Home decor and furnishings are essential components in creating a cozy and aesthetically pleasing living space. Home decor focuses on artistic elements and aesthetics, while furnishings emphasize functionality and usability. Furniture is made to be used, while home decor is made to be seen. Both types of furniture are important investments that can last a lifetime, and they shape the appearance of a room for both functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Bee’s Knees Interior Design offers both interior decoration and design services, including renovations, floor plans, and creating new looks with new furniture. Furnishings, such as rugs, carpet, window, and door treatments, are more inclusive than home decor. Art furnishing offers a contemporary and creative approach to interior design, infusing modern flair into your space. Traditional decor exudes timeless elegance and enduring charm, with nostalgia, comfort, and lasting beauty as its key strengths.
Home decor pieces tend to be smaller in scale, while furnishings are larger statement pieces. For example, an area rug would be considered a smaller piece. Home decor can include items like furniture, rugs, window treatments, wall coverings, flooring, art, and more. Furnishings are a broader term than furniture, referring to items like furniture, rugs, pillows, etc. Furniture is more commonly used than home decor, but interior designers are more involved in the overall planning and design of a space.
Soft furnishings are a great way to add color and style to your home, and can be used in various ways, from curtains and cushions to throws and rugs. Understanding the distinction between home furnishing and decor is crucial for creating a cozy and aesthetically pleasing living space.
📹 Impractical Furniture and Home Decor Items
In this video, I go over some of the most impractical furniture and home decor items! Now these items may look beautiful, but they …
What falls under decor?
Home décor refers to the decorative items that make your home look nice, such as furniture, art, plants, and accessories. It can be easily changed or updated to impact the existing space, such as pillows, bedding, lamps, and furniture. Debowsky Design Group offers interior design services with all of their projects, working with experienced designers and architects to capture your style and aesthetic while ensuring you receive the best-in-class design. Many interior designers can help with home décor, and it is essential to contact them to get started on your design project.
What is the difference between home decor and home furnishings?
Home decor refers to decorative items like wall hangings, rugs, and pots, while home furnishings include larger items like furniture and appliances. Home furnishing includes furniture, curtains, rugs, lighting, artwork, and soft furnishings like cushions, throws, and blankets. It is essential for creating a comfortable and inviting home. Pisarto offers a wide range of home furnishing options, including discounts and free shipping, making it a great place to find great deals. Both home decor and furnishings are essential for enhancing the aesthetic appeal of a room.
What is classified as decor?
Decor refers to the layout and furnishings of a livable interior, consisting of paint, furniture, and ornamentation. Interior designers are experts in planning decor, while filmmakers hire production designers to organize it on various sets. In your home, your decor might include gray paint, knickknacks, bookshelves, and hand-me-down furniture. The term “decoration” comes from the French “décorer”, meaning “to decorate”, and was originally a theater term. The extent of your decor can vary depending on your personal taste and preferences.
Is furniture a part of decor?
Home décor is a term used to describe a variety of items that are used to enhance the appearance and ambience of a residence. These items may include furniture, window treatments, lighting, area rugs, wall art, mirrors, throw pillows, and other accessories. The incorporation of these elements can positively impact the mood and well-being of the inhabitants of the home.
Is furniture considered a decoration?
Furniture is a collection of movable objects designed to support human activities like seating, eating, and sleeping. It can be a product of design and a form of decorative art, serving both functional and symbolic purposes. Furniture can be made from various materials like metal, plastic, and wood, and can reflect local culture. Since the beginning of human civilization, people have used natural objects like tree stumps, rocks, and moss as furniture.
Archaeological research shows that people began constructing and carving furniture around 30, 000 years ago using wood, stone, and animal bones. Early furniture is known from artwork like a Venus figurine in Russia. The first surviving extant furniture is found in Skara Brae’s homes in Scotland, consisting of cupboards, dressers, and beds made from stone.
What is considered a furnishing?
The term “furnishings” is used to describe the various items that are included in the interior design of a room or house. These items can be broadly classified into three main categories: furniture, curtains, and carpets. Additionally, decorations such as pictures can also be considered furnishings. In order to achieve higher rental rates, it is essential to provide luxurious furnishings. This information is derived from the Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, copyright © HarperCollins Publishers.
What’s the difference between decor and furniture?
Furniture refers to the pieces of equipment that make up a room, such as beds, tables, chairs, and sofas, while home decor is the items used to make a home look and feel comfortable, such as paintings, rugs, and lamps. Furniture is functional, designed for sitting, sleeping, or storing items, while home decor is primarily aesthetic, adding personality and style to a space. Furniture is typically larger and more expensive, while home decor can be as small and inexpensive as a picture frame or candle holder.
Furniture is typically made of sturdier materials like glass, ceramic, or fabric. While furniture is essential for every room of a house, home decor can be achieved with only a few pieces. Both furniture and home decor can be confused, but they are distinct concepts. Furniture is larger, while home decor is smaller, focusing on adding style or personality to a space.
What’s the difference between furniture and furnishing?
The term “furnishings” encompasses a broader range of items than simply furniture. These items include rugs, carpeting, window treatments, and door treatments, and they are often considered to be a more inclusive category than furniture. The plural form is more common, as a room lacking furniture could still have drapery and floor treatments. The number of gold, silver, and bronze badges in the question is 4, 349, which is a comprehensive answer.
What does decor include?
Home decor is a complex process that involves various elements, including furniture, color schemes, lighting, and accessories. Furniture is the foundation of any interior design, and Remodern Living offers a curated selection of pieces that blend style and functionality. Color schemes can influence mood and evoke emotions, and Remodern Living’s palette spans a spectrum of hues. Proper lighting is crucial in home decor, and Remodern Living offers a diverse array of options, from ambient fixtures to task lighting solutions.
