Posts Tagged ‘contemporary’
i like funky and loud, i like futuristic, modern and retro..even vintage…. it gives me ideas to work with….. i’m looking for sites possibly similiar to delias.com and urbanoutfitters.com they have some cool ideas…but they dont have that many things…. [from wall stuff, to lighting, furniture, and bedsheets..]
Fashion trends no longer dictate the way we dress or decorate our homes. Eclecticism and contrasting style directions reign in home design. More and more people develop a taste of mixing contradictory furniture trends in their home decor, combining contemporary furniture with vintage finds and exotic art pieces.
Uncertain economy, the rise of natural disasters, persistent war conflicts and terrorist threats has resulted in the further insulation of people within their home cocoons. This cocoon lifestyle has given a boom to houseware and furniture industry, since more and more people turn to home entertainment and dinner parties instead of “going out.”
The “cocoon boom,” which originally started after September 11, 2001, transformed the modern home into a family sanctuary and hideaway. Casual living remains as the major theme with contemporary furniture today, with an emphasis on home entertaining and informal dining.
From modern furniture to accessories and dinnerware, people look for items that possess a strong sense of personal style. The casual living trend in modern furniture translates into multi-functional furniture with clear non-cluttered design and extended seating furniture pieces such as extra-long and curved couches and sofas.
Modern furniture today encourages family values, promotes quality family entertainment, supports traditional values and generally helps people connect. Another noticeable trend in home décor is a return to ‘formal’ for special occasions. People tend to make a greater effort preparing for special occasions or dinner parties and spend more time selecting dinnerware, candles, photo albums, seasonal decorations and table linen. Another important modern furniture trend is sensuality which means luscious fabrics, soft warm colors and simple shapes.
Many furniture items are adjusted for use for the targeted group of single men. This means sleek minimalist design and an emphasis on the use of multi-media applications. Flat screen TV’s are accommodated in hi-tech entertainment centers, and flat loudspeakers are incorporated into lean, spacious sofas, covered with dark trendy upholstery fabrics. This trend is also reflected in one-of-a-kind furniture items, such as art pieces having a functional meaning. Wide use of LED lighting technology helps transform a coffee table into a futuristic object that will change colors depending on a situation.
Speaking of materials used in modern furniture today, light woods still dominate. Oak, cherry, and birch are the most popular woods, with rattan and bamboo on the rise. Many woods are artificially stained to resemble exquisite tropical woods, for example, zebrano, mahogany, or palisander. A varnished solid front is often combined with a veneered body. Stainless steel, polished or brushed, and aluminum are used widely, often combined with innovative satin glass and boldly colored fiberglass.
In the upholstery, modern furniture designers favor refined large abstract patterns or sophisticated monochrome surfaces. Stripes and checks, as well as floral patterns are slightly out of fashion. The most popular materials are wool, cotton and leather, with wool felt gaining popularity.
The main characteristic feature of modern furniture is its understatement. Giorgio Armani, a couturier turned furniture designer says, that a subtle richness, not an obvious beauty, is most important in contemporary furniture design. Like a beautiful woman, furniture today reveals itself over time.
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The immense popularity of the retro themes of the 1960′s has unfortunately meant it has been a little overused. This has lead some style conscious homeowners to look back a little further to the 1950′s and even 1940′s for a historical reference point. Though paired together under the banner of “vintage”, the two decades did actually have quite different looks and nuances. Here we will take a look at both periods and see how simple it is to recreate the increasingly popular vintage look for our own homes.
Very much taking its lead from turn of the century British interior design, the 40′s style was still concerned with heavy use of floral wallpapers and fabrics. For a sincere recreation of this particular feature, look for wallpapers, curtains and cushions that contain daisies and rosebuds. Colours to include are pinks, greens and blues that have a grey tinge to them as colour schemes during the 40′s were generally quite muted. In keeping this muted look, settees should be covered in either cool green or beige velvet. If you cannot find a settee in these classic colours simply buy some cheap fabric in the style you want and have some slip covers made up. As in the case of Victorian style, a dark wood finish was favoured for furniture, however it was now much less decorative and more streamlined. Look for sleek sideboards in a dark wood finish for the sitting room and delicate dressers for the bedroom also in a dark wood to remain faithful to the 40′s look.
If it is a little less formality you desire then advancing a decade to the 1950′s will give you the same vintage feel but with a much lighter tone. Fabrics and wallpapers remain heavily patterned but now they are concerned with geometric designs inspired by new sciences of the period. Recreate this look with polka dot cushions and curtains matched with starburst or atom print wallpapers. All should be in sugary reds, blues and yellows.
