Instead of using ready-to-assemble furniture from a big box retailer, you can very easily locate pieces with character that are visually arresting and fit with your overall décor. From stylish credenzas and night tables to distinctive wall units and chests of drawers, statement furniture can transform a room to “the room” that everyone talks about. Out of the ordinary chairs, chaises, wine racks, and shelves can also create quite a statement in a room. Uncommon light fixtures can also give your living space some character and inspiration.

One design tip to keep in mind when styling your room is that the statement furniture needs to be the sole focus of the room; otherwise the overall look won’t work. You do not want to have more than one piece competing for attention. The goal is to achieve an overall aesthetic that provokes conversation and also works on a functional level.

You can incorporate statement furniture into any living space. Whether you choose to purchase contemporary furniture, designer furniture, or repurpose existing furniture, you can achieve the look you are aiming for. In addition to the visual aspect of the furniture pay attention to the fabrics and the colours. To give a specific example, when selecting an end table, bamboo gives a quite different impression than chrome and glass. Again, the statement furniture needs to be the room’s primary focal point to avoid a cluttered, gimmicky look.

Take a look at various contemporary furniture and designer furniture stores and showrooms. Read through some design magazines and blogs. After a bit you will begin to get a feel for which statement furniture pieces fit with your personal style as well as your living space.

Reminiscent in many ways to how a corset draws in a woman’s waist, the curved storage chest is elegant and delightfully graceful. The drawers match the shape of the curving sides and this focuses the attention on the chest and might also complement existing items and decorative arrangements already in place in the interior setting. The chest and 3 drawers are made from hardwoods and fabrics and have been influenced by the ornate classical furniture styles so popular in previous centuries.

Completely functional, the chest of drawers can be used to store bed linens, clothing, lingerie and various other bits and pieces. Situated in a bedroom, the chest can bring a warm highlight to an interior with its gentle shine and mirror-like qualities. Movement in the room will be subtly exaggerated and sunlight enhanced thereby making the space lighter. Small and understated metal ring handles complete the elegance of this curvy chest of drawers.

You can buy this furniture piece here: Sanctuary Three-Drawer Antique Mirror Chest.

Price: $1,449

Coffee tables might not be a viable option for other reasons than cost. For households with young children, the sharp corners of various table styles can be a hazard and thus often the coffee table is put into storage until the child is older. The dangers of the toddler damaging an expensive table are also to be contemplated. In small rooms, large tables can also be overbearing and so smaller versions or alternatives are much sought after.

The most popular and functional alternative to a coffee table is a series of smaller side and end tables which can be placed beside a sofa or armchair instead of in front. Circular tables mean there are no sharp edges to injure young children and the smaller size prevents the furniture pieces from overcrowding the interior.

Nesting tables are ideal replacements and can be stacked together and stored elsewhere when not in use. These types of tables can be found in various aesthetically pleasing designs and are relatively inexpensive. Tray tables with detachable tray tops are another possibility and are great for rooms where snacks are often consumed. These tables also lead onto imaginative pairings such as a tray perched on top of an old and disused aquarium turned upside down. This will provide a modern glass table style.

If you’re good with your hands and have a creative streak, then you can make your own coffee table from left-over wood or metal. Some of the most beautiful furniture pieces are rustic styles that have been lovingly made by hand and not always by skilled craftsmen. Do you have woodworking materials and a little weekend spare time? Give it a try!

Most chairs of this style are relatively simple in look and are imbued with neutral colors. In many cases they attempt to mimic more classical and complicated styles of furniture but hold back on the detailed and ornate features in order to be able to quietly blend in with their surroundings. Indeed, being rather inconspicuous is the nature of an occasional chair but with just enough looks not to become visually obtrusive.

The alternative to this type of furniture piece is something like a folding chair or a stool. However these are not as comfortable for visitors to sit on nor are they likely to merge into the existing décor of a room. Whilst occasional chairs might not be of the same style as much of the furniture in the room, they will be neutral enough to fit in nicely without any noticeable difference.