Textures and patterns add depth and visual interest to your home, and Remodern Living’s collection of textiles, rugs, and wall coverings allows you to experiment with different tactile experiences. Accessories are the soul of home decor, providing the finishing touches that bring a space to life. Remodern Living’s contemporary design philosophy helps you curate and arrange accessories to enhance the overall aesthetic and tell a compelling story within your home. By incorporating these elements, you can create a cohesive and inviting environment that suits your preferences and creates a dynamic atmosphere within your living space.
What is a decor?
The term “decor” is used to describe the style of furnishing and decoration in a house or room. This often consists of black lacquer panels on white walls. Such elements may be referred to as decoration, style, color scheme, or ornamentation. Additional synonyms for “decor” include “decoration,” “look,” “color scheme,” and “ornamentation.”
What is known as furnishing?
The term “furnishing” is used to describe the various instrumentalities, such as furniture, appliances, curtains, and rugs, that are necessary to make a home or area habitable. Notable examples include King Arthur’s Round Table, which was reserved for the knight who would find the Holy Grail, as well as furnishings and equipment for ships or hotels. Typically, floor coverings are composed of thick, heavy fabrics with a nap or pile.
📹 NEW HOMEGOODS SHOP WITH ME 2024 | HOME DECORATING IDEAS
NEW HOMEGOODS SHOP WITH ME 2024 | HOME DECORATING IDEAS Interior Designer: Kristen McGowan Come shop with …
I clean houses for a living and am constantly seeing how fixtures or materials do not hold their beauty. Marble countertops for sure get pock marks-doesnt matter if they are sealed. I would also add mirror switchplates (they always look like you have pudding on your hands), glass light fixtures that are open…they get dust on the inside and outside and you keep wiping and dusting and just streaking them. Also-unupopular opinion- glass shower doors if they overlap. Impossible to get that middle section and it ll grow mold on the bottom..chrome cabinet pulls- always have spotty hand marks
As a geologist, I can’t ever recommend marble, limestone or travertine countertops. These rocks aren’t much harder (scratch resistant) than our own fingernails and the mineral they are comprised of, calcite, is highly reactive and stains/etches easily. They just won’t look good for very long. Instead get a hard (silica-based) rock like granite or quartzite, NOT that material marketed as “Quartz”, which is made of sand (which is mostly the mineral quartz, hence the name) in a plastic “resin”. The lower-priced ones, especially, have very high plastic content, so have all the disadvantages of other plastic countertops. There are many natural silica-rich rocks that have a beautiful texture similar to marble, but not the unsuitable calcite composition. The salesperson likely won’t know which is which, but the manufacturer (quarrying company) will. A possible alternative for those who really want the marble look is the new, marble-look sheet porcelain products. I might do my shower surround with that. All those marble-protect products, “systems”, etc. are just plastic coatings, I don’t think they can be very good, and will themselves scratch and melt.
In the 70s when we had several rooms of wall-to-wall shag carpet, we had a rug rake, a tool specifically made to perk up the messy flattened shag every few days. Really. We vacuumed AND raked. Keeping it clean was impossible. Dropping an earring was a project. You can imagine my lifelong aversion to shag.
Finally an interior designer who doesn’t tell you that you need a rug under the dining table to tie everything together or anchor it. Also, if you have a dust allergy I would add ANY rug that’s not machine washable to the list. Something else that I find beautiful but impractical are chairs or sofas with low backs. Yes, they look gorgeous, but how are you supposed to lean back and relax when they only support half of your back? Maybe it’s just me, but it takes me about five minutes until my back starts hurting.
Agree! When my 5 kids were growing up, I could never have a rug under the dining table. Eww! But now that they are all on their own and I have a solid table, no leaves, I have a lovely, but durable, not expensive rug to protect my floors from chairs being slid in and out. Practicality when decorating or renovating, should always be at the top of our lists. Thanks for reminding us, Nick.
If you like low seating make sure you also have single seating for older folks. Standard Wingback chairs are perfect for that because they have covered arms and are quite sturdy. A rug in your dining room works if you choose the right one. I had a low pile wool red bokhara which was under the table and chairs. It was in the dining room with children grandparents 2 cats etc for over 20 years. Trust me every type of liquid has been spilt on it. Prunes wine gravies cat liquids. But you can clean most anything out of a good wool rug and if it’s high pattern and darker it will always look good. I could clean any spill from that rug. I now have it in the living room. Buy good and keep. It’s great to find these classic rugs in estate sales. Remember high pattern darker colors in wool will take a real beating and wool is fireproof. It will look beautiful for years! Try to get low pile bc they are easier to vacuum.
The thing I’ve never understood, and haven’t seen talked about in articles like this, is porous and/or textured kitchen backsplashes, like those rough stacked stones that were so popular several years back. I have enough trouble keeping my backspash clean and I intentionally chose smooth glass subway tiles for that reason (I also think they’re beautiful).
So many great points here that people just don’t think about when spending money on decor and furnishings! YES – low seating is rough on those of us with bad knees. YES – marble isn’t practical (I have quartz and love it). YES – putting a rug under a dining table or in the kitchen is going to mean frequent work/maintenance/replacement. Thank you Nick.
As a designer, function absolutely always must come before form. Decorative items in the kitchen should be minimal-if they are needed at all. A red kettle on the stove top, because you like the color red is always a bad choice if you never, ever use a kettle. It will just sit there and get nasty. If you NEED a kettle, going out of your way to get a red one because it will look better sitting out makes sense.
