Furniture in a transitional style combines qualities from both traditional and contemporary styles. This is a style ideal for those who find traditional furnishing styles too old fashioned and stuffy, and modern styles too cold and lacking in warmth.

The transitional style is not restricted to just the furniture profiles, shapes, and sizes, but carries through to finishes and materials including fabrics

As the word “transition” implies, this is the style that transitions or falls between a very traditional style and an ultra-sleek modern style. Individual furniture pieces in a transitional style may lean toward being either more traditional or more modern, but they stay away from both extremes.
This neutral safety zone between the two styles helps create an in-between yet pleasing furnishing style that draws upon elements from both. A transitional style does not imply that the furniture is lacking in style, only that it is more subtle.
In essence, this is what professionals in the furniture and home furnishings industry are talking about when they talk about an “updated classic” or “timeless design”.