Tips for Creating Traditional Spaces with Modern Touches

Tired of the anonymity of most home design, designer Diana Rizko set out to give a jet‑setting couple a home that feels like a lush garden retreat—rich with color, texture, and meaning. We asked her about the project, featured in Cambria Style magazine, and she answered our questions on balance, personalization, and why every project should start with a story. 

What makes nostalgic elements feel timeless?

It’s important to balance traditional silhouettes with modern lines, and it takes some restraint to not fill every space with ornate details. Like when I used clean lines in this range hood design, I brought in a little more texture in the sconces and caning on the dining room chairs.

How do you keep floral patterns from feeling overly traditional?

Use it strategically. That Schumacher wallpaper dining room accent wall is visible from across the kitchen. We wanted to be careful not to overdo it, but it creates a visual transition, pulls other more subtle pieces together, and prepares you for where you’re headed. The colors in the bathroom tile are a little stronger, so that floral doesn’t scream at you. You focus on the shower and the wall tile—which has such beautiful texture and human imperfections—and the floral is complementary to that. 

How can stained and painted woods share the stage?

Wood is such an important way to warm a space, and even the blandest or whitest kitchen can be brought to life with a touch of quality woodwork. Add a darker floor stain or a custom built-in to balance out nondescript pieces, then layer up with art and vintage finds to create a collected feel.

What’s a dated look you think deserves a second life?

Everyone wanted that farmhouse look, with white on white on white. People need more meaningful spaces in their lives, so they’re walking away from that because everyone was doing it, and it never felt like it was theirs. Why not make your kitchen personalized? Add some life! 

What is your favorite way to add personality to a space?

Each person has something authentic in their story that can become the root of a whole design. It could be their culture or a specific color, and we build materiality around that. We find a wallpaper or fabric designer who’s from the same region, or materials that echo the natural beauty of a place they love. Sometimes the connections are subtle.

What role does travel or culture play in your design inspiration?

I grew up on this narrow, cobblestone street in Syria—and there was such rich history everywhere I looked, these layers and textures from people who’d lived there centuries before. But inspiration can come from anywhere. Recently I was walking by the lake, taking a video for Instagram, when a woman stopped to ask what I was looking at. I said, “Just look at this small space, the ripples and the color palette they create.” She had never noticed that! If you pay attention to detail, everything around you can be inspiring. 

How do you approach selecting materials and textures, and what are some of your go-to sources for unique materials?

It’s important to listen to a space and its surroundings, creating a design that will fit in with the rest of the home, what’s outside the windows, and what you experience before and after stepping into it. Paying attention to that will ensure a space is never out of date, so I start with local shops that can help me continue that sense of place. I love Merchandise Mart here in Chicago. But I also have great relationships with a few bigger brands like Ann Sacks for tile, Schumacher for wallpaper, and Cambria for solid surface countertops. I’m always going to see what they have that’s new and unique that I can incorporate into a project—because I know they’re always going to give me quality. 

Are there any emerging trends or design philosophies that are currently inspiring your work?

People are really wanting to have more uniqueness in their homes. That might look like infusing more interesting colors or collections or patterns—but it might be as simple as what we did here with the chimney behind the range. I needed to account for fire code, so the countertop juts out there. That was a solution to a specific problem, and because of the flexibility of Cambria, it also became something unique, a detail that adds depth and visual interest.

What’s the vibe in your dream dinner party space?

Romantic, European-style elegance. Not ornate, but simple and livable, with a lot of natural beauty on the table: flowers, fresh produce, seasonal beauty that draws you in and makes you want to linger.