My biggest pet peeve in social media pics is not furniture exactly, but rather potted plants or vases with cut flowers ON TOP of books. It’s so likely you’ll ruin the books while watering your potted plants or when you put fresh water in your vase. Don’t do that, don’t do that to books 😭 (full disclosure, I am a former bookseller; but I also love and grow quite a few house plants)
This is 100% real talk! My 69 year old mother and I tried out the RH Cloud Sofa and while I thought it was heavenly, my mom was sinking into it and could not, for what seemed like an eternity while we died laughing and got evil eyes from the salespersons, get out of it. For something that pricey they should install a lift button for the elderly and disabled! I still dream about that sofa though!☁️
My number one pet peeve regarding impractical furniture has to be glossy, high shine kitchen cabinets, especially in combination with a push-to-open mechanic. Fingerprints… fingerprints… everywhere! Also something I will never do again is dark (in our case black) counter tops in an area with very hard tap water. Every single droplet will become visible if you leave it to dry on your surfaces.
Yay, someone FINALLY pointed out the problems with low furniture. My MIL had severe RA, and could NOT sit on anything where her knees were above her hips.. it was just too painful for her to get up out of the seat. My hubby and I have always been mindful of this, as RA runs in the family. I have long legs, and I hate getting up off a sofa or chair where my knees are above my hips.
I did an outdoor rug under our dining room table. The dining room leads to the back door/backyard. We have a dog and chickens and a garden and we’re constantly coming in and out through that door and through the dining room to get literally everywhere else. It looks totally fine and we can take it outside and hose it down or lightly pressure wash, hang it dry and it looks brand new. WAY less expensive than ruggable
The other problem with rugs under dining tables is that, if you’re like me, you might frequently be moving that table about, adding leaves or aligning another small table alongside (and covering it all with a big tablecloth) to create seating for holidays and other gatherings. The rug is then the wrong size for that extended table. It just makes the whole thing look odd, highlighting that you’ve shoehorned extra people in where you’d almost rather not have them.
Nick, I 2nd the low furniture. We bought an absolutely beautiful sectional 20 yrs. ago, We are now 57 and both the youngest in our families. Untanned leather, (softest you’ve ever felt ), Goose down filled seating and backing, Removable to fluff, etc…. And now Nobody can get in or out of it because it’s Low. I’d keep if we could, but your RIGHT, unkind for older guests. Out with the old, in with the new. Please folks, truly consider this when buying a statement piece. They aren’t cheap, and if you you want to be considerate of your guests….. Just Sayin’. Thanks Nick, For all the great tips!
I deal with environmental allergies, so anything that can’t be cleaned with water, vinegar, microfibre cloths or a quick steam is off my decorating list. And the net result of that is my home is much easier to maintain, in a lot of ways. Lately I’ve added more textures and I’ve noticed the maintenance creep up.
My #1 practicality complaint: Not giving enough space to use your storage. Especially if it’s something you access daily — remote controls in drawers, throws in baskets, cupboards in general, etc. If you bump into stuff or have to move one thing to access another, your storage “solution” is just not going to get used as intended. (And good luck keeping things tidy.)
The most impractical decor for me are empty vases or bowls on the shelves, consoles and coffee tables. They’re so trendy right now and it always irks me. Like what are they supposed to do? Collect dust? I stand by choosing items that are both decorative and functional otherwise they won’t have a place in my home.
The weird thing about the cloud sofa is that its usually styled in very modern spaces, undoubtedly because of its shape/lines, but because of the down and linen I think it’d look much better in a more rustic space where the wrinkling becomes more of an aesthetic choice. My sofa is a similar down+linen and I’ll fluff it just once a week, or if company is coming over, but that’s my space. Echoing Nick, I’d advise a stiffer poly fill and thicker blended fabric for anyone looking for a cleaner look.
Considerations for part 2 Basket type lamp shades. So very difficult to keep dust free. Not a great idea over a dining table. Textured kitchen backsplash at the stove area. Good luck cleaning off the grease after cooking Very small floor tiles with lots and lots of grout in the shower area. Get used to back breaking cleaning routines with this one. 😅😅
Remember the chunky knit blanket made from raw wool roving? When it first came up on Pinterest, I couldn’t understand why it became so popular! It is a nightmare to keep clean and similar to the cloud sofa, it will become ugly very quickly. There is a great article of a knitting website testing out that thing with samples and it is so fun to watch the thing getting just a disgusting felted mat of dirt and cat hair 😀
First, excellent timing. I was in a mood and you lightened it considerably. So thank you for that! Further, you are five for five. I have to spend wisely, so the cloud is a non-starter regardless. Even if I had time…just no. Had a bad back for years, and I’ve been the guest that couldn’t sit comfortably many times. Got over shag carpet back when my sister and I were teens in the 70s and she had to have it wall-to-wall in her bedroom. Candy apple red, no less. shudder I’m very happy with my quartz countertop. Just remembering my baking event yesterday…yeah, I’m good! And I have senior pets and serious allergies, so rugs are out. Forever. And I am looking forward to part 2. You might have a new series here, actually…
And I’d add those terrible Boucle sofas that are all the rage here in Australia. My friend bought a $4000 lounge just over a year ago with 2 kids, a cat and dog. It looks terrible now. Meanwhile I bought a $3000 Leather sofa 15 years ago and with a little maintenance it still looks great even after 4 kids and pets.
Hi Nick. Awesome article. I would add lightweight sectionals that are not hooked together. Good luck trying to keep the pieces from separating! Another thing is dining room chairs or kitchen counter stools that are made of fabric in a household with kids under the age of 10. Like Nick said about dining room carpets, these too will get destroyed by your kids’ messes! And yes Nick, please do a part 2.
