Modern and contemporary are often used synonymously. However, when it comes to design styles, both mean completely different things. Modern, in design language, actually means mid-century modernism. This refers to the aesthetic that was dominant in the 1950s and 1960s when there was an emphasis on clean lines, an uncluttered look, natural materials and simplicity. Contemporary, on the other hand, refers to what is in the now, that which is current. While there is an overlap between what the two styles broadly propagate—clean lines, less ornamentation—even classical and traditional styles could have been called contemporary when they were dominating the design world.