Crowded sitting room fades out of fashion
YEARS back, it was fashionable to have a central coffee table with side tables. It was stylish to walk into a sitting room to a sight of chairs covered with crotchet chair-backs. A wall unit that was at the same time, cupboard and entertainment unit as it contained the TV set and radio, was also in
By harriet Birungi
YEARS back, it was fashionable to have a central coffee table with side tables. It was stylish to walk into a sitting room to a sight of chairs covered with crotchet chair-backs. A wall unit that was at the same time, cupboard and entertainment unit as it contained the TV set and radio, was also in vogue.
But this type of interior arrangement is almost forgotten. Joshua Mugoya, an interior designer with Iran Uganda Establishment in Kampala, cannot put it any better.
He explains that the trend currently is to have a small family that you can easily provide for. The best option is to have a coffee table that is elegant rather than a clutter of tables that would not be used.
“Because in a home, there will be fewer people, the concept of having side coffee tables is treated as an inconvenience, encroaching on space.â€
Mugoya adds that because of the desire to live in comfort, people can afford to buy different units like the entertainment units for the TV, multipurpose unit to store unique china, family photos and also provide room for a book shelf, instead of having enormous wall units that would over-shadow the sitting room.
He cites the current format of having separate dinning and sitting rooms as the main reason wall units are no more.
“In the past, the sitting and dinning rooms would be in one area with a narrow space separating them. A wall unit was the best option for separating the two. But in this era, wall units are unnecessary.â€
Regarding chair-backs, Mugoya says let the design of the seats guide you on whether to have them or not. If you have seats made out of a decorated fabric, do not use them. But if you must use chair-backs, he advises using those that have little or one type of decorative fabric.
“The guiding factor should be matching the decor of chair backs to that of the seats. Also, one must have a good number of sets of chair backs for changing when the need arises,†advises Mugoya.
Clean the chair-backs after two days, though this also depends on how busy the sitting room is. He recommends changing after six hours for an extremely busy one.
He also says the height of the seats guides you on whether you must have chair backs. For raised chairs and sofas, chair backs are needed, while for the low ones, use them only if you are creating a colour scheme.
“The chair backs to use are the netted ones,†says Mugoya. According to Macklean Mbabazi of Fancy Furniture, centre coffee tables are in vogue because of varied entertaining areas in many homes.
“People have bars for serving refreshments and these do not allow room for many tables as most sitting rooms are for conversation,†says Mbabazi.
She adds that chair backs are out of fashion, because they hide the beauty of seats that many people would like to show off.
Pauline Butagira, the Public Relations Officer, Akright real estate developers and an interior designer, says the crotchet chair-backs and adjacent coffee tables have faded in the modern world because of the desire for a practical way of living.
People now prefer to have sitting rooms that are clutter-free with sufficient room. When there is one central coffee table, there is more space to move about, adds Butagira.
“This clutter-free sight is more inviting to the guests as opposed to a coffee table and other tables besides it, that make movement to other seats in the sitting room difficult,†she explains.
She adds that moving away from the congested look of numerous tables in the sitting room is another way of improving on aeration. “With one centre table, there is more space left between seats that makes sitting comfortable. The arrangement provides a spacious atmosphere to stretch legs when seated, which the many tables infringe upon.â€
Butagira says since the sitting room needs to be comfortable and flexible, so that it can be re-arranged to suit a variety of activities, the in-vogue central coffee table placing is the perfect option as it allows more space.
About chair-backs, the interior designer says although covering seats with chair backs was to protect them from aging and dirt, this arrangement has gone off because of the alternative ways that have come up.
There are throw cushions that can be used to protect the chair and sofa backs. A cushion can be put at the back for leaning against, so that heads that were feared to stain seats, do not get in contact with seat backs.
Alternatively, fabrics that match and cover the seat backs with unique designs are substituted for the crotchet chair backs. Such fabrics have brought a unique touch of beauty to interiors, as usually they are in colours that blend with curtains.
Butagira says a central coffee table is in vogue as it is less expensive. And where one can afford it, strong glass or marble are used. The beauty of using a central table is that cleaning is easier.
