled roofs, while incorporating the light and openness of modern style design. Removing or simplifying the details and ornamentation has also had mixed results. Mouldings do serve practical purposes in addition to adding depth to a space. Changing profiled mouldings for rectangles sounds ‘modern’ in theory, but can leave a room feeling flat. Transitional architects have found that it’s ok to use elegant profiles to capture the subtle play of light and shadow, while still creating spaces that feel ‘modern.’ This level of detail and preservation of craftsman skills is also connected to our innate ‘biophilia.’
• Balanced Proportions: Traditional architecture was all about proportion. Buildings were designed to feel good at the human scale. Materials were crafted using measurements based on human dimensions. Symmetry and balance are recipes for success, and make a building feel rooted and stable. This can happen at the level of the entire building, or be studied on individual facades. This is one of the trickiest parts in designing ‘transitional’ architecture. Pushing the size of windows and the scale of rooms risks losing touch with overall proportions.
• Timeless Furnishings: Use furniture and decor that are designed with similar goals as the building. Again, there is a generic middle ground here where furniture can be victim to the same pitfalls as so-so architecture. Fortunately, there is room here for play and self-expression. Antique pieces can live alongside cutting edge design in a way that suits your unique taste and style.
• Functional Design: It’s interesting to note that what is considered practical and comfortable changes alongside lifestyle trends. Traditional architecture was highly functional in its design and space planning. But how we use our spaces has evolved and changed. The urge to design a house around ‘great rooms’ and ‘open-concept living’ is trending downward at the moment. Flexible and remote work situations, student laptops, online music lessons, streaming video, have created situations where many functions in the same open space don’t work well together, making smaller, enclosed, private spaces desirable.
• Subtle Accents: Similar to how furniture can be used to add style and personality to a space, the same can be said of decorative elements, such as artwork or textiles. Often in modern and transitional architecture, rooms are treated as a ‘blank canvas’, where the decor dictates the style, and future owners can easily make it their own.

Exterior Transitional Architectural Elements

Exterior architectural elements are a big part of the challenge in creating a modern traditional building. Without the rules and guidelines dictated by a specific style, it is easy to lose track of the overall design. Freedom to do anything isn’t always a blessing, but a gifted designer can use this opportunity to create something unique and special. Key aspects to consider are:

• Balanced Facades: The facade often features symmetrical layouts and balanced proportions, combining classic architectural elements like columns or gables with modern design aspects. The desire for oversized windows can throw off balance and proportion. Facades need to be carefully designed. Also, a modern floor plan can make it more challenging to align and balance the windows on the facades. This is part of the behinds the scenes work your architect will be struggling with to get right.
• Mixed Materials: Materials should be appropriate for the region, climate and context. There is some freedom to play with materials in a transitional design. For instance, a traditional brick exterior may be complemented with sleek metal accents or large glass windows. Less is more when selecting exterior materials.
• Natural Color Schemes: Transitional architecture is generally characterized by having safe color schemes. Soft, neutral colors dominate, especially with the prevalence toward natural materials like wood and stone. That doesn’t mean there is no place for color.
• Simplified Rooflines: Simple rooflines are always a good idea. Less jogs and jutouts means less seams and joints coming together means less things that can go wrong. Complicated rooflines are most prevalent in suburban, cookie cutter designs and McMansions, which weren’t designed by architects skilled in creating either the purity and simplicity of classical architecture, or the linear elegance of true modern architecture. Transitional architecture needs to fight keep keep floor plans and roof lines simple.
• Large Windows: Modern architecture embraced light and air, using floor to ceiling windows, floating between planes. Transitional architecture wants to embrace this feeling, without losing scale and balance.

Interior Transitional Design Elements

Similar to the exterior elements, the Interior transitional design elements have the challenge of combining traditional and modern styles that can have conflicting intent. This is why you need a great designer to pull this off. Key elements include:

• Neutral Color Palette: The idea of the room as a bank canvas. Nevertheless, you can still find ways to express yourself. We’ve suffered through too much grey and too much dark brown over the past decades!
• Natural Materials and Textures: Our focus on wellness encourages using unadulterated natural materials where you can. For example, using a clay or lime plaster instead of latex paint is a simple way to add a subtle texture, in addition to the wellness and performance benefits. A textured or wirebrushed finish to a wood floor creates an entirely different experience under your feet. Both of these examples would be more ‘traditional’ details, but work very nicely in a modern or transitional setting.
• Minimalistic Decor: Avoidance of clutter and excessive ornamentation, focusing instead on a few carefully chosen decorative items that add personality and warmth.
• Lighting: Traditional fixtures, such as chandeliers can mix with modern options, like directional recessed or track lighting to highlight walls or art. Ideally you want to avoid having too much reliance on down lights. A light shining directly on top of your head doesn’t make you look or feel good. The quality of light is at least as important as the style of the fixtures.
• Art and Accessories: Thoughtfully selected art and accessories to curate your blank canvas. Eclectic, futuristic and bohemian tastes, can all play together to make your space your own.

Transitional Style Influences

Transitional architecture draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of styles, attempting to blend elements from various architectural traditions. One of the primary influences is classical architecture, which contributes to the style’s emphasis on symmetry, proportion, and timeless design elements such as columns and moldings. This foundation is then complemented by modern influences, including minimalist design principles, and the desire for larger openings and spaces.

The ideal result is a versatile and eclectic style that respects historical traditions while embracing contemporary trends; a fusion of old and new that feels both familiar and fresh.

Why is Transitional Architecture So Trending?

Transitional architecture is popular because it isn’t tied to a specific style, but is an appropriate step in the living tradition of architecture. At its worst, it can be generic, resulting in safe, cookie-cutter designs for ‘safe’ developments. At its best, it is the culmination of everything we have learned through thousands of years of building tradition.