You may have heard Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen say on his Radio 4 programme, Less is Less: Why Scandinavian Style leaves me cold, that ‘brown furniture’ is having a bit of a come back.
It is said that we British are finally realising that our native sense of quirky, fun and eccentric style has been conquered and subdued by those marauding blue and yellow Viking invaders to be found in all our communities.
There is an argument that says that old fashioned pieces do not fit with our steel and glass modern aesthetic but, let’s face it, most of us live in period homes and even those celebrities who suddenly make millions, including young pop stars, usually choose an old fashioned stately home. So why fill these homes with scandi-beige?
Take this 1910 Edwardian wing chair, cute and quirky as one of those worn Steiff teddies that everyone goes wild for. I can see this as a feature piece – you may want to re-upholster it but it will certainly be cheaper than the modern equivalent.
Small occasional tables are easy to fit into any decor – this is an Edwardian Tiger bamboo side table which would look great at one end of a sofa.
Sets of dining chairs can be bought for a song. The Edwardians had a go at all sorts of styles from Tudor to Art Nouveau so there are lots of basic shapes to choose from. The one above would probably be too heavy for most people but the silk postage stamp fabric used to upholster the seat lends a touch of light-hearted humour.
Same goes for this patriotic design – probably just one of these would be enough for most people.
Before you rush to add another Billy book case to the 60 million already sold worldwide – why not look our for something like this?
And set this little cutie against a freshly painted wall and you will feel like a grown up.
Like here, brown and beautiful. But hurry if you think you would like to reclaim your natural-born sense of style – brown furniture is very cheap at the moment but the best suited pieces won’t stay that way.
