April 25th, 2022 / 3 min read
To keep it short - your approach to selecting furniture is supposed to be much more personal than you think it should be.
But we have a whole thought piece to go, so here goes…
Initially, furniture is highly dependent on how your space is defined. There is no golden rule to how furniture should be chosen because the furniture you select for your bedroom is very different from the furniture you select for your living space. When approaching furniture, the unified ideal direction of thought is focused around function and aesthetic.
For example, when picking a sofa, you really don’t just go with the one that your taste buds tell you is the prettiest. You must consider function. Are you the type of person that curls up for long stretches of time and has their eyes transfixed on their screen? Are you the type of person that likes to host people? Or are you the type of person that likes formal settings (aka boujie)? These are the questions you must consider when picking items because it changes the whole approach. If you are person A, you would have to aim for a deep sofa that is all about comfort. If you are person B, a chic but functional high-backed sofa would be ideal as it is the cross between comfort and aesthetics. If you are person C, well, boujie options are not about comfort whatsoever, so you’d end up with something sleek, unique and not essentially functional.
Moreover, when it comes to selecting furniture, you must take into consideration the kind of space you are populating. You cannot, for example, bring in a shabby chic sofa into a space that you had envisioned as modern. You must learn to avoid the clash of design styles and keep a sense of consistency. The best way to maintain that consistency, again, is through staying true to your character. If you are someone that wants a minimalistic appeal to their space, your entire space would fall under that category. By really defining who you are and how you will put that furniture to use, you will make your furniture selection process much more streamlined.
Let’s put this way. The way you dress is a reflection of the kind of person you are. Fashion and accessories are the accoutrements through which you express your character, mood and approach for the day. In the same way, furniture and decorative pieces are the fashion trend of your space. The difference here is that these pieces also need to serve a function in a comfortable way. We know you would make exceptions for a pair of shoes that could kill your feet because they’re pretty, but you know you’re going to take them off at the end of the day. With your furniture items, the case is more on the long-term end of the spectrum, so make sure that you find the right balance between aesthetic appeal and functional comfort.
And that’s why statement pieces come as the saviors of aesthetic appeal. Accent pieces are the type of furniture items that add style, life and soul to the space without necessarily being a medium of comfort and constant use. These items can range from a sculptural coffee table that you wouldn’t dare put a coffee mug on to a sleek, delicate armchair that wouldn’t support anything heavier than a cushion. You don’t need to use them but they bring that spark of attraction and uniqueness to your space. So, choose them wisely and use them to compensate for any allure that you feel your space is missing.
And the final consideration to keep in mind when picking and arranging furniture is the lighting. In the same way that the golden hour light brings out your best selfie, in door lighting has the ability to showcase your furniture in the best way possible, so be very exact with it. Use pendants, floor lamps and table lamps to highlight and display your furniture at its best. The best way to do that is to experiment. Try out the floor lamps and table lamps in different positions, move the furniture around to make sure its best features stand out and most importantly, try and have a really good time while you’re doing it!
Here's your checklist when you’re picking furniture -
Who am I as a person?
What do I want to feel in this space?
What highlights my personality? What do I love to reflect?
What do I want to be reminded with?
When you have the answers to those questions, surround your space with everything that suits you and resembles you. Your furniture is your functionalities and character reflected in your space!