Stylish classy and tasteful furniture has never been out of vogue. The changing trends in the Indian furniture industry have not been an overnight necessity; it has erupted and resulted from scores of motives like space crunch and need for multifunctional interiors. But what remains constant is the taste of art connoisseurs… Dr. Neha Miglani takes a look at the classy furniture market and latest trends…
Furniture can become a talking point in your home; or any interiors for that matter! Stylish, classy, tasteful, teakwood or royal furniture is an all-time favorite of connoisseurs who are fond of decorating homes and refurbish every now and then. Ace interior designers today face the challenge of meeting the ‘needs’ and ‘style demand’ of clients concurrently; and furniture choice could well be the most important one while designing a home or a commercial outlet..!
For one, the experts opine that the kind of furniture you choose has a lot to with your personality. Taste aside, the global forecasters cite that by 2019, the furniture market is likely to reach $695 billion and the Indian trends and market are equally exciting.
Several reasons have been quoted for the changing trends in the furniture industry. Rise of telecommuting is driving the demand for home cum office furniture. Digital is the future and scores of professionals have begun operating from home. Even professionals like doctors, architects, interior designers and software professionals would like to operate from home for obvious reasons. Cities have become congested, distances have increased and teleworking has become the need of hour. “We find increasing number of clients now opting for concepts like the ‘invisible beds’ which serve the purpose of sofas during the day time and change the look of room entirely into a living room and then convert into very usable beds during night time,” says Umesh Ghai, Managing Director of Paradise Decorators, a leading interiors and wooden flooring firm based in North India.
Second, the multifunctional and versatile furniture is gaining popularity due to space restrictions. The numbers of single and two person households have been on a surge and the demand for portable furniture is much more now. So consumers look for furniture that is multi-purpose, foldable and technology driven, particularly when it comes to compact spaces. “Foldable furniture has multiple benefits and perfectly serves the purpose of shorter and compact spaces. We design great classy furniture from the best of wood quality but most of it is foldable,” says Jeet Singh, Owner of Delhi based Guram & Sons, who deal in foldable furniture.
As the economy has grown, more consumers are willing to buy luxury items for their living and work environments. A major reason of changing trends is this! Credible world agencies have projected last year that the global luxury furniture market is expected to grow at a compound annual gross rate of 4 percent between the years 2015-2019. In the world market, Europe has the largest market for luxury furniture but even developing countries like China and India are not far behind.
“Clients with taste and flair for good furniture know exactly what they are looking for. We get several clients who specially demand gold and silver leafing furniture. We manufacture customized high-end luxury furniture items while keeping in view the budgets,” adds Varun Kaher, Owner of Holzer- the Furniture Boutique.
A latest trend is to go green! Furniture vendors have chosen to go green all over the globe. Many manufacturers and vendors are developing eco-friendly furniture. The trend is naturally driven by environmental concerns such as problem of deforestation. Green or eco-friendly furniture is more expensive yet the demand is rising. And this demand is enough to provoke manufactures and companies to offer these products. Interior designers and architects too have felt the need to capture the pulse of the clients and be nice to the environment at the same time.
An undisputed fact remains that there is always a market for old classic style furniture which has antique looks and is evergreen. “Trends in furniture industry keep changing but antique style of crafting furniture never goes out of fashion. We are now experimenting with modern blend with colours like white, green and others in the antique style itself and the response is phenomenal,” cites Punita Singh, a furniture designer who owns the brand Wood Wonderz.
“We make designer furniture in teak wood in replicas of oriental and victorian designs and also take orders for customised furniture. There is nothing to beat the look of teak wood textures, it fascinates by the freshness of its natural design and its lasting quality. We have chosen the designs and added our own ingredients in these for personal touch. Today’s life style demands not only functional but also beautifully designed furniture to soothe our home environment. Well-made furniture never goes out of style, and our creations are a classic example,” says Pushap Sidhu, owner of a high-end luxury brand of furniture in Patiala that serves to niche clientele.
We take a look at the classy styles of furniture industry in subsequent column….
Bizarrely Classy Styles of Furniture in USA
Furniture is the Gleam and Glam of office and work interiors… Only those with a flair for classy furniture can make a difference with style and panache through choice of furniture. The whole concept should have a well-designed, clean lined and timeless look. Hameeta shares the intricacies of good furniture…
Lately the furniture industry in USA saw a huge boost in business and eventually converted its showrooms into more visible consumer oriented sale centers leading to the shifts in the designs apparently. Yes, the style changes before your mood! But it is an expensive and cherished entity which cannot bear the force of ephemeral time and fleeting shifts in the trend making the ergonomist cringe. And you begin to envision and regret your own choices.
Well, if the question is about what are the prime considerations that we need in our home furniture? The one unanimous answer will be- COMFORT. It affects the way our body feels. The furniture should lend us something to lounge and something to perch with an embracing modern research. Secondly, it should be the piece of passion and creativity requiring minimum care, alleviating clutter and shunning heavily distressed finish. Thirdly, it should be built to last and cater to enrich the décor.
