DESIGNER LOOKS FOR LIFE
You may know how you want your home to look but can’t afford to buy designer in one whole lot. Here’s how to chip away at a timeless look that will grow and adapt with your lifestyle
Here’s what to buy now to get started on the designer furniture-filled home of your dreams
DO YOUR RESEARCH Supporting authentic design will mean learning what to look out for. And authentic doesn’t always mean costly. “Once a design movement gains enough popularity, a market is inevitably created,” says Heather. “The pieces will bear some of the hallmarks of the original iconic designs, but are made to suit our lifestyles today. Take Scandi-inspired pieces for example, with blonde timber, clean lines and muted upholstery tones making their mark.” Take the time to find out where and how items are produced and pose these questions, whether you’re at a homemaker centre, furniture dealer or vintage markets. HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
Look at form, function and craftsmanship when you’re on the hunt for your hero pieces, and buy the best quality that you can afffford. This attention-seeking feature will be your room’s saviour. “Just one hero piece has the ability to elevate a whole space,” says Heather. “Your eye will go straight to the knock-out occasional chair and not focus on the old sofa. Or one incredible artwork will instantly make it about the walls, and not the worn rug.”
LOOK TO THE PAST
What if you’re really holding out for that Jardan sofa or Noguchi coffffee table, but need a style fix now? “It’s OK to mix budget vintage finds with designer pieces – in fact, it can add depth to your interiors,” says Heather. “A few well-chosen op shop or auction-room pieces can be a great way to avoid the cookie-cutter syndrome, where everything is shiny, new and, worst of all, matchy-matchy. Buy things that appeal to you, and they will work the higher-end items you’re saving up for – it just takes a little confidence.” Another way to go is to use a cohesive colour palette. “Those dodgy inherited dining chairs won’t look so bad next to a new dining table near a stunning sofa if, at least, their tones don’t clash.”
GO LOCAL
For timeless style and quality, it’s hard to go past going local. Australian design is on a world-class level and worth celebrating and investing in. “It takes a lot of time, effffort and expense to design furniture, or create great art, so our designers and artisans generally make things that will stand the test of time, using quality materials,” says Heather.