Urban Chic can’t really be called a specific interior design style at the moment, but it does indicate a definite sense of life. Whether it will boil down to a single interior design style in the future, or whether it will evolve into several separate trends, remains to be seen.
Urban Chic is a youthful, modern interior design style that combines elegance with functionality. It is characterised by spacious, bright spaces, quality materials, clean, airy shapes and a harmonious, thoughtful contrast of colours and textures. The interiors are always neat and tidy, while reflecting the dynamic, urban lifestyle of the residents.
Urban Chic interior design style – urban dimensions of modern elegance – interior mix
Main features of Urban Chic interior design style:
1. Spatial organization and functionality
- The interiors are spacious, well organised and bright.
- Open space is an essential element to ensure a sense of freedom.
- The décor is minimalist but not sterile; objects are functional and space-saving.
2. Colour palette and contrasts
- Neutral primary colours (white, grey, beige) are complemented by dynamic, stronger tones (such as deep green, royal blue or ochre).
- Monochromatic colours are often complemented by a single character colour.
- Natural colours and materials, such as wood and metal, complement the palette harmoniously.
3. Use of materials
- Natural materials, such as wood (in light or dark shades) and stone (e.g. marble, granite or concrete-effect surfaces) are given priority.
- Metals also play an important role, often in the form of lamps and furniture accessories borrowed from the rustic style. But metallic finishes are always elegant: matte black, chrome or gold, without detailed ornamentation.
- Fabrics are simple but quality, such as cotton, linen or wool.
4. Furniture and accessories
- Furniture with a clean, modern design.
- Chairs and tables often have metal legs with simple, elegant curves.
- Decor is minimal yet personal, dominated by houseplants, modern artworks or carefully selected accessories.
5. Lighting
- Lighting is a key element in the Urban Chic style.
- They use a combination of pendant lamps, floor lamps and spotlights with metal shades in matt black, chrome or gold.
- The elegant shapes are simple and free from the detailed ornamentation of classic chandeliers.
6. Mood and lifestyle
- Style is tailored to the needs of urban, active people who appreciate precise design and harmonious living spaces.
- Interiors are tidy but not austere; homely yet professionally designed.
Urban Chic and the lifestyle
People who like Urban Chic tend to live a youthful, energetic, urban lifestyle. They value a balance between aesthetics and functionality, and the use of quality materials and furnishings. They like tidy, transparent spaces that support their daily activities, whether they are working, relaxing or entertaining. They choose furniture and decor consciously, avoiding clutter and unnecessary objects.
Urban Chic interiors reflect the owners’ sophistication and refined taste, while providing the perfect balance of dynamism and elegance.
What if the colour contrast is not the bright wall of a e.g: blue, or green, or ochre furnishings, but rather, say, a strong green wall colour and dark green upholstered furniture and metal chairs and table legs, metal lampshades and other decorative objects are gold, so you create a colour contrast in relation to the green and gold, or if you use dark brown wood and leather furniture against an olive-blue wall, making the space darker overall, even if you don't use the stronger colours on all the walls, but otherwise the space remains modern and airy and in all other respects in keeping with the Urban chic style, can it still be called Urban chic?
The interior described above, which relies on strong colours and contrasts in darker tones (green and gold in the example, or olive blue and dark brown in the example), can still fit into the Urban Chic style if it retains the basic characteristics of a modern, airy space, quality use of materials and an elegant and carefully designed look.
The essence of the style lies not necessarily in the use of bright colours, but in the balance of contrasts, textures and shapes, resulting in a youthful, urban yet elegant look. If a darker colour palette predominates but the space still “breathes,” and the boundaries of minimalism are not pushed too far, then it can remain in the Urban Chic category, just as an alternative shade.
Urban Chic style is not a dogmatic trend, but is flexible enough to adapt to the space and the personal tastes of the people who live there. Strong colours such as green and gold, or olive blue and dark brown, can create both a dramatic and elegant effect, while retaining the youthful and modern core values of the style.
So with all other stylistic elements – a sense of quality, a well-kept look, organic accessories, and sensible functionality – left unchanged, it’s still an Urban Chic interior that shows the flexibility of style with a unique and striking color scheme.
Have you noticed that some of the interiors labelled as “urban chic” don’t even have the more dynamic colour contrast discussed above?
Why is that? Because, Urban Chic reflects a sense of life and a lifestyle rather than a rigidly defined interior design trend. The question of contrasts is particularly interesting, because while one interior design is based on strong colours, the other is based on differences in textures and materials. This flexibility probably stems from the diversity of urban life itself: it is different in a historic downtown loft than in a modern high-rise apartment or a sleek, minimalist apartment block.
I also see Urban Chic as having a certain ‘chic casualness’. It is not as stylistically austere as, for example, Scandinavian or mid-century modern design, and often combines elements of the industrial, modernist and contemporary. This makes it difficult to categorise, but also makes it exciting.
Do you think that this “not unified, but based on a sense of life” phenomenon will allow Urban Chic to survive as a distinct, well-defined style in the long run, or will it dissolve as part of a broader trend in other modern trends?
The question now is what will this style evolve into? Will it evolve into a single style, or will it remain a mix of styles based around a sense of life?
I feel that for Urban Chic interiors, this mix of styles can be grouped into two trends. In other words, there is a sense of a dichotomy, a stylistic split that unfolds in two different trends.
A living room with a feminine Urban Chic interior design style.
- One is the feminine line, which relies less on bold colour contrasts and more on differences in the use of materials. Bright colours, natural textures and softly industrial elements predominate, with white walls, unplastered brick surfaces, raw textiles and clean-lined furniture. In this trend, the metropolitan landscape becomes a key character-defining element of the interior: the modern cityscape through the vast glass surfaces contrasts with the more relaxed, natural atmosphere of the home. This style, while in itself conveying an exclusive, metropolitan feel, feels altogether more welcoming, more accessible and therefore less premium.
- The masculine line, on the other hand, is more about bold colour contrasts. In this case, the interior itself offers a more characterful, defined and sometimes provocative visual experience. The dynamic combination of strong colours means that the metropolis is not a must – the presence of large expanses of glass is enough, and the Urban Chic feel is also achieved when the windows open onto a green park or a quieter environment. Overall, this trend is more exclusive, more powerful and has a distinctly big-world feel.
A dining kitchen with a masculine Urban Chic interior design.
These two lines exist in parallel for the time being, and it is difficult to predict which will remain more dominant in the long term. What is certain, however, is that Urban Chic is not just a particular style of interior design, but a way of life that embodies the youthful, vibrant and sophisticated side of modern metropolitan living – whether through the delicate balance of natural materials or the bold contrasts of bold colour.