Expect the Unexpected

A well-executed room often contains an eclectic mix of furniture that has been slowly collected over many years. It silently documents changing fashions in interiors as well as our own developing sense of style. It’s this organically amassed and highly personalised collection that gives our homes their unique looks as we pair disparate items – industrial metal chairs with marble-topped tables, slick modern sofas with over-stuffed chairs, junk-shop finds with designer pieces. Marrying items of furniture from opposite ends of the spectrum is a key principle of interior design today. Increasingly, we’re mashing up timeless classics with hard-edged contemporary elements and raw utilitarian objects with high glamour.

 

 

 

Every home should contain at least one major element that inspires a second glance and invites discussion about its design and construction. There’s no shortage of such eye-catching pieces this winter. Recently released in New Zealand, Philippe Starck’s innovative Masters chair features a silhouette with “an interweaving hybrid of shapes” and is available in six colours, including sage, mustard and orange. Ligne Roset’s Confluences range of interlocking seating, available at Domo Collections, was inspired by contemporary art and is “a playground of shapes, sizes and colours”. GeorgiGregg has the fantastical Org coffee table with multiple flexible polypropylene legs and a transparent top and at Matisse the witty Multi Leg Cabinet is an otherwise austere cabinet juxtaposed with a selection of mismatched legs.

 

The trick to incorporating such individual pieces with more conventional items is to make them seem like an intrinsic part of the whole scheme. So choose a design element in the cutting-edge object – such as a shape, motif or distinctive colour – and repeat it elsewhere in the room, perhaps in a fabric or artwork.

Sometimes being of the moment is less about adventurousness and more about restraint and understated principles. Davies Furniture’s Mintaro range in solid American white oak with a natural oil finish has a straightforward and uncomplicated design; their Alto range has a retro edge, featuring American ash construction and cantilevered cabinet boxes. The minimalist Newport bed at Rose & Heather is another stellar example of simple contemporary elegance.

 

 

  

 

Some pieces of furniture stand the test of time. Solid and reassuring, they anchor a room, allowing us to introduce more frivolous fashionable pieces. Look for finely crafted furniture that draws inspiration from the past, such as Halo’s traditional Kensington buttoned three-seater leather sofa. Constructed with 1700 hand-applied nails and a traditional hessian/burlap base, it’s built to take the knocks of family life. A classic sofa emblazoned with the Union Jack is a fresh interpretation of the Cool Britannia movement.

 

Locally produced pieces will always look and feel apt in Kiwi houses. Furniture made of wood reclaimed from old buildings has intrinsic character and a few nail holes can be evidence of a rich heritage. Consider pairing Philippe Starck’s polycarbonate Louis Ghost chairs with a recycled wooden dining table. Juxtaposing smooth and modern with rustic and aged creates visual and tactile interest.

 

Davies Furniture has a 50-year history of furniture-making using traditional techniques such as dovetail joints and mitred cabinet bases. Key materials are ancient swamp kauri as well as rimu, totara and oak. Pieces from the Classic Kauri Collection, including pedestal tables and curio cabinets, can be mixed with more streamlined elements such as the Componibili modular storage units, designed in 1969 by Kartell; their compact footprint means they’re useful anywhere in the house, even in the bathroom.

 

 

Demand for glamorous pieces is soaring now that we understand how to balance their opulence with more discreet items. Mercatini offers unabashed glamour with furniture by Christopher Guy – a British designer whose name is synonymous with luxury. Baker by Barbara Barry continues to project Hollywood glamour from the 1930s and 40s at Cavit & Co.

 

Lavishness, gilded accents and regal motifs – such as GeorgiGregg’s throne-like armchairs by Cornelio Cappellini ‒ are all part of the high-glamour story. Matisse represents the Armani Casa brand known for its luxury; see the Diana sofa upholstered in sumptuous gold Rubelli fabric and the limited-edition Aida desk comprised of gilded glass and bronze-coloured leather.

 

Then there’s the more restrained interpretation of glamour, an art that Le Forge has mastered. The ornate black base of their Christine stool is tempered with ultra-matt black suede upholstery and their curvy Louis-influenced chairs are de-glamorised with understated black linen upholstery – the 21st century way of introducing low-key glamour.