As Christmas draws near, let your sitting room furnishing be clutter free and inviting for joyful celebrations.
YEARS back, it was fashionable to have a central coffee table with side tables. It was stylish to walk into a sitting room to a sight of chairs covered with crotchet chair-backs. A wall unit that was at the same time, cupboard and entertainment unit as it contained the TV set and radio, was also in vogue.
But this type of interior arrangement is almost forgotten. Joshua Mugoya, an interior designer with Iran Uganda Establishment in Kampala, cannot put it any better.
He explains that the trend currently is to have a small family that you can easily provide for. The best option is to have a coffee table that is elegant rather than a clutter of tables that would not be used.
“Because in a home, there will be fewer people, the concept of having side coffee tables is treated as an inconvenience, encroaching on space.â€
Mugoya adds that because of the desire to live in comfort, people can afford to buy different units like the entertainment units for the TV, multipurpose unit to store unique china, family photos and also provide room for a book shelf, instead of having enormous wall units that would over-shadow the sitting room.
He cites the current format of having separate dinning and sitting rooms as the main reason wall units are no more.
“In the past, the sitting and dinning rooms would be in one area with a narrow space separating them. A wall unit was the best option for separating the two. But in this era, wall units are unnecessary.â€
Regarding chair-backs, Mugoya says let the design of the seats guide you on whether to have them or not. If you have seats made out of a decorated fabric, do not use them. But if you must use chair-backs, he advises using those that have little or one type of decorative fabric.
“The guiding factor should be matching the decor of chair backs to that of the seats. Also, one must have a good number of sets of chair backs for changing when the need arises,†advises Mugoya.
Clean the chair-backs after two days, though this also depends on how busy the sitting room is. He recommends changing after six hours for an extremely busy one.
He also says the height of the seats guides you on whether you must have chair backs. For raised chairs and sofas, chair backs are needed, while for the low ones, use them only if you are creating a colour scheme.
“The chair backs to use are the netted ones,†says Mugoya. According to Macklean Mbabazi of Fancy Furniture, centre coffee tables are in vogue because of varied entertaining areas in many homes.
“People have bars for serving refreshments and these do not allow room for many tables as most sitting rooms are for conversation,†says Mbabazi.
She adds that chair backs are out of fashion, because they hide the beauty of seats that many people would like to show off.
Pauline Butagira, the Public Relations Officer, Akright real estate developers and an interior designer, says the crotchet chair-backs and adjacent coffee tables have faded in the modern world because of the desire for a practical way of living.
People now prefer to have sitting rooms that are clutter-free with sufficient room. When there is one central coffee table, there is more space to move about, adds Butagira.
“This clutter-free sight is more inviting to the guests as opposed to a coffee table and other tables besides it, that make movement to other seats in the sitting room difficult,†she explains.
She adds that moving away from the congested look of numerous tables in the sitting room is another way of improving on aeration. “With one centre table, there is more space left between seats that makes sitting comfortable. The arrangement provides a spacious atmosphere to stretch legs when seated, which the many tables infringe upon.â€
Butagira says since the sitting room needs to be comfortable and flexible, so that it can be re-arranged to suit a variety of activities, the in-vogue central coffee table placing is the perfect option as it allows more space.
About chair-backs, the interior designer says although covering seats with chair backs was to protect them from aging and dirt, this arrangement has gone off because of the alternative ways that have come up.
There are throw cushions that can be used to protect the chair and sofa backs. A cushion can be put at the back for leaning against, so that heads that were feared to stain seats, do not get in contact with seat backs.
Alternatively, fabrics that match and cover the seat backs with unique designs are substituted for the crotchet chair backs. Such fabrics have brought a unique touch of beauty to interiors, as usually they are in colours that blend with curtains.
Butagira says a central coffee table is in vogue as it is less expensive. And where one can afford it, strong glass or marble are used. The beauty of using a central table is that cleaning is easier.
As Christmas draws near, let your sitting room furnishing be clutter free and inviting for joyful celebrations.