Something New: Modern Furniture that Exudes Old World Luxury
November 4, 2009 on 3:26 am | In Articles | No CommentsI’ve heard it said a number of times: “Modern furniture is very chic, but it’s too cold and antiseptic-looking for my taste.”
I’ve always begged to differ.
Modern furniture is incredibly earthy — beds are slung low to the ground, and cabinets, sofas and hardware placement always follow gorgeous horizontal lines that are reminiscent of the horizon or the line of the ocean when one tries to see as far as the eye can see.
One needs to assess modern furniture with a studied and careful eye before making a purchase as it is often eye-poppingly expensive. And realistically, only very few of us can start out with a brand-new modern home such as those that exist in the pages of Dwell Magazine.
However, careful observation and thought will allow you to mix modern furniture harmoniously with your existing style home or with your existing decor. Just keep in mind (1) scale and proportion (i.e. making sure your choices are in scale/harmonious in size with each other), (2) materials (i.e. choosing materials that exude the same personality), and (3) balance. Always Balance!
One bedroom furniture line which exudes Italian style with a minimum of minimalism and a maximum of luxury materials is the Rossetto furniture line. I like this line because it is authentically Italian but priced surprisingly well. Most of all, its designers use a mix of material that allow modern pieces to fit in transitional interiors.
For example, the Rossetto Time case goods are more organic or feminine than the usual modern case goods, featuring curvaceous oval shilouettes and dark wenge wood veneers. They still maintain the strong horizontal lines which exemplify modern design, but the materials used make the line a lot more accessible to transitional interior schemes.
The Rossetto Fly case goods nod to nature with an an eye-catching Zebrawood veneer while Rossetto Win case goods – part of the Rossetto Interni collection – simply melt you with deep dark oak veneers in low to the ground designs.
I have to add, though, that, my favorite has got to be the to-die-for Rossetto Esprit bed in leather. This platform bed features a gorgeous quilted design that is earthy, organic and feminine all at once — a perfect foil to a modern interior!
Hankering for a bit of old-world luxury? Still think modern design is too cold and antiseptic? Check out the Rossetto Diamond Black lacquer nightstand with faux crocodile leather and Swarovski crystal insets and you’ll see “modern furniture” in a whole new light.
Here’s the lesson again: Want to incorporate modern furniture elements into your design scheme but are afraid it won’t “match?”
Pay attention to scale, materials and balance and you’ll be able to create rooms and vignettes that express your lifestyle and bring comfort and joy to your home life every day.
And “adding comfort and joy to your home life every day” is exactly what home and furniture design is all about, so go on and give it a try!
Applying the Principles of Feng Shui in Furnishing Your Bedroom
October 29, 2009 on 2:36 am | In Articles | No CommentsIn the last 5 to 10 years, there’s been a ton of articles in the decorating media giving advice on how to decorate one’s bedroom as a personal sanctuary that is sensual, comfortable and practical all at once.
These articles most often suggest following personal style and taste, encouraging readers to stick with the things they love. On the surface, this seems to make a lot of sense. However, why then do we sometimes decorate our bedrooms with pieces we love only to find a month or two later, that the scheme doesn’t seem to make us feel as comfortable or balanced as we thought they would?
What accounts for the disconnect? Could it be that “decorate as you please” is not useful advice?
Yes and no. There is ofcourse no reason why personal taste and style shouldn’t be a major factor in bedroom furniture choices. However, there are some fundamental design principles that must always be taken into account. These fundamental design principles are based on common sense and have been around for ages, but have been reintroduced to us here in the US under the popular label “Feng Shui” in the last 20 years.
For example, in bedroom design, furniture must be placed according to the bedroom inhabitant’s circadian rhythms. What does this mean, you may ask? It is a simple principle, and yet often ignored. If you like to wake up with the dawn, place your bed so that it will be exposed towards the East. This way, you wake up with the dawn, as the sun comes up. Conversely, if you like to sleep til 1 pm, try to limit your bed’s eastern exposure. Place it so that it faces North, or West.
By carefully considering furniture placement, you put yourself in harmony with your natural rhythms and will inevitably feel more in harmony with your bedroom environment.
The same principle holds true for furniture selection. What we are really going for is harmony with ourselves and the natural world outside through our furniture selection. Feng Shui advocates balance and harmony through a mix of elements: fire, water, earth and metal. Many furniture manufacturers sell all-wood bedroom sets, for ex
ample, which are often less successful because they carry too much of the “earth” element so that a bedroom is overwhelmed. If you have a wood floor, why would you want an all-wood bedroom set. Balance must be achieved.
One furniture line that does an amazing job of mixing wood and metal elements in what I consider masterful Feng Shui design is the Hillsdale Tiburon bedroom collection. Designers of the Hillsdale Tiburon line fully utilize Feng Shui principles, featuring beds with espresso colored wood with delicious metal accents such as silver, satin beige and magnesium pewter. Not to be missed is the Hillsdale Tiburon Bentwood bed featuring a headboard that curves upwards on either end, adding the water element to the strong earth and metal tones. This graceful wave-shaped curve is also echoed on the legs of espresso-colored wood dressers and nightstands, which are highlighted with graceful silver hardware that offers a luxurious contrast.
If you need practical storage, check out the Tiburon Bentwood with underbed storage. This style exudes the earth element by providing a heavy, grounded base in which to store extra clothing, again highlighted with the metal elements in the headboard and silvery rounded knobs which balance out the ensemble.
So back to the topic with which we started: By all means choose what you love when you furnish your bedroom and place your furniture, but keep Feng Shui principles in mind to create a balanced sanctuary in harmony with nature and the rhythms of your inner world. That will never go out of style!
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