Thanks for this. I’m a pastors wife so we often have lots of guests of varying ages and abilities. I like things to look nice, but also need them to be practical, so liked that you gave alternatives where possible. Both me and one of my guests were so embarrassed the other week when she couldn’t get up from my sofa. Unfortunately I have chronic back pain and couldn’t help so had to call my husband. Because of my condition I have 4 different types of seating and wouldn’t consider our furniture particularly low, but could definitely relate.
The Cloud sofa dupe at Living Spaces comes in velvet, I find since the fabric is a lot thicker it needs a lot less fluffing in case someone is still interested in getting one with a bit less maintenance. Also the covers zip off so you can wash them which is nice. (I swear I don’t work there, I just love my couch lol)
Thank you very much for a great website! I agree with almost everything in this vid, except the runner in the kitchen. If you actually use your kitchen the runner protects the floor against all the traffic and you’ll wear down the runner, which is easily replaceable instead of wearing down the floor, which can otherwise be a pain to maintain or renovate.
Nick, our previous house was a gorgeous contemporary. I bought a grey wool Florence (Mad Men) loveseat and thought I was gonna die. It looked awesome, fit the space, the wool was wonderful and comfy and easy to take care of. Oh my goodness I needed a crane to get off that thing. The seat height was only 16.5″ from the floor and I’m tall, my hubs is tall, our kids/grandkids are tall. Only the cats could use that loveseat with ease. We sold it for $200 when we sold the house.
Add to the list: open shelving in the kitchen with all your crockery on display. An impossible cleaning task unless you have a full-time maid. Flokati rugs. They shed wool big time and just increase your vacuuming time. stand alone baths. How do you get in and out of them? How do you clean around them if they are close to a wall?
YES thank you! I hate having rugs under dining room/kitchen tables (mine are the same table) for the reasons you mentioned but also the fact that the chair feet get caught on the rug and you can’t pull it out from under the table or push it back in easily with one hand! I find this so annoying when chair feet get caught!
Yes to a part 2! All these make sense to me, and I appreciate the acknowledgement of aging/physical disabilities on furniture choice. As for the marble – what about granite? I’ve had it in two houses and that’s stuff is indestructible – you can cut things on it, and even set hot pans on it. And if it’s a dark color, it doesn’t stain. I am having a glorious black and gold granite called Galaxius in my new house.
As a person with a bad back and knees, I dread going over to someone’s house where they like to melt into the soft, low sofas. I tend to sit on floor (informal party) or stick to dining room chairs. Guilty of shag rug purchase – never again. No rug/carpet under dining table for our family ever. I’m sure there is part 2 shortly behind this one.
Really happy to hear someone talking about the cloud sofa, my husband and I are searching for a sectional and we became aware of its popularity, but even without sitting on it, the down and the look of it looked like something that would get compressed quickly. We don’t like to sleep on down in the bedroom bc of it’s “mushy” quality, why would we want to sit on it?
Great vid! I do take issue with your recommendation of quartz. I got it because I was convinced I needed white countertops. Unless it’s perfectly clean, it looks grubby. Plus, it is not all that resilient. I can’t put a hot pan down on it. It can’t be cleaned with acids like vinegar (pH around 4), and acidic foods (coffee, wine) stain it. Basic cleaners like ammonia (pH 9) degrade it. I have to use pH 7 cleaners like oil soap and isopropyl alcohol to clean it. They work, but it’s a special setup for cleaning that I don’t use anywhere else in my house. My lower cabinets are dark stained oak, and I love them, I ought to have gotten with dark stone countertops, perhaps soapstone, or a dark granite. At least with granite, a good wipe is all you need to look respectable. Plus, in the Northeast, granite is literally falling off the hillsides.
Family members have a sectional like the cloud sofa as their only living room furniture, and I literally had to buy some sturdy, folding chairs to have a viable seating option to accommodate a spine filled with titanium. Not welcoming, and not comfortable, and for some, even insensitive to aging family and friends. Thank you for your practical tips. Let’s get EVERYONE thinking about universal design in their homes!!!
I looked down on my ikea shag rug with contempt when you started that section. 😂 I needed it to minimize the echo in my room, otherwise I wouldn’t have bought it because I despise rugs to begin with. It looked cute for maybe a week and then it went downhill fast. Additionally, due to my budget and the fact I wanted it for practical reasons, it was naturally relatively inexpensive and boy does it show. It’s hard to clean as well – as you stated. It might be the first and last rug I’m getting in this life.
Yes, love this topic! The rug under the dining table is, like you said, lovely, but not practical! Also, most people stick a rug under the table that’s too small. I can only imagine their guests are dragging the rug up under their chair because it’s caught on the chair legs….kinda like fluffing the sofa every time you get up!😂
I vacuumed multiple times a day under my dining table, my kids really know how to produce crumbs every single meal! I watched so many articles about “grounding” a space by putting a rug underneath and unfortunately it was not conducive with our daily functional & practical lifestyle. Thank you for acknowledging this, Nick! I have removed a rug in my living room too, only put it back on special occasions or when I am up for a challenge to clean it.
Totally agree – 200% – on each and every one of these! I talk about these exact, same topics – and comes from a life of my own “whoops experiences”. Function always has to come before design, otherwise the design will never look as you pictured your insagram picture of the room to look! Well done! Here’s another one – not having enough storage in a room for everyday living in that room. It’s time to be honest with ourselves. It cracks me up when there’s a really beautiful coffee table display in the family room, with a big pile of remote controls sitting next to it. (Yup, I’ve done that too). Or even a “sleek” coffee table with no storage, and with no coffee table display – EXCEPT for the “bouquet” of remote controls. Get a coffee table with DRAWERS! We all need those drawers. It’s ok to admit that. Along those same lines – replace those bathroom mirrors with medicine cabinets! Not everybody wants to see our old toothbrushes, toothpaste with the icky top, dental floss, face cleanser, make up, moisturizer, body lotions, toner, nail clippers, medicines, vitamins, teeth whiteners, hair gels, hair spay, comb, and whatever else we need to put ourselves together. It doesn’t matter how pretty that mirror is above the sink, if there is mountain of stuff, or bottles of stuff, piled up around the faucet. Unless you have lots of storage in your base cabinet, and are willing to take everything out of the base cabinet every time you use it, its better to keep that stuff eye level as your using it, so you put it back.