Navigating further to some of the modern classy furniture designs in United States of America, we take a sneak peek into these manifestations of elegance and refined aestheticism.
Modern
Representing cast aluminum, teal and resin wicker these chairs complement both indoor and finest outside garden furniture. Defining timelessness, sophistication, light-weight, casted to endure all four season climate and built to last. All five designs seem to mark the classy style, honing comfort and defining lumbar support. It can complement with any surrounding décor and cooed totally for laziness.
Sofa of all trades
An easy chair or a day bed must be simple, naïve and light, compact, casual and portable to elucidate your grandiose poise and taste. It complements your modern living room and lounge area. Infused hues, free from unnecessary rivet detailing, offering a casual solution to your issues of insufficient space and overlaying a close up prospective rendering across wooden planks targeting exclusivity.
Enignum Bed
Popularly knoiwn as an Enignum Bed, meaning mystery of the wood, it creates a resonation of cocooned feeling and protection. The bed is designed to give the feeling of deluxe and creating a sense of enlcosure offering a personal environment beyond its function. The Creator Joseph Walch says ‘Enignum gives more room for comfort and calmness’.
Storage Staircase Solution
It is a way to save space and make room for tons of storage. Equipped with a series of drawers accompanying with a ladder for the highest compartmenta and side rail for secure cimbing. Made of hardwood veneer, vertically ample spaced, augmented design and offering a casual solution. It is a must have furniture to save the time and space for the onerous and possibly impossible tiny and medium items in the house.
Book Tree
Having the bookshelf in the room makes you look smart and well read. Presumably you require a bookcase where you organzie your collections with a pride. Proffering not just a space for storage but also serves as a pire of decoration. The appearance is quite innovative and encourages you to read more and motivates you to keep you brain tree growing with the book tree. It is an indicative that the library is a growing organism. Casting an appeal of the daring design,go perfect with any walls and place anywhere attitude. It throws the spell of being eclectic, chic, unique and stylish.
Classic and Contemporary Interiors
It is not the choice of furniture alone but the total concept which matters when it comes to classy concepts… Ambica Joshi writes on stylish, contemporary interiors and guides how to cherish the timelessness of a marvelous intermingling of classic and modern…..
Our admiration for the antique and the utility of the contemporary has evolved into the perfect blend of the classic and contemporary style of furniture. It is said “live your life” king size and what a better way to live it than “owning” a furniture which make you feel so. Yes, we are talking about the old traditional vintage furniture which gives your space a touch of royalty and creates a charmingly rustic and warm ambience. If one of your design resolutions this year was to beat up your furniture styles, remember that mixing and matching modern pieces with traditional antiques can be an intimidating task for even the most seasoned designer or decorator. Then why try to mix and match modern pieces with their design counterparts, antiques? Because when it is done right, combining contemporary furniture and accessories with antiques creates authentic, multi-layered and charismatic spaces.
A luxurious extravagance coupled with mélange of memories which exudes a regal look and adds opulence to the space. The use of assortment of rare furniture pieces and antiques has an ethnic influence and adds to the glamour quotient which renders a sumptuous feeling. For example, the old traditional dining table not only adds luxury but also transforms the mood of the room hence making the dining experience more enjoyable. Few objects from the old traditional artifacts can equal the magnificence and dramatize the whole traditional vintage look. The splendor of these timeless pieces enhances the impact of the entire décor.
However, you cannot go overboard with traditional furniture alone. The current trend is of fusing the classic and contemporary styles where these two opposing modes in décor and design blend seamlessly and look versatile .The contrast with the modern furniture adds more appeal, comfort and gives a soft look to the interiors by keeping the aesthetic intact. The modern furniture adds the zing, an element of sophistication lending a refreshing look with a modern edge.
Remember, you should always design a space according to what you truly love. That being said, there are a few steps you can take to make things easier on yourself when tackling a project like trying to infuse old and new in one room. In a perfect world, no one would have to choose between modern or antique, and the two could live happily- ever- after in a harmonious balance. Unfortunately, more often than not the attempt to mix the two design styles leave your space looking more like a bohemian college dorm than a stylish and chic eclectic combination. This integrated look makes the interiors more alive. For example, using a modern sofa along with old traditional chairs balances well, and nothing looks over.
The combination of old and modern gives an appeal of serenity. This infused decor celebrates the glory of past and modernity where every line, every material, every corner is echoing with something and creating a style statement for your home and eventually your personal taste. It is all about what feels right for you, but you can have an easier time if you sit down before you design and decide whether you want to really showcase antique pieces, or it would rather be a museum of the modern. Take note of what kind of material your favorite furniture is made of, if they have curvy lines or straight ones and what colors and textures they feature. Keep this list with you when you shop and only purchase things that fit your design plan (unless of course you see something you just cannot live without!)