That said, if you have a Bohemian or eclectic style interior and you’re looking for something with a difference, then some occasional chairs can be found in brightly colored or highly customizable upholstery which will add a ‘wow’ factor to a part of the room. Some online stores specialise in these types of chairs and they can really add an eye-catching and funky accent piece to a unique interior décor style.

Occasional chairs can be used in any room in the home. Whether for a bedroom, living room, bathroom, basement games room or a dining area, the chair can fulfil a variety of roles and uses. As an exact definition, an occasional chair is more of a concept rather than a standard design type and this means that in the right circumstances, any style of chair can be used in this manner.

Made from solid walnut, the multifunctional furniture piece has been given a natural finish which highlights the natural beauty of the wood, grains and colors that are inherent to walnut wood. A gently carved seat is seen on one side of the table-cum-chest which offers both a comfortable seating position but also a pleasing visual ambiance to the structure of the table in general.

The Susquehanna can be used as a table one day and then as a seat or bench another day. It can be placed at the bottom of a bed, behind a sofa or used as a coffee table whilst also being able to be cleared of any items when visitors come and extra seating space is needed. When placed in a guest room, it can be used as a storage space for extra bedding or even as a toy chest in the corner of the living room which can then be transformed into a seating arrangement when needs require.

The options are endless and the various combinations of table, seat, bench and storage unit means this solid walnut wood table will always find a highly functional and aesthetically pleasing position in any home interior, for a great many years. It’s easy on the eye and will merge with a wide range of existing decor. Lift the top and front face to open up the space inside.

You can buy this multi-use table from here:

The Susquehanna Shimna Table

Price: $2,900

The majority of pine furniture found in the home is untreated meaning it is as close to its original state as possible. This provides a wonderful texture and aesthetic quality to the furniture piece where the natural markings and knots add substance and extra decorative charm to a room. That said, it is often wise to go for treated pine furniture if you have very small children, for the soft wood quality of the furniture can lead to splinters.

One can find pine furniture in a variety of treatments which means the pine chairs and tables can be used in multiple types of settings including the outdoors. Water resistant finishes mean benches and patio tables can be left outdoors without the need to constantly move them indoors or into storage. Although it’s generally wise to bring them in during the freezing cold Winter months, if possible.

For general indoor use, pine furniture is best in low humidity environments. In humid and wet parts of the country it is wise to look for heavily treated pine which will prevent natural shrinkage of the wood. Pine wood does stain easily and so it is imperative that care is taken not to spill drinks or place wet items on the surface of the pine furniture. With finished wood, be careful not to place cups with damp undersides on the furniture for this will likely create ring stains that are difficult to completely remove.

The length of the sofa is an important factor to consider. Most of us like to lay down on a comfortable sofa, at some point, to watch the TV or take an afternoon snooze. It should thereby be long enough to accommodate the tallest person in the family who is likely to make use of the new furniture piece. This detail can often be overlooked, meaning that the full scope of benefits a comfortable sofa offers can be lost when the wrong size is purchased.

Comfort is in the eye of the beholder, or rather, in the amount of back pain or muscle damage a person might have. People like different comfort levels and this is especially true of people who have back problems or are elderly. Sinking deeply into a big cushioned sofa will not be particularly comfortable for the aforementioned people. Therefore something firmer will be required. When buying a sofa, consider who will be using it most and then work from there. Sofas can be found in a wide range of comfort levels and there is literally something for everyone.

Another factor to consider what will improve comfort levels is the back of the sofa. As with the prior point regarding cushions and comfort, different people will like different heights. Once more, consider who will be using the furniture piece the most, their height when seated and any medical conditions they might have which would require a taller sofa back than normal. As well as this, take into account the look of the interior and how a larger back and its design would compliment the existing décor.

The materials used on the making of furniture play a large part in the comfort levels one receives from being seated on your new sofa. Whilst the look and texture of the sofa will largely be dependent on aesthetic and décor factors, there is also the way the material interacts with the body to consider as well. Some materials are not very beneficial during the hotter months of the year and can make being seated on such a texture, uncomfortable for any lengthy periods of time. Other materials also stain easily or can be worn quickly. Whilst not directly related to comfort levels, these last two factors will have an effect on your peace of mind.

If you keep these considerations in mind, you will be able to find the best sofa for your family’s needs reasonably easily.