I would add wooden coutertops to the list as well. They are very popular in Poland at the moment and I’ll admit – they add this warm feeling to a kitchen, but I honestly don’t get it, how you can choose such material if you are used to cooking something more than water on regular basis… Although wait… Even water spilled on that and left for half an hour will ruin it… 😉 So basically one of the most impractical ideas for a kitchen ever.
The cloud sofa reminds me that decor items are so often designed for the instagram moment or for styled showrooms and not that practical. I used to be in marketing for THD and remember when I think it was Kohler came out with this glass pedestal sink, and I mean not just the bowl, it was all glass, the pedestal with the molded in drain (with S-trap) was solid clear glass as well. They had all these great photos, showed all these amazing bathroom shots. But it didn’t last long, as soon as you saw that you had to think “WTF are they thinkin” did it come with like a pipe cleaner thing to clean the visible glass drain clean. Think of all the stuff that goes down your bathroom drain, toothpaste, shaving cream, soap, all of which would show. Then yyou’d have kthat S-trap with standing water and stray hairs and stuff. Plus would you only use like distilled filtered water that would never have mineral deposits??? One of those things that I’m sure some designer was able to sell but what were they thinking.
This hit me in the aspiration, lol! Practicality is a hard-learned lesson. I had a gorgeous wood dining table that was too precious to use: the oils from my hand would interact with the finish, so I had to keep it covered with a tablecloth. What’s the point of having beautiful wood furniture if you have to cover it up all the time? Heartbreaking. Never again.
LOOK ASHAMED, LOOK AWAY !!! I had to stop the article right there to go get a towel to clean up my mess as I spit my drink out when he said this. I laughed and am still giggling as I type this. Yes love, I too am ashamed that I fell victim to shag as well and not to “schadenfreud” (sp) but I did. You being you can appreciate and love that. Love your personality and website. Keep making them and I will keep perusal. Thanks for making this old lady laugh, been a rough day already so really needed that. Have a great day !
I agree on you for the most part. 1 solution for the cloud sofa is maybe use it in a movie room/den where you only hang out once a week or something. For the shag carpet, totally agree! I can’t even vaccum mine without it getteing stuck. Marble is the bane of my existence. I had it in my previous house and I found myself hovering at people when we have parties just to make sure they don’t place it in the counter after pouring their glass. So when we built out current house, i made sure not real stone in the house(I lied, i still used it in my bathroom 😂). I still have a rug under my dining room table as I am thag anal about cleaning it. I also have a toddler who spills food on the rug. My solution is literally a dollar store cover which I place under my child’s high chair.
Thanks for sharing insight via your opinion and also your fails.. keeps me from making mistakes for sure. Also- I recently started shopping for a new sofa and side chairs. Then I injured my knee. About half my wish list disappeared just due to height and I decided moving forward it’s no more low furniture for me. Even if my knee heals I don’t want to risk having furniture my guests and I can’t use.
I have a rug under my dining table and it’s definitely doable, at least for me. I live alone though and don’t have kids or a partner, so I don’t have to worry about others spilling drinks or stuff all over it. I have a small table and the rug is big enough to where I can pull out the chair and comfortably sit in it without having to worry about it snagging on the edge of the rug. Sure I get crumbs on it sometimes from eating but that’s what the vacuum is for. If you want to do it, I say go for it
Great tips all the way around. I had a wool shag rug for many years. It looked beautiful when new. That thing shed horribly. There were giant fur shag balls all over the place. We did have it professionally cleaned twice with good success, but it’s expensive. We also had to rake it on a regular basis. So happy to be rid of it. Waiting now for our new rug to arrive. We made sure it would be easy to vacuum and clean. I love your website.
Impractical items for me is anything white or light colored. I live on a ranch in rural northern New Mexico with 3 dogs (one is 154 lbs), 3 cats and 9 horses. As you can imagine, my lifestyle doesn’t work with anything that can show dust, dirt or mud. Heck…I can’t even wear a white blouse or it’s dirty within 5 minutes. LOL…it just started snowing a few minutes ago, so I’ll be getting out the vacuum, broom and steam cleaner (yes, I’m addicted to my steam cleaner) and preparing for the tracks that will be coming in shortly.
Could you please collab with one of the many eco conscious tubers out there to do a spot light on some good sustainable designs and brands. Like they help collect info on actually sustainable companies and you give your best picks. I’ve been holding off on buying staples like a simple rug for my living room because most of what I’m finding is actually acrylic or polyester. I was intrigued by ruggable for a while because of the ease of cleaning, but then I learned more about the materials they use and have decided I would rather just pay more for something more environmentally friendly.
Thank you for this article and in particular the option of porcelain slab counters. I love porcelain, and I’m going with the marble look in porcelain, when we redo our kitchen. When we were furnishing our living room, I brought home fabric samples and rubbed them on our dog to see it the hair would stick. One of the smartest things I’ve ever done. No dog hair on the couch.
