Snog, Marry, Avoid.

Making the right furniture investment.

The Lust of My Life ( for Now)

As much as I have a fallen weak at the knees, ready to be caught in a low lying curved sofa with beautiful slim golden legs and a structured curved back (the lust of my life for now)…I know that in time (and probably not much time) this desire will shift to another affection. I will turn my nose up at the beautiful shape, or hue, or pattern… for being passe.

The fact is, the moment I see a whisper of these good looks in a mainstream retailer, I’m OUT! I don’t date the ones that get around. Like a boyfriend caught kissing your mate, there is no turning back. (At least not for a decade or two when you’ve forgotten all about the bad things, and are tempted to make the same mistakes again.

Though I like to flirt with the sexy styles and colours of the season, ultimately, my interior affections are not looking for the racy heart-fluttering model of the moment. These bold and brazen offerings sit in my “look but don’t touch” philosophy for residential furnishing. I’m more of a classic kind of girl who reveres the gentlemanly, timeless type.

I look for a design to marry, not a racy hot/cold commitment that I’ll grow tired of. The strong silent type that maintains clean lines, a cosy feel, and with an easy neutral palette that’s built to compliment, rather than stand out. Loads of charm, chic, with a bit of savoir-faire. Ultimately, I want to be able to dress the body up or strip it back, and still love the underlying bones that make up its structure.

Understated classic shapes may not set your pulse racing, but they are infinitely dashing and age with grace and style, supporting the base of any furniture arrangement.

Don’t we all love a “bad boy” though? They’re new, usually foreign, bold, and sleek. But,… like a holiday romance, their seduction offers a good time now, and not along-term future. A lesson many of us learn the hard way with expensive mistakes.

Trendy furniture and colours in your core furniture purchases area mistake if you see your home as an investment to build upon, and prefer to view your money on the stock market (rather than investing with no returns on your living room). Take some sage advice….go with the strong silent type and invest in your future.

Don’t get me wrong….If you don’t mind a new purchase every year or so… go for it!
Trendy things are fresh and exciting, and you will enjoy your time together for a time. But then….after a short fling you will most certainly recognise the flaws in the relationship, and hate yourself for entertaining them. Why put yourself through the trials, just avoid committing to the current model and flirt with them instead.

Have Your Cake & Eat It Too

There are plenty of ways to get a bit of the seasonal dalliance into your life. I am definitely not saying to avoid the latest and greatest all together. How could I? As a designer, I live for “the new” and “the fresh”. I make my living from updates and adjustments in homes. However I would like to think I’m also providing longevity in the designs I present, and quality of style too. I know how to make things feel current but also last! We all enjoy a bit of eye candy and the occasional tease too. So, GO FOR IT! Have your cake and eat it too!
But make sure you do it in the right ways!

Smaller furnishings allow for bold moments in pattern, and colour and are a great way to introduce a statement shape without dominating the space and pushing the whole scheme into a trend. No one likes to date someone who tries too hard or talks too loud or too much. Introducing an accent colour will keep a space feeling modern and up to date without being brash or over-worked. Smaller upholstered updates also permit you to reupholster items affordably when the relationship ends, and you have your eye on something new.

If you just can’t resist the advances made by the latest furniture silhouettes or fabrics, then by all means “date” the accessible ones. By this I mean, try them out for a time. Inject smaller pieces of furniture into your home such as an ottoman, seating pouffe, even a pair of upholstered occasional chairs in a sexy shape. Soft furnishings like rugs and curtains can also transform the feel of a space without fully committing to a new look.

How About A Snog?

If on the other hand you feel committed to your current set-up and dating the model of the year is out of the question, then perhaps a cheeky snog will help calm your suppressed desires?

Simple and affordable flourishes can really help to offer a taste of the season and will change the atmosphere and mood of an established scheme. Painting the walls is a fast way to completely transform the look of a room, but if you hate to paint, what about a textured throw, beautiful new cushions, a change of flowers, or even buying a few coffee table books with dust covers in the hues of the season?

Soft accessories can make a space feel renewed and modernised and the shift is instant. It won’t take more than a day to shop for or install these touches, and it’s fun!. Presto! seasonal flavour sorted; The affair you may have regretted; now entirely averted with a kiss of the season here and there.

Eye Candy

I am a complete Trollope when it comes to a seasonal fling. I can’t resist new colours and textiles and I am inspired to change my own living spaces with these updates regularly. My desire has grown to such a state that I have dedicated a small chest where I hideaway a selection of cushion covers and blankets that I rotate and add to when I have the itch for a change. These small touches scratch a trend-itch while offering me the updates in design that I love, Like eye candy or window shopping. There is no harm in it.

But….the most important point I’m making here is that these touches are only effective because I married a staple classic piece of furniture. A model and shade that is timeless and understated. It allows me to add and compliment the shape and the neutral palette with the bold statement fabrics, textured soft furnishings and dazzling trims of the season so that I can have a piece of the trend too.