Your chosen style of furniture, much like your chosen style of fashion or chosen style of car, can say a lot about the sort of person you are or aspire to be! Whether you mean to or not, when decorating your house you’ll almost certainly weave your life experiences and personality into the furniture you arrange. Perhaps you know one of these people, or happen to be one yourself!
The Traditionalist
You could walk into a traditionalist’s house and feel like you’ve stepped back in time – which is fine, because that’s how they like it. Their colour schemes are usually neutral and muted, and the sofas or bookcases are the stars rather than the television. The traditionalist has a love of beauty, but they’re a practical person too – their house is timeless and won’t ever need expensive redecorating! Plus all their tables, chairs, stands and shelves are built to last – you won’t find any flimsy, cheap furniture in the home of a traditionalist. It’s all curved, elegant, handsome design.
The Geek
The geek puts his or her interests front and center for the world to see. DVDs are displayed next to the television instead of stuffed in a cupboard, posters cover the wall, and there might well be a Dalek or a LEGO Millennium Falcon taking pride of place in the living room. But there’s nothing wrong with that – geeks rule the world now, and they want you to know about it. Their furniture is secondary to their displays, and usually stylish but understated – think leather sofas and TV stands. And there’s plenty of seating in a geek’s house – you need comfortable vantage points from which to play video games!
The Nature-Lover
Nature-lovers have eco-friendly, green (sometimes literally coloured green) homes. Their furniture will be made from natural materials like bamboo, or it will be upcycled, or even homemade. Everything will be positioned to allow the sunlight to enter the room. There will be plants, of course, and if the nature-lover owns a pet expect at least one room to be tailored entirely to it, perhaps it even has its own furniture! Don’t expect there to be too many gadgets in a nature-lover’s house – apart from maybe solar panels on the roof – but rest assured that it will be warm, comfortable, and clean.
The Parent
These people have designed their homes entirely around their family, and the result is a delight. Baby pictures and framed children’s art hang on the walls, whilst the seating arrangements are positioned so everyone can see each other, rather than the TV. Comfort is the key in this house – everything is warm and friendly, intended for cosiness rather than style. Expect lots of cushions, coffee tables and bookcases, as well as shelves packed with gifts and souvenirs from treasured holidays.
The Minimalist
The Minimalist is a lover of space, and every last bit of furniture they have is designed to fit seamlessly into it. Chairs can fold up to be put away, tables can be hidden away in the wall – everything else comes secondary to the freedom of a huge room. Their home office will be sleek, practical, and contain absolutely no mess whatsoever – there will be more room for gadgets like iPads than for potted plants or post-it notes. To some, this design seems clinical – but to the Minimalist it’s an absolute joy.
The Fun-Lover
Ever wonder who buys those neon ‘BEER!’ signs that you sometimes find in stores? The Fun-Lover does! And they make it work, too! Their houses are riots of colour, with movie posters, toys and wacky designs scattered gleefully around. Their rooms have ample lighting, as they like to entertain their friends well into the night. And their furniture suits no style whatsoever – their sofas could have been taken off the street for all you know. Nothing matches, and they’ve paid far more attention to the design of the entertainment unit than the design of the chairs, but – it doesn’t matter! Their houses are fun and, more importantly, uniquely them.
Whichever one of these you are, and whatever you choose to do with your furniture designs and arrangements, remember – make it all about yourself first, and only later consider what other people might think! It is, after all, your house.