If someone really, really wants a rug under your dining space, look for one that’s rated for indoor/outdoor use. Most of those you can literally hose down if needed, and they are typically low pile. Another impracticality people often don’t think of is dining room tables made of raw or distressed woods often have grooves that act as crumb catchers and sometimes are even made of raw unsealed wood. I have worked in a Big Box Furniture store, and we had a table that looked beautiful but uhh…. TMI for the woes of retail and the things that can happen… it had a matching bench made of the same raw unsealed wood. We once had a woman sit on it who I guess was on her period and well… there was blood on the wood. We literally could not clean that off. We eventually sanded it down but that clearly affected the look of the piece, and the whole bench eventually had to be written off. While that’s an extreme case, think about that sort of a surface on a dining table (or even occasional table or nightstand) where you are going to put down a plate of food or a cup of water or something may be knocked over and spilled on. Beyond that I can only echo what was said about low and/or overly soft furniture. Again, having worked in a Big Box Furniture store, I can’t tell you how many baby boomerish and beyond guests come in and their main criteria for what they’d like in a sofa is that it is firm/high enough for them to comfortably sit on – and no, they don’t just want to “put a cushion behind your back” to fix it.
Love this article, thank you for addressing the needs of older adults. At 65 with osteoarthritis in my knees, I was very aware that I had to shop for a new sofa carefully. I measured what was a good seat height but also the depth of the sofa seating. I wanted to be able to sit back on the sofa without having to struggle to get up from the sofa. I also made sure my new platform bed was at a good height that I could swing my legs out and be able to have my feet flat on the ground. I bought my furniture online from a mfg that listed ALL the dimensions needed to make good decisions. They also list what furniture is child and pet friendly too. On the shag rug issue, Ruggable has a washable shag rug. Their rugs are great if you need to frequently wash rugs due to pets, kids or allergies. Their two part system keeps the rug flat and secure so you don’t catch your feet on the edges reducing a tripping hazard. You might want to mention ADA compliant hardware when selecting furniture with handles too.
Rug hint under dining table: a smaller pattern with multiple rich colors really can camouflage stains. Just be prepared, and don’t buy something so expensive you’ll be upset if an entire lasagne lands on it. Also: if you aren’t into multicolored rugs or you want a pale rug, just know you might need to let that rug idea go or replace that rug!
OMG..I’m looking for a new sofa (I’m in Europe) and the struggle of low sofas isn’t just for older people! Looking at the Hem, HAY, Noah Living, Studio Henk, Bolia, Bo Concept, Fest Amsterdam…and the list goes on…mainly low and highly impractical if you plan to stand up – but soo pretttyy… The search continues…
The other side of the low sofa is the back that their seat pans are often so deep you have to lean way back and so low that they offer no support for your back. Many are really only made to be comfortable when you lay down on them, not sit on. Love my Corian countertops they’re nonporous and impervious to almost everything. They look clean. They have a swirly pattern, I have no interest in trying to maintain an ultra pure white. To that end, I’d recommend a sink that is either stainless or offwhite too. On either side of the stove (on the other wall of the kitchen) I have two smaller pieces of beautiful granite on either side of the stove so I don’t have to worry about someone putting a pot or pan down on the counter. There’s no water on that side so there is limited opportunity to spill stuff and stain the stone. Half the year, the light reflects off the natural imperfections of the stone and the countertop around the stove looks like I haven’t cleaned it. I’m thankful that I usually have guests only for dinner-when there is no sun and the countertops look clean. A friend of mine has an entire stone kitchen that always looks unclean for most of the spring and fall and all of the summer because of the way the light reflects off the stone. This light angle on the stone problem can only be solved by bringing a sample home and moving it around your kitchen during certain times of day during certain times of the year. Good luck with that.
NICK! I was wondering if you would ever change your mind on marble. In a previous article you cautioned away from imitations, but I have to say that I found a laminate that has SUCH a convincing marble look that people often mistake it for the real thing. I get all the glory without the upkeep. PLUS, in 10 years when I want a refresh I can just swap it out. But once that heavy marble is installed….
I live in an apartment building and I’m the weirdo who carries my shag rug down the stairs and outside onto the public steps once a week to shake it out lol. I do it at night so I don’t bother people (especially those walking on the sidewalk) but it’s such a hassle and makes me feel silly (cos people definitely watch!) but living with a cat, it’s a must. The vacuum does NOTHING.
Great article! I wanted the Cloud Couch, but I couldn’t justify the 20K price tag for something that was so high maintenance and would likely look messy in my house. I also think you could add sisal and some of those other natural fiber rugs to your list. They look nice initially, but you cannot keep them clean.
Been there done that with the shag rug which led to buying the highest end Miele vacuum and Bissel portable carpet spot cleaner. (we have four long haired kitties!). Been there done that with marble counter tops…but in the bathroom on the vanity plus a penny tile marble floor. The floor isn’t too bad but the counter and other marble finishes are stained and I have no idea how to clean it up. Been there done that with a very soft down filled sofa, but it has more structure in the middle of the cushions and the down is the top few inches so it’s the best of both worlds. Love it! Love your vids!
One thing i have to roll my eyes over are those merino “chunky yarn” pillows and blankets and what have you. Like honey, that’s raw fiber barely holding together. It has no spin and no structure. It will poof down no matter what you do. In the best case it would turn into an ugly felted mess and in the worst case everything in your house will be covered by fiber. I have a dog that sheds and trust me, you would wish that your blanket would only lose that much fluff.
Thanks for the practical tips on impractical decor. I am gathering ideas for my kitchen renovation. I adore marble. I think I will go for quartz instead because realistically I am a disaster when I cook and the marble wouldn’t stand a chance with me. My husband calls me Honey the Destroyer. I have no rugs in my home other than two cotton rugs on either side of our bed. Easily washable. I have terrible allergies and once I got rid of the rugs my allergies greatly improved. Instead you see the gleaming beauty of my original 1940 oak floor. Now I don’t have to vacuum my rugs every day in a futile attempt to keep my allergies at bay. No low furniture for me as I have bad knees. Thank you for pointing out that when making home decor purchases we need to think not only of beauty but also of how practically we live.
