Your Design Staples - How to buy the right furniture pieces

I think this may vary from designer to designer, but this is my blog so……

When I say staples, I’m thinking in terms of your major furniture pieces.  Let me explain, take a look at your closet.  Your staples are that comfy pair jeans, your go to Saturday morning sweat pants, your little black dress, your power tie!  These are things that stay in your closet year after year, season after season, trend after trend, and never go out of style.  Get my drift?  Now let me give you some examples of staples in interiors:

·         your sofa

·         large casegoods (armories, media cabinets, dressers, etc…)

·         lounge chairs

·         beds

·         dressers

·         dining tables

Basically the large pieces in your space that usually cost the most money.  Since they do end up gobbling up most of your budget, then they need to have some “staying power”.  Curved sofas, serpentine tables, asymmetrical casegoods are NOT staples.  You want pieces that can fit in with the new trends, or move with you to the next place of residence.  

Things to consider, when dealing with your staples, is color, texture, and finish.  

Color... for your upholstered goods, stick with earth tones, white neutrals, or gray tones.  These will give you the most flexibility.  Yeah, that loud floral print sofa may be super cute NOW, but boy are you going to be kicking yourself in five years when the trend runs its course. 

Texture...this one is a little trickier.  If you don’t know fabrics and finishes well, this might be tough to get through, but be mindful of the way the fabric might wear over time and how it will withstand your abuse from everyday use.  Think about if you have pets, or kids, or husbands….that DESTROY EVERYTHING…lol.  I have all three and I love them to death, but when I buy stuff for our home these thoughts race through my mind…

Is it puppy proof!?

Will it show per hair ?

Is it easy to keep clean?

Does it fit the whole family?

Does it have potential FORT capabilites (kid friendly)

Is it husband approved?

Finishes are usually items with hard surfaces…. found on tables, countertops, nightstands, entertainment units, etc.  A finish doesn’t necessary mean a stain color.  It could be glass, paint, stone, stain, or metals.  For this I would just say you need to pick something that you think you can live with for a while.  I know it’s not much of a guideline, but don’t pick out item you think you might get sick of next year. 

Scale is very important in good design.  I understand that  this might be a hard to judge, but most of the time your gut feeling is probably right.  For example,  if it looks chunky it's probably too large, if it looks to dainty then it's probably too small, if you sit on the seat and your feet don't touch the floor, it's probably too deep and you will look like an old maid trying to wiggle your way out of the seat.  You will feel it when it's right.  MAKE SURE YOU MEASURE YOUR SPACE FIRST!, then go shopping.

NEVER BUY YOUR DESIGN STAPLES AS A SPONTANEOUS PURCHASE!

So that's it for your design staples.  Check back in for my next post on Color and Texture!  Happy Shopping, Ciao for Now! - Quintece