I think 99% of parents are guilty of picking practical-over-pretty in terms of furniture. When you have kids you quickly come to the realisation that you home’s principle mechanism is to serve as an indoor Jungle Gym - your personal comfort & ability to relax within it drops pretty far down the list of priorities. Even if your own mother taught you all she knew as regards keeping a family home orderly, it is likely you’ll still find a healthy smattering of child-paraphernalia in every corner - be that plastic play-food or a lidless felt tip.
Try as we might to inject a little style into our homes, most of us end up with carbon-copy rooms. I put much of this down to the fact, those of us with little ones at primary school are likely to be 80s and 90s kids. Aside from pink bathroom suites and the introduction of synthetic leather and cheap wooden flooring into our sitting rooms, there wasn’t a great deal to get excited about interiors-wise. Far from inspiring us to do better, this has led to a strong desire to conform - perfectly evidenced by the sea of beige, white and black you’ll find in 99% of home-ware stores across the country.
So just what sort of easy tweaks will elevate our homes to locations agency standard?
Floor lamps
Oversized floor lamps are a great way of transforming a large space. Don’t be afraid to mix styles either - if you have a rustic or farmhouse-style room, it will take an industrial-style tripod lamp if the room is large enough - just plump for rose gold or copper in sunnier spots, rather than harsh chrome or steel. If you cannot reconcile the clash of styles, I’m also loving retro filmmaker lamps and oversized anglepoises.
This new addition to your sitting room is likely to cost between £500 & £1000 but you might pick up a bargain on an auction site, or via a dealer. Reproduction lamps might be slightly cheaper than originals too. As investments go though, they’ll hold their value so are well worth splurging on.
Chesterfields
Velvet or leather, they are still very much the must-have piece on location. Whether you plump for a traditional low-back couch, or a Chesterfield-inspired occasional chair, this distinctive deep-buttoned design looks the part just about everywhere. As more materials are now available, we’ve moved from traditional oxblood, brown and black, into pastels, primary colours and beyond - seeing Chesterfield-inspired furniture spill forth from studies, sitting rooms, parlours and libraries to bedrooms and bathrooms too.
Chesterfield couches needn’t cost you the earth either. You should be able to pick up some very reasonably-priced secondhand couches on the likes of eBay, and reupholstering costs are gradually coming down as demand grows. Otherwise, if you want a bit of Chesterfield without having to mess around with your living room seating, plump for an occasional chair next to a bookcase on your landing, or even a headboard for your bed.
Oversized mirrors
Huge mirrors are actually more affordable than you think. You can find them at antique fairs, markets or budget homeware shops such as Homesense or The Range. Prop them up against the wall to give the illusion the room goes on and on.
If you have little ones and worry about a freestanding mirror slipping across the floor, maybe a fully mirrored armoire will hit the mark. I love these, particularly in children’s rooms, for making the very most of limited space.
Coffee/Occasional tables
For the longest time Craig and I decided to go without a coffee table in our sitting room. It seemed a redundant piece of furniture, and more of a hazard for our little ones than anything else. But there are so many styles available, it seems stupendous to deny yourself a space to pop your coffee mug.
Whether you go Austin-Powers retro or opt for re-purposed suitcases, there is something out there that will steal as little or as much of the focus of your room as you require. Plump for clear plastic if you’re short of space so as not to distract the eye.