Make your house as open plan as possible. The popularization of the television meant homes in the 1950′s were built in a much more open style than anything seen previously so that wives preparing meals could still be reached by advertising! The 1950′s home recognized the emerging importance of the kitchen as the hub of family life so lots of attention was given to their design and the appliances that went in them. Things to include in yours are a chequerboard vinyl floor, melamine fitted kitchen and lots of chrome appliances. The effect is purposefully quite brash as what you are trying to recreate is very similar to the American-style diner. A cheap roller blind will really finish off the look but if you really want to splash out why not add an oversize pastel coloured fridge-freezer- a real icon of the period.
Whichever end of the vintage era you lean towards you are sure to be delighted with the finished result. Vintage style is set to grow massively in popularity over the next few years and its timelessness will ensure your home is still looking top notch by the time vintage means 2008.
The Retro
If what you’re looking for is a quirky contemporary design, a retro style is most fitting. This concept incorporates psychedelic colors that made the 50s up to the 80s popular. Pop arts and lava lamps are also commonly found in retro designs. Retro accessories and furnishings are not hard to find. Aside from your local vintage store, they are certainly available at severalfurniture New York store.
The Urban
Homeowners who are living in the concrete jungles of New York almost always find their style affinity to urban designs. This design is also tremendously popular to young twenty to thirty-somethings living at high lofts and condos in downtown areas. Urban style is great for small spaces because most of the pieces are space-savers. Some of the urban pieces you’ll normally find in several furniture New York store are made with clean lines and black to light primary colors.
The Mid-Century
Another popular contemporary interior design is mid-century. Many of the pieces in this type of style are architectural and cubic. Like the urban style, almost all the furnishings in a mid-century contemporary style are space-savers. It is typical to see pieces with sleek lines and made from a combination of traditional and non-traditional materials like vinyl, glass and metal.
There are several homeowners who like a softer version of the mid-century contemporary style. They achieve this by incorporating pieces with soft edges and using mostly wood, leather and glass. Fabrics are also possible but reserved for pillow tops and minor upholsteries.
The Art Deco
If you’re looking for streamlined pieces with seemingly gleaming façade, art deco is right for you. Pieces you’ll find in this type of collection are free from any intricate carvings. The entire look for art deco is luxurious without being exceedingly formal and plain. When visiting a furniture New York store, be sure to look for pieces with white, ivory lacquer finish and made from mirrors, glass or metals. Wood furnishings, in addition, must be finished with lighter tones.
Mark Michael Ferrer
Furniture New York
Recent years have seen a boom in the development of city centre apartments and “loft style living”. Coupled with this housing phenomenon has been the explosion in contemporary, modern furniture in order to create that in vogue, up-to-the-minute stylish look. Not only that an increased number of people are adopting a contemporary style as their chosen design in what would usually be considered a more traditional setting. Mixing vintage with new and introducing an “eclectic style” being the order of the day.
The recent demise in the housing market has fuelled the increase in the purchase of contemporary furniture as less people are choosing to move house, and instead spending their surplus cash on restyling their existing homes. Whether they are looking for large pieces of furniture or smaller accessory pieces, people are looking for ways that they can mirror their personalities. Contemporary Italian furniture pieces offer just that opportunity. The lines are clean, sleek and streamline. The look casual, yet attention grabbing. The colours are bold, edgy, eye catching and trendy. The feel is chic, hip, and yet plain dramatic.
Contemporary Italian furniture is different from most other sectors of the market in as much as it can appeal to both sexes. Traditionally, it was women that bought the furniture for the home. But what is apparent is this style is attractive to the “bachelor type”, the single guy about town who has a smart, trendy city centre apartment. Men used to linger in the background, lacking confidence in making interior design choices; typically outsourcing the decision making to their wives and girlfriends. Now the stereo type 25-35 year old man is self-educated in what is trendy and what works in their home environment. Lets face it men have slowly become house proud.
Spoilt for choice the contemporary sector oozes masculinity, more so than any other sector of the market, without being detrimental to the female population. In fact it is safe to say that there isn’t another sector of the market that addresses the needs of both sexes in such a fulfilling way.
Noticeably, the eruption in the male need, “must have” large flat TV screens has helped in the upsurge of living room accessories, whether it’s a trendy entertainment unit, large comfy sofa or sleek and modern coffee table. The style of developments has also helped in embracing the popularity of contemporary Italian furniture. Gone was the layout of individual rooms’ that we’d all grown up with and very quickly we were adapting to the idea of open planning living. Walls were demolished in houses across the country with ease and speed and the birth of contemporary Italian furniture was quickly established.
Will the popularity of this type of furniture continue? I think it’s a given that contemporary furniture is here to stay. This style is now part of our lives and will continue to be so going forward. The market dictates strong growth in this sector over the long term and any product purchased can be considered a sound investment.
So be brave and experiment with strong pieces that suit both your personality and your home.
Tracy J Fearn
www.calligarisfurniture.co.uk
www.scapeoutdoorliving.co.uk