Show off your lovely legs
Maximising available space is key in a new home nowadays. And show house designers have their work cut out in order to create that desirable pad guaranteed to seduce the first-home buyer. But how do they manage it?
Show homes always look amazing with their clean lines, pale backdrops, pretty fabrics and sculptured plants.
Hand-forged wrought iron beneath a clear glass table, clever use of mirrors and long legged furniture. That's it - the legs have it!
Slender tapering legs give a room a simple welcoming atmosphere, an enticing invitation and a clean sweep, exposing every square foot of beautiful floor space.
Designers long ago got it right with beautiful furniture on turned mahogany spindles, with gently sloping back legs. Look at Victorian armchairs on beautiful carved legs with pad feet and nicely turned ankles.
Slim-line consoles, pedestal coffee tables, Chippendale lockers, Shaker dressers, Cabriole dressing tables all stand out, because of their beautiful legs. These stylish pins, especially in functional pieces adapt well to modern homes and provide a pleasing focal point in any room as well as complementing up-to-date designs.
Ligne Roset designer Claude Brisson says that lifestyle is feeling "comfortable in your own everyday surroundings". So anything goes, mixing the past and the present is a matter of choice.
Of course the most affordable pieces are copies. But it is foolish to dismiss reproduction furniture, as it is usually fashioned in sturdy hardwood, is well-made and crafted from a beautiful and timeless design. State-of-the-art stainless steel creations have been inspired by them.
Richard Moyles, MD of irish furniture.ie, says there is a good range in solid oak furniture on sale in Ireland. He has noticed a trend towards dark wood and also painted wood in the French style.
His website provides a convenient way to source furniture in Ireland, saves time and gives a list of stockists near you.
Where to buy www.irishfurniture.ie
Ligne Roset, Arnotts, Dublin; Ellen Store; Limerick
McDonagh's Interiors, Ballybane, Galway
Higginbotham Ltd, Coolock, Dublin 17
Gilt Furnishings and Interiors, JFK Industrial Estate, Dublin
Rossmore by Sherry, available nationwide
