From House To Home

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Believe it or not, everyone has a bit of artist in him or her. From the way you paint your rooms to the way you furnish your home, the interior designer in you begins to emerge. Take, for instance, a piece of furniture that lends itself to an impeccable whole-design element by relying on two distinct materials such as a suede-and-leather sofa or a wood-and-iron/metal/stone table, for example. “Furniture with exposed framing or with more intricate detailing allows us to be living in and within our art as opposed to living in our den and then having to leave our home and go out and seek art,“ says Sarah Barnard, principal designer, Sara Barnard Design. “Because furniture, when done well, really is art.“

Consumers are looking for unique pieces for their homes, and mixed materials offer just that. What is quickly becoming a popular choice for homeowners, furniture pieces with unique material design elements will have your rooms rejoicing.

Like a chef is an artist to his/her food palette, a homeowner has furniture choices to jazz up any room in the home. “To use the food analogy: burrata mozzarella served with Italian cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and ciabatta drizzled with olive oil is considered worthy of a high-end restaurant, whereas the same ingredients, but more common, are the same as an uncooked pizza,“ says William Stuart, owner, Costantini Design. Each distinct material used for construction and design of a singular piece needs to be strong on its own and work well together for common design purposes. In essence, sensitivity to furniture highlights the materials used. “The goal here is to highlight the individual character of contrasting materials; they stand out better if they are set next to a different material,“ says Monte McDermed, president/designer, Stoneline Designs, Inc.

An upscale leather-and-suede sofa, for example, works because its mutually exclusive textured materials complement each other. Leather offers durability, and the fabric gives a pop of color or interest to the piece.

We’re drawn to materials or mixed-media types of objects simply because they are more interesting; they imply care, and these different layers with furniture make it interesting. “It’s not that an item made of one material wouldn’t imply quality, but it certainly doesn’t bring as much interest or layers or personality as a piece that has balance. It really ties into the layers; they make it more fascinating and more intriguing and give your eye something to explore,“ says Barnard.

Make your walls livelier

Contrasting materials in furniture also can bring out elements to the room’s periphery. Paints and wall elements become bolder. Exposed maple on a sofa, for example, can bring out accents in a wooden chair rail or crown molding on the wall. The iron base of a coffee table can highlight the accents from a window-frame design, for example. “Mixed materials have been a popular direction in furniture design for the last year or so. They offer visual interest not only to the piece but to the entire room,“ says Heather Eidenmiller, Bernhardt Furniture Company. Also, mixed materials offer a design direction suited for your inner artist. “We use copper tabletops for a Southwest feel, crushed bamboo for a tropical feel, and pressed leaves for a more organic feel. The material selected will take a piece into a new design direction,“ says Eidenmiller.

So do we then sacrifice comfort for style? Most industry experts will tell you that comfort doesn’t have to yield to style. But sometimes style triumphs over function. “A piece that incorporates metal and wood is going to play on hard and soft—even though technically both things are hard—because we are going to get a high and a low, a flat and a sheen; then we’re going to get a little yin and yang out of the piece instead of just a block of wood. That being said, those of us who rely heavily on our visual stimulus will happily give up that little trade-off in comfort for something that’s just gorgeous,“ says Barnard.

Mix & Match

Mixed material used in furniture adds another element to your search for home décor. But choose wisely. “You can draw attention to the grain of wood or its color more by placing it on a metal base than by putting it on a matching base. The danger here is that if you choose poorly, you can draw attention to the lack of discretion you have used in choosing an uninteresting species of wood or a poorly constructed metal base. So make your choice of materials a good one or go conservative in contrasting components of one piece,“ says William Stuart, Costantini Design.

TIP

Follow these quick and easy furniture reminders:

• Look for materials that will complement your design style.
• Make sure you understand how to care for your materials. Most manufacturers have care and cleaning tips on their websites.
• Don’t be afraid to mix materials in your home; you don’t have to stick to the same material everywhere. Mix it up a bit!