From the Floors Up

A Furniture Style Guide for the 20th Century

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Do you often wonder what furniture styles properly describe your tastes? Unless you took a furniture history course in school you might not know what style particular furniture pieces are. Here is a quick guide to help you recognize the characteristics from certain time period pieces.

Art Deco is a popular furniture style, originating in the 1920’s. Once you know what to look for it is easy to spot this type of furniture styles. Look for bright red, blue, orange and teal finish colors. This style used bold geometric patterns with sharp angles and the use of zig zag patterns.

Modernist was prevalent during the 1930’s and 1940’s. This particular furniture style uses simple and clean lines as well as contrasting colors. This style also uses contrasting textures as well. Popular color choices of this time are black, white, red and orange.

Mid-Century Modern is made up of clean lines. Minimalist design was very popular back then. Surprising colors were used. Look for pastel colors as well as blues, greens and especially rust colors.

Minimalist was the style for the 1960’s. Furniture design was heavily influenced by Japanese styling. The focus on negative space became apparent. Popular colors for this time period was the primary colors, red, yellow and blue; as well as black and white.

The 1970’s was a time for self-expression. There was a combination of hi-tech and natural elements. Bold patterns were used with earth tones. Brick red, avocado green, pink and rust were all very popular colors.

The 1980’s was an age of over indulgence and comfort. The furniture was large and upholstery pieces were overstuffed. Floral patterns and prints were very popular with bold colors. Jewel tones and pastels were popular color choices. Burgundy, mauve and gold were also popular color choices.

The 1990’s was a time where previous furniture styles were kind of fused together. There was a mix of Art Deco, Minimalist and Modern elements in furniture. Greys and beiges became really popular as well as the use of hunter and mint green. Peach was a popular color that was often paired with grey and beige. Natural elements such as metal and glass were incorporated as accents.

Have fun with this new knowledge!  What decade best describes your tastes?

Decorating with Comfortable Farmhouse Style

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Even if you don’t have a farmhouse style home, the style can work for you. Farmhouse is all about comfort with a nostalgic, vintage flair.  Found pieces from flea markets, estate sales and antique shows mix with comfortable upholstered pieces in either traditional or shabby chic styles.  It’s an easy style to live with and great for all rooms in the home.

This living room is full of charming farmhouse furniture and accessories.  The room itself is a standard design with wood floors, recessed lighting and crown molding.  It could be a renovation or new construction, and demonstrates how well farmhouse style can fit into a home. Neutral wall color lets the colors of the curtains, furniture and accessories stand out.

Vintage finds add character to the room. An old painted trunk makes for a charming coffee table with storage in the seating area.  Vintage inspired lamps throughout the room create lighting zones and accent lights for reading.  Comfortable seating in pretty slipcovers in natural linens and cotton make for easy cleaning.  This is definitely not a living room where you’d be afraid to put up your feet.

The wide plank wood floors offer a rustic charm.  A jute rug with a colorful border that coordinates with the colors of the room centers the seating area.

This living room shows how charming farmhouse style can be. Mixing in vintage and antique pieces let the homeowner’s personality shine through to make the room feel comfortable and personal. Fabrics and furniture further the feeling of comfortable farmhouse charm.

Adding Pops of Color

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If you follow design shows on TV or read design blogs (like this one), you’ll be familiar with the beloved “pop of color” used by designers.  The pop of color is that burst of accent color that adds life and energy to a design.  It can be a single color, contrasting colors, or multicolored. These pops are typically accent pieces and accessories.  Even a large piece of furniture in a color can be a pop of color if it is in a neutral space. More commonly the pop of color is something small that can easily be swapped out for another object, should the mood strike.

In this living room, predominate colors are neutral.  Neutral color upholstery on the chair, neutral wall colors, and the neutral carpet make for an almost monochromatic room. The dark brown TV stand/cabinet creates a focal point for the room.

While layers of tonal colors can feel sophisticated and chic, interest in this room comes from the small pops of color.  The purple accent pillow on the chair and area rug add a nice layer of color. The green and red bottles as décor on the TV stand/cabinet also add more depth.  Any of these colors can be swapped out and the effect would be the same.

Art on the wall introduces other colors to the room and becomes its’ own pop of color. The fact that the painting colors don’t perfectly match the other accent colors makes the combination more interesting and less matchy-matchy.

Design Solutions: Small Side Tables

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Small side tables are wonderful pieces of furniture that can add a place to set a cup of coffee or book in a living room. These tables are often set next to a chair or sofa in the living room. Because of their small size they are easily portable and can be shifted around the room.

 

Very small side tables are called candle stands and can hold no more than a candlestick or maybe a narrow lamp and a glass.  These diminutive tables can be squeezed into a small space that a larger end table cannot.

 

Placing them next to an armchair or sofa makes a convenient surface for a drink or magazine when the coffee table is just out of reach.  Placed between two chairs the small side table helps create a seating area that would work in a bay window or across from a sofa in the living room.  Using an area rug to anchor a seating area, like in the image, helps pull all the elements together. The side table can be on the rug or just beyond the border of the rug.

 

Small side tables can also be used as bedside tables. If they have a lower shelf or drawer it is even better as this provides a bit of storage next to the bed. These tables provide a place for a lamp, a glass of water and an alarm clock—the bedside essentials.  You can flank the bed with a pair of tables or two different side tables in similar woods or painted in the same color.

The Drama Of Stone

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When you’re gathering ideas for your home, take advantage of local restaurants and hotel lobbies for a chance to see different flooring and colors in person. Often new restaurants and other retail outlets will use the newest surfaces and combinations, and it’s nice to see their choices.

This restaurant really illustrates the drama a stone floor can provide. Although the pattern is simple squares, the variety of color and tone offered makes the floor a highlight in the space.

Do you have a large open format home? Rather than dealing with flooring transitions that can limit your décor options, consider making one flooring choice with enough personality to keep your home interesting for the entire living area.

Every type of stone has some differences, but some tone shifts are more dramatic than others. Talk to one of our salespeople to get a good idea of how much each type of stone varies from one square to another. For example, slate has dramatic shifts in color and texture, but most marble is pretty consistent.

With this mid-tone stone, you can go light or dark with your furniture and window coverings. This would also work with rich colors or metallics. One thing is certain; a floor like this will add drama and interest throughout your home.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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