Emily has been staring at two fabric swatches for the better part of a month now. A blue linen and a bold modern floral, both for the same sofa, both driving her a little crazy in the best way. It’s a small decision that’s actually a pretty good stand-in for something bigger: modern traditional homes are having a bit of a rebirth right now, and the whole reason is color.

Before 2020, if you’d asked us to define modern traditional, we’d have said: traditional shapes with clean, non-ornate lines, light neutral tones, hits of black, and a heavy dose of natural materials. That’s all still true in 2026—but the style has loosened up since, and color is the biggest reason why. Color drenching, richer materials, a little more detail, and modern takes on old-school pattern have all found their way back in. It’s been all over our feed lately, and one familiar friend of the brand has made it their mission to help us bring that luxe-but-refined look into our homes: Sixpenny.

I remember the first Sixpenny chair and a half Emily got, back in 2017. Aside from how pretty it was, I remember how she couldn’t stop talking about the comfort—she actually went to Sixpenny’s distribution center and sat on a bunch of their pieces herself. Comfort is not something Ms. Henderson compromises on. Their quality was never the question. What’s exciting now is that Sixpenny’s designs and fabrics have only gotten better, especially when it comes to color—which brings us back to those two swatches. Here’s how we’d think through building a modern traditional room that feels fresh, not frozen in time, broken into three parts: shape, color, and slipcovers.

Modern Traditional Home: Streamlined Takes On Classic Shapes

Shape is the foundation everything else gets built on. It’s rarely where people get stuck… Color is, but it’s worth getting right first.

Amelia Bed

The Amelia Bed is the easiest way to make a room read modern traditional. We love an arch, we love a simple rectangle, but this shape manages to feel special without feeling like too much. Shown here in a rich brown washed cotton velvet, though it also comes in linen canvas and faux fur—a range that covers most modern traditional moods. It’s styled here against a tonal wall, but it would look just as beautiful against warm white walls with wood and iron accents.

Yogi Curve Sectional

The Yogi Curve Sectional has minimal detailing—piped seams, a wood base—pretty, never loud. That’s the thing to look for in modern traditional furniture right now: detailing that adds rather than distracts, so what you register is a feeling, not a design element. It’s also a genuine shapeshifter—reupholstered, this sectional could work with nearly any style.

Neva Round Swivel Chair

The Neva Round Swivel Chair is the round version of that very first chair and a half Emily got from Sixpenny back in 2017. We’ve all seen traditional barrel chairs in traditional homes; this oversized, round take, with its bold seam in the right fabric and color, is what pushes it fully into modern traditional territory.

Tango Chair

A key part of a modern traditional home that feels fresh: not everything in it should be modern traditional. Give it one or two pieces that lean more contemporary, like the Tango Chair – its sharp, angular frame is a deliberate departure from the soft curves around it, and that contrast is part of what keeps a room from feeling like a period piece.

Now that the foundation is covered, we actually love talking about…Emily staring at swatches for a month.

Modern Traditional Home: Rich Colors, Fabrics, And Modern “Old” Patterns

Color is the whole reason modern traditional feels different in 2026 than it did five years ago, and no piece makes that argument better than the one Emily can’t stop thinking about.

Dalia Sofa

Here’s the sofa at the center of Emily’s whole dilemma. She talked about the Dalia Sofa in her modern traditional sofa post already; I mean, look at that pleated skirt. It’s the fabric choice that’s been the hard part: a blue linen blend called Garden Berry, or a bold modern floral called Wild Air. Sixpenny’s Dalia Sofa also comes in their Bing Cherry Washed Cotton Velvet, which is where this whole color conversation started for her. The cherry brings richness and depth. The blue linen brings something organic and calm. The floral brings play and a different kind of sophistication. Same sofa, three completely different rooms. It’s a pretty good argument for building a modern traditional home around color.

If you’re on the fence the way Emily has been, it’s worth ordering a few fabric swatches before you decide. Colors can read differently in your own light than they do on a screen, and Sixpenny sends up to 12 of them free.

Committing to a color this bold would feel a lot riskier if it were actually permanent. It isn’t…come see why!

Modern Traditional Home: Slipcovers Built For Changing Your Mind

Here’s that same Dalia Sofa in Wild Air—just as beautiful as the cherry, entirely different mood. That’s the actual answer to Emily’s monthslong indecision, if we’re honest: Sixpenny’s seating is all slipcovered, so she doesn’t have to choose. Blue linen for now, floral whenever the mood strikes, same sofa underneath either way.

Amelia Sectional

The blue linen blend Emily’s been considering also comes on the Amelia Sectional as well as all their other seating. It’s so soothing, right? And the same logic applies: keep the shape, swap the slipcover to a floral whenever the mood calls for it later.

Tango Chair

This chair makes the case better than almost anything else in the lineup. In Bing Cherry, it reads warm and a little daring. In deep blue against its black wood base, the same Tango Chair reads cooler, moodier, almost more modern. So again, same shape, same chair, two completely different personalities with the swap of a new slipcover,

And there’s no need for it to feel intimidating swapping out a cover because Sixpenny has a step-by-step guide to changing your slipcover that makes the whole thing look almost embarrassingly easy.

So: shape lays the foundation, color makes the decision, and a slipcover means that decision never has to be final. Put those three together, and you’ve got a modern traditional home style that can evolve for years without a single new piece of furniture. If that’s something you want too, we can’t recommend Sixpenny enough. Beautiful, timeless, and we can personally confirm, extremely comfortable.

*Thank you to Sixpenny for partnering with us on this blog post.

*Photos Courtesy of Sixpenny