Most adults can relate to the universal experience of being taken to a bakery as a young child. Bakeries in particular have always had a special allure for children, as cookies, cakes, and pastries peer out captive from behind enclosed glass. With sticky fingers and anxious faces pressed against the glass, children know that the majority of cakes are comprised of a simple vanilla or chocolate cake batter, thus having little impact on a child’s desire. Contrarily, their sparkling eyes and hopeful hearts are immensely captivated by the exterior of the cake, in the form of thick frosting and colorful sprinkles.
These same children grow up, move out of childhood homes, and embark on securing and furnishing their own residences. All furniture has to be constructed in a basic, non-negotiable manner, as it needs to be safe, sturdy, and strong for everyday usage. This necessity makes a piece of furniture as generic as a cake batter. However, the metaphorical frosting and sprinkles of a furnishing comes in the form of a slipcover, accent pieces, and furniture placement.
Slipcovers are extremely versatile, can be utilized with various pieces of furniture, and are often purchased for different reasons. The type, fit, and style slipcover can instantaneously add impact to the presence of a furnishing. Slipcovers have the ability to breathe new life into an elderly piece, thus bringing it back to its infancy. Additionally, throughout the life of a furnishing, permanent scars of varying sizes and severities are often incurred. A celebratory splash of red wine on a white couch, chocolate fingerprints on a cream dining room chair, or a few drops of blood on a peach ottoman can leave unwanted permanency. Slipcovers offer an inexpensive fix to mask stains and blotches on furnishings. Finally, slipcovers can be utilized to change the theme of a room based on furnishings. A dining room with a country theme can effortlessly become modern, whereas a vintage living room can transform into romantic.
Small accent pieces can turn a generic piece of furniture into something more aesthetically pleasing and visually exciting. A piece of furniture can be accented with pillows, throw blankets, plants, vases, or lamps. Additionally, a larger, stand alone piece of accent furniture provides emphasis, demands attention, and goes beyond functionality. This piece garners attention while taking emphasis off of the other more common furniture pieces.
Furniture placement is a tool to make furniture a more creative part of design. Furniture placement dictates the tone for how a room will be utilized, such as whether it will be used for watching television, relaxing, or socializing. Scale, size, and form are other factors that can be manipulated via furniture placement.
Slipcovers, accent pieces, and furniture placement are all a unique type frosting that captures attention and excitement from generic furnishings lying underneath. Thankfully, these factors can invoke excitement in adults, as a really good piece of cake can do for a child.