Practical Pieces of Classic Contemporary Furniture You Didn’t Know You Needed

Equipping your home can seem like a fun task at the beginning, but picking out furniture and trying to decide which pieces will perfectly blend into your space can quickly turn into a nightmare. Furnishing a living space can be quite expensive, which is why many people tend to overthink their buying decisions when sealing the deal for the bigger pieces of furniture.

It is sometimes hard to guess which items will become old fashioned and which ones will be considered vintage in a few decades. Some people opt for futuristic looking furnishings in hopes that the style will remain modern in the years to come. Others go for that classic antique look, buying old fashioned furniture on purpose. After all, it can’t go out of style if it already is out of style, right?

Well, there is a middle ground and a mix to be made between the two. Decorating your home with classic contemporary furniture will give you that desired vintage look, while at the same time matching your modern pieces of furniture. Here are some practical pieces of classic contemporary furniture, which you have probably never considered buying.

An Ottoman

The ottoman was brought into Europe in the 18th century, originating from Turkey. This piece of furniture was named after the Ottoman Empire. Adding this piece to your living room is the ideal move if you are looking for accent furniture. You can choose one that is upholstered with a sophisticated and luxurious looking fabric so that you can match it with your classic contemporary furniture. The good thing about this stool is that it doesn’t take up a lot of space, so it will mostly be used as extra seating when you are having more guests than expected.

Ottomans are usually made to be soft and are placed close to a sofa, so they can also be used as a footrest. The soft, cushioned upholstery makes this stool comfortable for seating, unlike wooden stools with no padding. You can also find some ottomans with a hidden extra feature – inner storage space. Thanks to them, you can keep your living room’s clutter at a minimum and use them when you need to tidy up in a hurry. They are ideal for storing magazines, books, toys, sofa throws… You get the idea.

A Blanket Box

A blanket box positioned at the foot of the bed can be the accent piece of your bedroom. Much like the ottoman, soft and upholstered, you can use it both for seating and as a storage unit. That way, you can have all of your extra pillows and blankets near your bed so that you won’t have to drag them from your closet or the attic. Of course, the fact that it is called a ‘blanket box’ doesn’t mean that you should only store blankets, pillows, and bedding. You can store photo albums, clothes, shoes and everything else that doesn’t fit in your drawers and closet.

You can also match your blanket box with a bedhead upholstered in the same style or color. If you don’t have an armchair or another piece of furniture to mix and match it with, the bedhead is the ideal alternative. This way, you won’t have a lot of big pieces of furniture in your room and those that you do have will go together well.

A Dressing Bench

Perhaps when thinking of a dressing bench, you are imagining something that looks antiqued and more suited for a castle. However, modern design can make a dressing bench look like a piece of classic contemporary furniture.

This versatile piece of furniture can be placed in the bedroom, living room or hallway. With some soft padding, it can be used for seating in the living room. If your room is more spacious, it can be more practical than an ottoman as it can comfortably seat two people. The benefit of having one in the hallway is that you will have a place to seat when putting on shoes, instead of bending and kneeling on the floor.

And of course, much like ottomans and blanket boxes, dressing benches can also include a hidden storage unit. Keep the visible clutter at minimum!

A Loveseat

The name implies that this seat was intended for two lovers, however, this sizeable armchair doesn’t have a romantic story of origin. In fact, the reason a loveseat was big enough to sit two people was so that women could fit their ballgown dresses. These dresses were wide in the area below the waist, so it made sense that ladies wearing them needed bigger chairs.

Fashion is temporary though, so when women started wearing tighter dresses, these chairs could accommodate two people. It was at this time that people started using them as loveseats, where two lovers could court each other.

If you have ample space in your home, then can you can match your sofa with a loveseat, rather than having two armchairs. This seating arrangement can come in handy when hosting larger parties. It takes up a bit more space than one armchair and significantly less than two armchairs. If you place it strategically with the back to a wall, opposite or perpendicular to a sofa, your room won’t look as cramped.