Furniture & flow with Tarina
Furniture. It’s not just about practicality, it’s an expression of your own style and personality. It helps make your house a home.
When choosing furniture, especially the big ticket items, it’s worth putting some time and thought into. You want to make sure the piece of furniture not only fits your style, but it fits the space. The last thing you want is a massive sofa you have to climb over to leave the room.
Thankfully, our amazing Interior Decorator, Tarina (oh.eight.oh.nine), has styled lots of homes and has shared her top tips to choosing your furniture and achieving continuity and flow in your home (Tarina’s also built her very own Homebuyers Centre home, so furniture has been on the forefront on her mind).
Tarina’s top furniture tips
When it comes to the expensive items, like a bed or sofa
Tarina recommends selecting a quality product in a neutral tone.
“Try to avoid trending, seasonal colours when purchasing anything expensive, unless you really love it and will continue to like it when the trend passes. If you want to inject some vibrance into your home, you can easily style each area using pops of colour in decor, artwork, linen and textiles.”
Sofas are a key piece in your home. Whether it be a movie marathon or footy on the weekends, it’s worth doing some research before you go ahead and spend the big bucks
Tarina’s top tips when choosing a sofa
Design
Try sofa designs with removable or reversible seat & back cushions.
“This way you can rotate them to maximise the life of the foam or feather insert and you can conceal any unexpected stains or imperfections, by flipping it over”
Fabric
Think about the durability of the fabric.
“Larger/thicker weave fabrics are more likely to pull and catch on sharp objects like pet nails, jean studs, jewellery etc. A finer and tighter weave won’t catch as much but it will show up marks a bit more than a chunkier weave.”
Style
If you’re looking for a light coloured sofa, consider something with legs.
“A sofa that is on glides (frame goes to the floor) is easier to keep clean in a darker colour because the bottom of the frame will get shoe marks across the fabric. If you’re wanting a lighter coloured sofa, consider a design on legs so there is no fabric at foot level.”
Loving these tips? Well there’s plenty more on Tarina’s blog. Check them out here.
Another item worth putting some thought into… bedside tables! Especially when you have a pair, you want to make sure they work for you and the room they’re in.
Tarina’s tips
Drawers are practical, particularly in bedrooms being ‘used’
Plus, they’re perfect for hiding away all the mess.
Think about the height of your bed.
“Compare the height of your mattress to the height of the table so they are similar measurements. Double pillow-top mattresses usually look better with a taller bedside, whereas low-lying beds look better with shorter bedsides.”
If you’re choosing a bedside table with a hinged/door design, remember the swing!
“Make sure you can specify opposite swing directions. If both hinges are on the same side, one will open towards the bed (rather than away from the bed.)”
When it comes to creating continuity and flow throughout your home, there is a few tricks Tarina relies on to create a cohesive space, and they’re all about repetition.
Repeating elements will help create a seamless and visually beautiful space. Whether it be with lighting, mouldings, artwork, accessories, shelves, cabinetry handles choices, the littlest detail can make all the difference.
Different ways Tarina brings a space together
Timber tones
See how the chairs at both the dining table and the kitchen bench have the same wooden tones.
Colour
The artwork from the dining room picks up the colours of the living room chairs beautifully.
Shapes
Note the curves of the dining room chairs, the light fixture and the bar stools.
Pattern
Linear patterns can be seen throughout this home. From the light fitting and shutters to the chairs, even the bench seating in the alfresco. All subtle but working together.
Interior hardware and trims
Black tapware, black window trim and a black light fixture are just some of the cohesive details in this space.
If you want to know more about how to use these elements to help your interior feel connected and harmonious, check out Tarina’s blog.
OR if you’re still in the beginning stages of your building journey, Tarina has also shared some fantastic tips to help you Prestart like a pro!
Have a read below?
Tarina’s building journey
Prestart with Tarina: Electrical and cabling
Prestart with Tarina: Window coverings