E.W. Godwin was one of the leading proponents of this new style and this can be seen best in his Japanese style sideboard in the picture above. it has since become one of the most recognisable and famous piece of 19th Century furniture and at the time of writing resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It’s interesting to note that Godwin designed these Anglo-Japanese furniture pieces for both himself and for a few contacts of his such as the Mahony family who owned Dromore Castle in County Kerry, Ireland.

In many ways, Godwin and his fellow group of designers were attempting to get away from the ornate historical styles that were prevalent during the middle of the 19th Century. A spirit of the East was born in their work which covered furniture and also wallpaper design which was progressive in nature and found admirers in the form of Oscar Wilde, the Irish writer, and Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.

The sideboard above is highly geometric in form with plain ebonised surfaces which were to have great appeal to 20th Century Modernists. A lacquered wood finish adds to the starkness of the furniture piece and brings the structure of the sideboard to the fore. Japanese leather paper has been added which further compliments the sideboard’s Anglo-Japanese nature.

If you are interested in 19th Century design and how the opening up of Japan influenced designers in Europe, then a biography of Edward William Godwin is certainly a great place to learn more. One such book I recommend is: E. W. Godwin: Aesthetic Movement Architect and Designer.

There are 4 different patterns to the quilting on the front of the drawers and doors. Three are inspired by the flora and fauna found in meadows and country lanes whilst the fourth could be considered a representation of water or the curtains of a country cottage or farm house. The quilted red background of the wheat clusters contrasts well with the quilted black background that forms the basis for what could be strawberries or red petals of some kind.

The beautiful quilt front chest of drawers is similar in many ways to a quilted bedspread. Owing to the decorations represented in the quilted drawers and doors, this chest of drawers would look particularly good in a country house setting perhaps with weathered old floorboards beneath. However, that said, it would compliment a modern urban interior which needs an injection of color and country designs into what could be a white and bland space.

What I like most about this quilted chest of drawers is the differing sizes of the many various compartments. The inner child in you will be fascinated with what can be hidden and placed in each drawer, rather like a squirrel hiding precious nuts away for Winter. At the top, a tiny flat drawer looks an ideal place for letters to be stored whilst at the base a large square cupboard compartment can be used to store shoe boxes and bags.

The patterns of nature which appear on this quilt fronted chest of drawers will add a decorative element to a room which would not otherwise be found with more regular wooden storage furniture pieces. This means focus on intricate decorations can be moved elsewhere whilst the Jean Chest of Drawers fulfils two functions in one. It has form and function in equal measure.

You can buy this quilt fronted Chest of Drawers from this location: Quilt Fronted Chest of Drawers With Patterns of Nature.

The dimensions and price of this piece can be obtained via the page noted above.

In fact, this Nautilus Shell Writing Desk Office Suite was directly inspired by the colonial furniture found in the West Indies and has also been given the wonderful name of Sunset Key Rum. One can imagine a British or Spanish administrator sitting at this tropical style wooden writing desk filling out forms in the sweltering heat of the Caribbean summer. The woven arm chair, Lateral File Cabinet and Bookcase only add to the beautiful and historical style of the Nautilus Shell Writing Desk Office Suite.

If you have an interior similar to the Spanish-style setting pictured in the image above then this tropical style colonial writing desk set will be ideal. However, the writing desk set which is made from maple wood will compliment and settle well in a variety of interior styles and locations. As one reviewer mentioned, it’s a writing desk set that will look as equally good in a living room as it would in a home office interior. The exotic feel is heightened by the distressed Rum finish as well as from the delightful pineapple and woven accents on the table and chair.

The rounded edges of the Nautilus Shell Writing Desk are echo the shapes and curves found in the ship structures and architecture of the Spanish and British colonial designs. For anyone who loves to sit and work in a refined setting with historical and cultural symbolism, then this Nautilus Shell Writing Desk Office Suite with a decidedly tropical feel will make a great addition to their home interior.

You can read a lot more about this tropical style writing desk set as well as purchasing details here: Tropical Style Writing Desk Set Suitable for a Home Office or Living Room.

The set comes with added optionals as well.