How do you make a room look "modern"?

[WhereIsBlueRabbit]

OK, I know it's maybe a strange question but we are gradually starting to update our new house (30s semi). We have a toddler and a cat, and are hardly minimalists - think lots of books, toys, etc.

How do you make a house look modern but cosy? We both have a strong preference for natural, eg wooden furniture rather than glass and metal. We'd like to update the TV and coffee tables in due course, and the sofa and armchair.

I'm just wondering if there are obvious things that make a room look dated? Don't want to accidentally end up recreating my parents' place or end up effectively painting it all magnolia!

Our house is older than yours but we had similar issue. Took out the wooden surround fireplace and replaced with limestone and changed the fire to one with stones. Any pelmet type curtailing definitely a no-no and any wallpaper with matching friezes take down.
My DH has always loved a feature wall but I'm not keen as think that's dated now.

We have a wall behind sofa completely covered with pictures of different sizes and colours and it looks awesome and that is our feature wall - it always gets compliments.

I had wicker baskets for our DC toys when little and that looked nicer than plastic.

What is your flooring like? We took out carpet and had wooden flooring and rugs.

So difficult knowing where to start. We had a designer come look at the room and give tips and mood boards then we then made ultimate decision. Good luck

To me, it's something like the difference between

www.habitat.co.uk/max-oak-large-av-unit-24479

and

www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk/furniture/canterbury-natural-solid-oak-large-tv-cabinet/1004979.html

They are both made of wood, but give very different effects in a room. Don't give up on coziness, there are loads of soft furnishings and natural materials you can use.

I think if you go really modern your place will end up dating quite fast. We lived in a 20's semi (now a Victorian cottage) and had a lot of wooden furniture, we don't like glass etc and we don't like leather furniture either. Painting wood can transform it but you can't do much with the likes of metal and glass.

Thank you! Those links are actually a really good example of how to create a different vibe.

We don't want it to look so contemporary it dates quickly (nobody wants the "ah, I see you decorated in 2018" vibe ), I just don't want it to look old-fashioned. But would also like a nod to the age of the house!

Plan at the moment is yellow walls (probably lemon rather than anything brighter, though I would love something like Farrow and Ball Dayroom Yellow), grey sofa and armchair, and grey/white/yellow roman blinds at the bay window to let more light in. We have lots of white woodwork/bookshelves and I'm thinking eggshell or satinwood for the skirting boards rather than gloss?

Floor is a horribly grubby cream/beige carpet - we won't be replacing it yet as we are likely to extend at the rear but in the long term, will probably go with carpet as DP is a heathen and I can't convert him to polished boards and rugs for the living room .