Opt for simplicity when choosing furniture
One of the best furniture buying decisions I ever made was a high stool for my kitchen. I don’t have a breakfast bar to accommodate a run of them, but just this single stool means I can sit while peeling vegetables or whipping up a sponge cake at a comfortable height to access the work surface.
The stool has even found its own little corner near the stove where it naturally fits, and where everyone gravitates, making it a favourite perch for friends who pop in for a coffee.
But so often we make purchases that fight with our space. Love at first sight of that gorgeous little occasional chair in the post-Christmas sales can easily give rise to conflict after you’ve lived together for a while and suddenly realise it doesn’t quite meet your needs but now you’re stuck with it.
Always arm yourself with a tape measure, pencil and paper before embarking on a furniture shopping expedition, having measured up your space at home first of all.
Consider streamlined pieces that will perform the function you desire and which will blend with your space rather than standing out and taking up more space than is necessary if they are overly upholstered.
Traditional pieces that emphasise bulk, like Chesterfield sofas and wing back chairs, are very much in fashion, but the design approach is to thoroughly pare them back.
They remain easily identifiable as being born from those designs, but are re-imagined to fit modern spaces and lifestyles while still remaining chic.
It’s an approach similar to that taken with furniture production in the period just after the war that continued through the 1950s when materials and money were scarce.
Furniture had to be made simply and without embellishment, focussing on utility and the most unobtrusive aesthetics. It signalled the beginning of our love affair with the streamlined designed product from which came some of the most famous designs in the world, from the likes of Sweden’s Arne Jacobsen and America’s Ray and Charles Eames.
We certainly don’t have a scarcity of materials, but perhaps a reduction in ready cash for many of us, has made us more discerning in our choices.
It has prompted more deliberation before taking the retail plunge to choose simpler, more timeless pieces that integrate fashion with in-vogue finishes and the addition of accessories, while being underpinned by function and practicality.
But opting for a simple look does not mean everything has to be about sharp angles. It’s more about clean lines and lack of unnecessary embellishment, while retaining comfort if not luxury. Simplicity is beautiful but it takes courage to opt for it as you can end up with something that’s a tad clinical and without personality.
A streamlined piece slotted in with heavier furniture can almost air a space and help remove the sensation of oppressiveness.
There’s also something appealing about the lack of fuss. It’s somehow easier on the eye, and doesn’t have to be all about transparency and monochrome, finished in leather and overtly masculine.
Our new-found love of colour has put paid to all that.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
