Decorating
Feel Good Home: 10 Pieces of Friendly Furniture for a Relaxed Home
Comfortable? Check. Friendly? Check. These enduring favourites will be loved long after the fashion finds have had their day
Our passion for design can lead us to place the fabulous over the friendly, and, while nothing knocks spots off a midcentury Danish chair or a classic Eames lounger, there is room in our homes for more anonymous but no less appealing pieces. Think friendly items of furniture – tables, chairs, dressers and more – that were handed down through the family or picked up at a market, or have been repainted time and again, through a lifetime of love and use. Comfort is key, sociability is central – make friends with these easy-going treasures.
Find a farmhouse table
Tables are large-scale pieces and can dominate a space, but while a strong-lined modern design will often stand out, a wooden farmhouse table will always fit in, looking warm and inviting. Flank it with a mix of design classic chairs in bright colours for a fantastically up-to-date look.
Tables are large-scale pieces and can dominate a space, but while a strong-lined modern design will often stand out, a wooden farmhouse table will always fit in, looking warm and inviting. Flank it with a mix of design classic chairs in bright colours for a fantastically up-to-date look.
Go for a wooden chest of drawers
A simple chest of drawers in stripped wood with traditional brass drawer knobs is a friendly addition to any bedroom. Here, it doubles as a bedside table, complete with lamp, candle and fresh flowers.
A simple chest of drawers in stripped wood with traditional brass drawer knobs is a friendly addition to any bedroom. Here, it doubles as a bedside table, complete with lamp, candle and fresh flowers.
Choose a chesterfield
The chesterfield, with its rounded arms and buttoned upholstery, is a timeless sofa design that puts anyone at their ease. Often covered in leather, a chesterfield can take on a softer, less gentlemen’s club look when upholstered in a pale cotton or rich velvet instead.
The chesterfield, with its rounded arms and buttoned upholstery, is a timeless sofa design that puts anyone at their ease. Often covered in leather, a chesterfield can take on a softer, less gentlemen’s club look when upholstered in a pale cotton or rich velvet instead.
Work in a Welsh dresser
Despite its name, this piece of freestanding storage has found popularity throughout the UK, gracing the kitchens of many a farmhouse. In this home, though, it’s obvious how a much-loved dresser can find a place in a more contemporary setting. By painting it a bold shade and sitting it in a neutral modern scheme, it looks right at home.
Despite its name, this piece of freestanding storage has found popularity throughout the UK, gracing the kitchens of many a farmhouse. In this home, though, it’s obvious how a much-loved dresser can find a place in a more contemporary setting. By painting it a bold shade and sitting it in a neutral modern scheme, it looks right at home.
Put your feet up on a footstool
No evening on the sofa is complete without a sizable footstool on which to rest tired feet. This classic buttoned design gets a contemporary twist, thanks to the rich yellow velvet upholstery.
No evening on the sofa is complete without a sizable footstool on which to rest tired feet. This classic buttoned design gets a contemporary twist, thanks to the rich yellow velvet upholstery.
Buy a classic bedstead
A traditional iron bed frame manages to look both romantic and comforting at the same time. This style of bed has been soothing us off to sleep for generations and, when finished in white, as here, will not compete with other design elements in the room.
A traditional iron bed frame manages to look both romantic and comforting at the same time. This style of bed has been soothing us off to sleep for generations and, when finished in white, as here, will not compete with other design elements in the room.
Seek out a sideboard
A home to everything from napkins to board games, and with space on top for displaying favourite objects, a sideboard is an indispensable and much-cherished addition to a dining room or living space. While midcentury designs look streamlined and sleek, a vintage version with chunkier lines will have a more friendly feel. Upcycling an old sideboard with a lick of soft grey paint can quickly transform it, turning this hardworking piece into a family heirloom.
A home to everything from napkins to board games, and with space on top for displaying favourite objects, a sideboard is an indispensable and much-cherished addition to a dining room or living space. While midcentury designs look streamlined and sleek, a vintage version with chunkier lines will have a more friendly feel. Upcycling an old sideboard with a lick of soft grey paint can quickly transform it, turning this hardworking piece into a family heirloom.
Double up on vintage basins
What could be more friendly than a double basin, so you can wash hands or clean teeth alongside a family member? Search for a reclaimed marble-topped piece like this, or take inspiration and mount two basins and classic brass taps in an old table for a vintage, friendly feel.
Discover why twin basins are twice as nice
What could be more friendly than a double basin, so you can wash hands or clean teeth alongside a family member? Search for a reclaimed marble-topped piece like this, or take inspiration and mount two basins and classic brass taps in an old table for a vintage, friendly feel.
Discover why twin basins are twice as nice
Treat yourself to a trad tub
With its softly rounded ends, underside painted a mellow shade and neat white feet, this traditional roll-top bath looks as warm as the bath water it holds. Find a reclaimed version or check out some of the many new models in this timeless design.
TELL US...
What is your ultimate feel-good piece of furniture? Share yours in the Comments below.
With its softly rounded ends, underside painted a mellow shade and neat white feet, this traditional roll-top bath looks as warm as the bath water it holds. Find a reclaimed version or check out some of the many new models in this timeless design.
TELL US...
What is your ultimate feel-good piece of furniture? Share yours in the Comments below.
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Once the classic choice for a gentlemen’s club, and often enhanced with a velvet-covered cushion, leather armchairs have been soothing our cares away for centuries. Find a vintage piece online or source a newly made classic. The leather will wear beautifully, taking on a rich patina and becoming softer with every sit down.
Learn how to choose your perfect armchair