Please please do a article on: “How to decorate an entryway that’s a straight corridor through the home”. It’s a very popular floorplan here in Australia. Some lots of land have the luxury of width, but most people aren’t that lucky anymore. I can’t decide whether to do the whole shoe-rack-umbrella-stand-bag-hook thing (ick) OR the whole console-table-baskets-underneath-mirror-above-candle/table-lamp-decor-houseplant-loveseat thing (which is just so old and tired). Looking forward to decorating a article on entry-way corridors that run through the house, sometime soon. Also, you’re my one true love. 😊😊
Back in the 1980s, my late husband loved chrome and glass and white furniture. The living room had white upholstery, and a huge square coffee table, completely covered with glass mirror. That table was impossible to clean! I would use window cleaner, and it would streak, then I’d have to move all the “coffee table books” he put on the table, then clean the glass sculpture on the table, put it all back without leaving fingerprints … and the next day it was all dusty again. Forward to 2021 … I don’t even own a coffee table.
A “disability”, even a temporary one can happen in a split second, especially for a klutz like me! I fell in my sister’s kitchen while stepping over her dog gate. I broke my left patella into tiny little pieces of bone last January. I had my hardware removal surgery last month, 17 metal staples were just removed 2 weeks ago. I am just now finally not walking with a limp. I am a 61 year old in otherwise excellent shape, former gymnast. I do take care of my things & keep them forever, so furniture that I buy today for my brand new house will be with me until my nursing home days!
Not sure I agree with the first one. I had an emerald/forest green velvet sofa I bought in Bahrain that was down filled and it was amazing. Looked rich fluffed or not fluffed. Comfort as all get out. Once a month or so I’d pull off the cushions and fluff and move around to give them full shape back, but that sofa never looked bad. Perhaps it was the fabric. A wrinkled cotton looks like garbage. A velvet, especially a darker color, just looks good no matter what.
Thank You! For being the only designer I’ve heard say not to use a rug in the kitchen/dining! So hard to keep clean! Also, kitchen counters… I’m quartz all the way now. If you actually use your kitchen you can’t beat it for the combo of being nice looking and easy care. I had white cement counters in my last house… Ugh! So pretty but Impossible!
I would like to know how Tuff Skin works. As a fabricator I actually heard about it today when a customer wanted marble and knew about it. Marble is no joke. Great for bathrooms or never used kitchens or like you said, you like the character and are fine with stains and a history. Just like limestone countertops. Very porous and very hard to take care of.
just want to comment on the quartz myth – quartz stains! I had a white quartz countertop in our last house, and by the end of the first year it looked like crap. someone spilled red wine on it once, and it was ruined. If you’re going to go with quartz and are expecting durability, it has to be a dark colour with variation to hide any signs of wear. There are more durable natural stone alternatives to marble that are better than quartz : Granite (you can get beautiful granites that look like marble, and if you go with a leathered or honed finish it looks nothing like the granite of the 90’s), Quartzite, Soapstone, Slate, Terrazzo slabs, and even some black or dark marbles will wear better than quartz. you can also get sintered stone products like Lapitec that are beautiful and don’t use any of the resins (the part that gets stained) that quartz does.
Part 2 please! I totally agree with the low furniture. Even though I’m not so old (yet), I do have bad knees and occasionally a bad back, so I’m very conscious of what is comfortable now and in the future. I live in Japan so low furniture is a way of life here, and when I was looking for a sofa my main requirement was that it wasn’t low and had proper legs (not seated on the ground), had a high enough back to lean against, had proper arms (not wood or something uncomfortable), and was firm enough to be comfortable to sit in (no cloud sofas for me) but not so hard as to be painful. It took a long time for me to find anything since all these conditions eliminated about 95% of all sofas that are available here!
I have installed new engineered hardwood floors. I am debating putting a rug in my kitchen (brought wood floors in there) and under my dining table, it order to a) protect the wood from moisture from the kitchen and b) save the engineered wood floors from dropped cutlery around the dining table. Does this make sense?
Man nothing makes my eyebrow twitch like going to scooch my chain in at a dining table and having it catch the rug 😒 i will say i love low furniture but I am also 5’1 so I actually have more trouble with large furniture…. I run into this issue where I have to choose if I want to perch on the edge or sit all the way back and have my feet dangle like a toddler…
The RH cloud sofa will usually look like an unmade bed in your living room. Also, soft is not good. It might be comfortable to lounge on but in the long run that’s bad. We have an RH deep Maxwell sofa with down cushions. I’ve had debilitating back pain for over a year. I was getting physio and chiropractic and X-rays, but after going on vacation a few times and having my back pain disappear when I’m away from home, I figured out that I can’t sit on my $14000 sofa.
In 1978, I bought what qualifies as a “low sofa,” and I still have it. It’s beautiful. But I NEVER sit on it, because as you say, I can’t get out of it. And at this point in my life, I much prefer to sit in a chair rather than (any) sofa. My sofa has worn quite well (never been recovered) but it only gets used when I have guests. Although it’s basically a mid century piece and the rest of the room is traditional/antique/Victorian, the combination works and I will never get rid of my sofa.
Hi Nick, We went to a carpet store and had a frise/shag area rug cut and bound. This rug is an incredible quality and off white. It’s so thick you can’t push your finger down in between the fibers to find the bottom. Made by Shaw. We clean it twice a year by slightly dampening it, sprinkling the cleaning powder, and then vacuum. Btw We have a smelly French bulldog. I’ll send you a photo of our living room and the rug.
