Of the many elements that transform a house into a home, a significant yet very often overlooked feature is the home soft furnishings. The best thing about home soft furnishings is that they are temporary finishings of fabrics on furniture, floor and windows that can be changed as per one’s personal touch. Soft furnishing’s interior design can rightly be done by oneself with proper knowledge and little bit of guidance. Through this blog, Gharpedia brings to you a wide snapshot of the importance of home soft furnishings, uses of soft furnishings, types of soft furnishings and soft furnishing materials.
According to Tugce Erguden (2012) (Author of “The Importance of Soft Furnishings in Interior Spaces. PilotStudy – Living Spaces”), furnishings are special and ergonomic products in people’s lives in order to conform to the type of an activity.
Home Soft Furnishings And Its Importance In Interior Design
Home Soft furnishings are the soft material fabrics that we use in home furnishings and decor to add character and reflect our own personalities. Soft furnishing interior design is usually temporary and cost-effective in comparison to other interior furnishings, which are permanent. As very few of us undertake the making or even re-upholstery of sofas, armchairs or beds; it’s the soft furnishing materials like cushions, shawls, throws, lampshades, tablecloths, drapery, curtains and bedspreads we add that change something mass-produced into something uniquely ours. Home furnishings and decor does not always require professionals or an interior design degree. Home furnishing and decor become an easy job with right the knowledge and understanding of the elements in use.
In order to enhance the interior furnishings of homes and to increase the level of comfort, it would be advisable to choose the right type of soft furnishings and home textiles that are tactile as well as beautiful.
How Home Soft Furnishings Cast Its Magic Into A Room
The best part of home soft furnishings is that they are movable interior design elements. Their placements determine the feel of interior spaces; hence, the importance of soft furnishings in interior design lies in the proper selection of soft furnishing materials and their placement. Below here, we have provided very basic considerations to be made while selecting the types of soft furnishings for doing home furnishing and decor solely.
01. Seasonal Changes:
Soft furnishings for the living room can be changed with the seasons, creating a light, airy style for the summer and a warm comfort zone for the winter. A sofa can be covered with a fleece throw, soft material for winter and cotton for summer. In the days before central heating, changing the type of soft furnishing was a normal practice in homes-with flannel sheets and woolly rugs for winter and cotton sheets and light floor mats for summer. Winter curtains were thick (drapery) to block out the cold draughts, but summer was a time for lace and cheerful cotton printed curtains. Nostalgia can be fun and there is always room for retro-style soft furnishing interior design in fashion.
02. Colour-Based Changes:
Colours have a great influence on the uses of soft furnishings in the interiors of a room, especially if the room is decorated in plain colours. A room could be painted off-white with unbleached muslin curtains and soft material chair covers, but still, be seen as colourful if the sofa and chairs were accompanied by soft furnishing material like an assortment of vividly coloured cushions; the floor boasted of a bright dhurrie; and the table lamps had equally vibrant shades.
To see how home soft furnishings can alter a room’s character, first, imagine a golden yellow bedroom with an iron bed draped with a rich red velvet bedspread and bolster cushions as interior furnishings; then change the bedding to a blue and white striped duvet cover. Now, hasn’t the whole mood swung from luxurious and exotic to fresh and breezy? Likewise, different types of soft furnishing materials govern the feel of any room. Put the idea into practice by using different fabrics and accessories in your bedroom to spice it up or cool it down to suit the mood.
Useful Tips for Soft Furnishings in Interior:
While choosing soft furnishings for the living room, choose cushions of the same style in different colours to give a harmonious look. Say, for instance, embroidered cushions in purple and olive would lend an exotic and inviting touch if used with deep rose chenille upholstery.
Takeaway:
In a nutshell, make your space more of you, by adding, subtracting and organising soft furnishing elements without much fuss; with the right choice of colour, material and soft furnishing element. Play with the elements of soft furnishings, but don’t forget to go with the aforementioned basics.
The next time you have a long weekend how about experimenting with your home soft furnishings on the lines given in this blog?
Learn more about interior design with below articles:
13 Unique Interior Design Ideas and Home Décor Inspirations for 2022
Which Home Furnishings You Should Fix Up or Switch Up To Improve Your Home’s Aesthetic?
Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.
