Interior Design · Scottsdale, AZ
Contemporary Interior Design in Scottsdale, Arizona
Start your projectDefining the style
What Is Contemporary Interior Design?
Contemporary interior design follows what is current now, not one fixed historical look. Where Modern refers to a specific mid-20th-century movement and stays anchored to that era's forms, contemporary keeps moving: clean lines, open uncluttered space, natural light, and a calm, confident palette, continuously updated rather than tied to one decade.
The result is a home that feels fresh and gallery-clean without turning cold. Because there is little ornament to hide behind, proportion and craft have to be exact, which is where an experienced designer who also builds matters most.
Contemporary is often confused with Modern and Minimalist. It differs from Modern by evolving with the current moment instead of referencing one historical style. It differs from Minimalist by allowing texture, art, and considered color accents rather than stripping a room down to its bare function. And it differs from Organic Modern by staying cooler and sleeker, with glass, steel, and honed stone, rather than leaning into warm, natural materials.
Architecture stays crisp and furnishings are edited down to strong, deliberate pieces. Open space carries the design instead of clutter filling it.
Warm whites, soft greys, and greige, grounded by black, bronze, or deep wood accents. The restraint is what keeps a contemporary room timeless instead of trendy.
Honed stone, large-format tile, and sculptural lighting do the talking when the palette is quiet. One or two collected art pieces carry the visual weight.
Glass, steel, wood, and stone combined for depth without heavy ornamentation. Texture keeps a restrained palette from reading flat.
Large windows, minimal window treatments, and open sightlines. The room is designed around the light it gets, not around blocking it out.
Materials and proportions are chosen to evolve gracefully rather than date to a single year or trend cycle.
How we apply it
The Building Blocks of a Contemporary Home
Every material, finish, and furnishing decision is made with the full room in mind. Here is how we bring this style to life room by room.
Architectural Millwork and Clean Trim
Flush baseboards, minimal reveals, and integrated trim details that disappear into the architecture instead of competing with it.
Honed Stone and Large-Format Tile
Quartzite, honed marble, and oversized porcelain slabs for a low-grout, streamlined look across kitchens, baths, and floors.
Sculptural Lighting as Art
Statement fixtures function as the room's focal point in place of heavier decor, from sculptural pendants to integrated linear lighting.
Integrated, Minimal Hardware
Flush pulls, hidden hinges, and push-to-open cabinetry that keep sightlines clean throughout kitchens and closets.
Considered Art and Objects
A small number of well-chosen pieces instead of dense collections, so each one has room to read as a focal point.
Indoor-Outdoor Flow
In Scottsdale, walls of glass and disappearing sliders connect interiors directly to patios, pools, and mountain views.
Why it works here
Contemporary Design Fits Scottsdale's Light and Openness
Scottsdale gets close to 300 days of sunshine a year and mountain views in nearly every direction, which is exactly the setting contemporary design was built for. Architecture that gets out of the way, walls of glass, and a restrained palette let the desert light and the McDowell Mountains or Camelback do the visual work a busier interior would compete with.
The Desert Oasis project in Scottsdale shows this in practice: walls of glass opening onto the pool and mountain view, honed stone flooring that runs from the interior onto the patio without a visual break, and a restrained material palette that lets the desert light do the work a busier room would compete with.
Scottsdale's luxury homeowners choosing contemporary tend to want a home that reads as calm, current, and gallery-clean, but that still functions as a real family home rather than a showroom. That balance is a construction and craft problem as much as a design one, which is why it pays to work with an interior designer Scottsdale AZ homeowners trust to handle both design and construction under one roof: flush trim, integrated hardware, and honed stone all have to be executed precisely because there is nothing else in the room to distract from a mistake.
A contemporary home should feel like it belongs to right now, not to a moment ten years ago or a decade from now. That is what we design for in Scottsdale: an interior with the confidence to stay simple.
How we work
From First Conversation to Finished Home
Award-winning design and licensed general contracting under one roof. One contract, one point of contact, zero finger-pointing.
Discovery
A discovery call and virtual home consultation to understand your lifestyle, goals, and the bones of your home.
Design Presentation
A complete design concept: space plan, material palette, furniture selections, finish specifications, and 3D renderings.
Procurement and Construction
We handle all purchasing, permitting, and construction management as a licensed Arizona General Contractor (ROC #347577).
White-Glove Installation
You return to a fully installed home. Every piece of furniture, art, and accessory is placed exactly as designed.
Recent work
Contemporary Projects in Scottsdale
Every project is designed from scratch. No templates, no repeat concepts. See more of our work.
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Let's begin
Ready to Design Your Contemporary Home?
Serving Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia, Desert Mountain, Silverleaf, Gainey Ranch, and the surrounding Phoenix metro area.
Schedule a discovery call →Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Contemporary Design
What is contemporary interior design?
Contemporary interior design follows what is current right now rather than one fixed historical style, built around clean lines, open uncluttered space, natural light, and a calm, restrained palette that is updated continuously instead of tied to a single decade. Lauren Lerner designs contemporary interiors for Scottsdale clients who want a home that feels fresh and gallery-clean without feeling cold.
How is contemporary different from modern design?
Modern refers to a specific mid-20th-century design movement with fixed forms and materials, while contemporary describes whatever is current today and keeps evolving. A contemporary Scottsdale home might share modern's clean lines but pull in today's materials, proportions, and finishes rather than referencing a single historical era.
What materials define a contemporary interior?
Honed stone, large-format tile, glass, steel, and warm wood accents define a contemporary interior, combined for texture and depth rather than ornament. As a licensed Arizona general contractor (ROC #347577), Living with Lolo can carry these materials into the architecture itself, not just the furnishings, for a more unified result.
Do I need a separate general contractor for a contemporary remodel?
No. Living with Lolo holds an active Arizona General Contractor license (ROC #347577) alongside its interior design practice, so structural work, flush millwork, and integrated finishes happen under one contract with one team. That single point of accountability matters most in contemporary design, where exposed lines and minimal detailing leave no room for construction shortcuts.
Why does contemporary design work well in Scottsdale?
Scottsdale's abundant natural light and mountain views suit contemporary design's walls of glass and restrained, uncluttered rooms, which let the desert landscape carry the visual interest instead of competing with it. Living with Lolo, named Phoenix Magazine Best Interior Design in 2024, 2025, and 2026, designs contemporary homes throughout Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia, and Silverleaf built around that light and those views.
What is the timeline for a contemporary design project in Scottsdale?
A full-home contemporary design and build in Scottsdale typically takes 9 to 14 months from first conversation to move-in, depending on scope and permitting. Living with Lolo manages design, procurement, and construction under one design-build contract as a licensed Arizona general contractor (ROC #347577), which keeps the schedule on one team's accountability instead of split across multiple vendors.
How much does a contemporary home cost in Scottsdale?
A full-home contemporary design and build in Scottsdale typically runs from the mid six figures into the low seven figures, depending on square footage, structural scope, and finish level, with furnishing-only projects starting lower. According to the Houzz & Home Study, homeowners who work with a professional designer spend a median of 43% more than those managing design independently, and Scottsdale's luxury tier reflects that gap in its material and craft standards.
Lauren Lerner
Principal Designer, Living with Lolo
Lauren Lerner is a luxury interior designer based in Scottsdale, AZ and the founder of Living with Lolo. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue, Martha Stewart Living, The Wall Street Journal, and GQ. She specializes in high-end residential design across Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia, and the greater Phoenix metro area.