Using design to create furniture with impact
Do you like to make a statement with the furniture and accessories in your home? Perhaps you own a legacy piece that’s been proudly passed down through the generations, or maybe you stumbled upon your favourite find in a vintage store. If you’re more of a low impact furniture owner and you’d like to make more of a statement, now might be the time for a few furniture design lessons.
What is a statement furniture piece?
Statement pieces are furniture or a home accessories like no other. It’s something that’s completely unique to you and reflects your signature style, favourite colours, tastes and personality.
Your statement piece could be:
Furniture with a wow factor that stops people in their tracks.
Unique to your family and with a very personal tale to tell.
A one-off piece with meaning that reflects your personality.
A bold blend of colour, pattern and/or fabric.
Above all, a statement piece is something you love and are proud to share with friends and family. Statement pieces don’t want to be hidden away, they want to sing out loud in your home!
What’s so special about statement pieces?
An effective statement piece lifts a space by creating interest and adds vibrancy to your home. They are items that spark conversations when your friends come round and could become something future generations will treasure. If you don’t have a family heirloom, why not create your own?
Statement pieces don’t have to be loud in design or bold in colour, but it could be something you decide to base the rest of your room’s decor around. My wife bought a yellow ceramic pineapple and redesigned our entire lounge around this one piece. I even had to design a bespoke cubby hole for it in our tailor-made shelving unit!
Can you create a statement piece?
It is possible to buy statement pieces, but where’s the fun in that? You can create your own statement easily just by adding your twist to an old piece of furniture. The sky’s the limit. Take a bland piece you already own and transform it into something you love. Imagine the reaction from your friends and family!
How to use design for impact
There are so many ways to use design to create distinctive furniture for your home. Here are four ideas from client projects...
Link the design to something you love - adding graffiti to a single leg was a subtle way to match a sideboard and dining table to a vibrant piece of modern art my clients loved.
2. Be brave with paint - use paint in a clever way to create furniture design that stands out from the crowd. My client gave me free rein to transform six brown chairs into works of art using different combinations of the same colours. I matched the coral pink to the homeowner’s wall colour and designed each pair of chairs as a mirror image using paint and pattern placement.
Unless you’re aiming for full-on maximalist design, if you go with something bright and colourful think about how the colours complement each other and work together to tone with the rest of your scheme. I often help clients with this, so give me a shout if you get stuck!
3. Design your own fabric - nobody else owns a chair like this because I designed the fabric and had it printed specifically for my client.
4. Add fabric or wallpaper where you least expect it - even in its muted tones, adding this soft-touch velvet to the cupboard interior creates a stunning backdrop for treasured possessions.
5. Start from scratch with bespoke furniture design and build - a surefire way to create something really special for your home is to design and build furniture to your specifications. With this option, you can incorporate all the design elements you love into a piece of furniture that is both practical and fits into your home. Take a look at my bespoke furniture design service.
Creating your own statement piece begins here
If you have hankering for impactful furniture design in your home, please get in touch to talk throught the possibilities. Whether you have a legacy piece awaiting transformation and design input or a bespoke build project in mind, there’s nothing I love more than a design challenge!