Great article Nick, I love it! I’m totally with you on the low profile furniture – it’s so pretty to look at, but not always practical. My husband and I are not only getting older, but we’re both on the slightly taller side (I’m just over 5’8″ and he’s 6’2″). We love taller furniture and counters, it’s just more comfortable for us! I also agree with you about marble – I have quartz kitchen countertops and I would love to add to my existing backsplash, but I think quartz that mimics marble would be more practical. Thanks for your inspo, cheers!!
Your explanation about the shag rugs rang a bell with me, Nick. I didn’t have a shag rug per se — it was a longer-length pile that looked like ZEBRA SKIN! Yes! This was a few years ago when it seemed there were “animal” patterns everywhere. I had it under our bed for a few years after a room makeover, and I thought this item gave an otherwise traditional room a bit of edginess. I was disappointed in how quickly it faded, dirtied, and just lost that “new” look, even with only two people using the room. In the end, before a move, I couldn’t WAIT to get rid of it. Your explanation about the shag rugs was exactly what happened to me. Thanks for another great article!
Marble, granite, natural stone Anything mirrored, shiny, or reflective (especially shiny faucets) Stainless steel appliances Shiny finished manufactured wood floors Unsealed wood floors All-glass shower enclosure Fancy rugs you can use a vacuum beater bar on After cleaning homes professionally for 6 years, these are the most pain in the butt items/surfaces. They take a lot of work, are easy to ruin, and just aren’t worth it!
Hey Nick – The comments so far are just as hilarious as your article (“Don’t worry – I’ll be careful”)! In all seriousness, is there a “form follows function” kind of application to interior design/decorating? I love interior design and applaud the innovation of designers, but if something is that impractical (I’m looking at you, cloud sofa), I feel the integrity of the company producing the product or the designer pushing it is kinda diminished. As consumers, we want to love – not curse – the products we purchase to make our homes liveable and comfortable.
Omg thank you for calling out rugs under the dining room table!! I never understood this. I was once at a bridal shower and I accidentally spilled coffee on the rug and felt TERRIBLE and so embarrassed and was literally scrubbing the rug with the hostess while people were eating and stuff. Humiliating.
Phew! You saved me a big headache! I’ve been considering getting the marble-top Leilani tulip dining table from World Market. I don’t have kids, but yeah, it would kill me if a spill would damage it. I’ll be looking for a faux marble alternative or perhaps quartz as you recommended. Related: I do have a rug under my current dining table, but it’s never been a challenge to clean it. I recommend a low pile rug that is easy to vacuum clean or wipe with a damp cloth.
If you have doubts you can ALWAYS ask your mom or grandma what they think and they’ll always point out the impractical stuff you don’t see. Also: open shelves are cool for someone living alone in a little newyork appartment or something. I live alone in a provisional rented appartment and those open shelves are perfect for me. And I do like the aestetics
While I do see low furniture as a potential problem for some, at 5’3″, I find it perfect. My 83 year old mom has a bad knee, and has an issue with it though. Also a friend, 67 and 5’10″”, with an injured leg sat in my Bertoia Bird Chair (very low) and laughingly complained. I find it much more challenging and awkward to climb onto a higher bar stool, so have tried to practice a slower, graceful approach when doing so. Also, a friend’s guest bed is so high that if I were just a half inch shorter, would need a step stool. So I jump and lunge instead. Loving MCM for 30 years, I am used to all my low furniture, and am 63 with no health issues, so until there’s a problem, I am accustomed to it and totally good with it. Guests are welcome to all other seating as there is plenty for all. Always love every article from you, Nick! 🙌🏼😎🙌🏼
I’ve had serious back trouble since childhood, so I’ve always had to buy furniture with practical height and even had my counters raised when remodeling my kitchen. Also, my rooms are small, but have high-ceilings, and a lot of modern furniture is just scaled too big and too low, like that “Chair and a Half” that was so popular. I buy a lot of old used or antique furniture from the Victorian period of my home (also Boarding House era ones), their scale works well, they are inexpensive (at least the ones I have are, they’re nothing fancy), and they are made of solid wood, unlike modern furniture. They also work well with the architecture of my little house, which I think is important. Wood is so much lighter in weight than particle board, too, I need to be able to at least lift and move dining chairs around, I can’t with my fake Victorian Crate and Barrel set, bought used, the chairs weigh five times as much as my real wood ones.
Thank you so much for doing this article. A lot of the things you mentioned in this article is so true. I think another impractical piece of furniture is Boucle furniture . I don’t understand what’s so popular about this furniture. However It is aesthetically pleasing . I don’t think it’s practical at all. Happy holidays to you and your beautiful family.
Yes to low furniture being impractical/something to approach with caution! In addition to what you mentioned, people wearing skirts or dresses may experience discomfort.. That’s been my number one concern when it comes to low furniture in our living room (aka the room in which we entertain guests most often). Love your website!!!
Whoa! Slow down the speech, bro. You have so much valuable information and it’s worth hearing. Keep on, keeping on from one Canadian (born in Smithers, raised in Kamloops, live in San Francisco area, but in your parent’s generation) to another. Also, happy living in the Okanagan (I think that’s where you are?).
Totally agree about the low furniture. I’m over 2 meters (6’3″) tall and low set furniture is a nightmare to get up out of. I usually have to sit on the arm of the couch or stand when I visit folks with furniture like that. Guilty of buying the Costco shag rug as well. They look great until you realise your vacuum can’t clean it. Total waste of $200 bucks. Thanks again for a great article. Love the extra articles per week
We still have a formal dining room and do have an oriental rug in there. We put it in after our kids were grown and only use the dining room occasionally – mainly holiday dinners (remember those?) so it works ok for us. That said, we used to have wall to wall carpet in the eating area attached to our kitchen – it was awful! Between the cat and the kids, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it.