The hustle-bustle, the happening crowds, the party places, and endless opportunities: Big cities have them all.
Doesn’t it seem so perfect?
As appealing as it seems, living in a metro city is not an easy feat, especially in urban cities where there is cutthroat competition for everything, including space. It is almost impossible to find a spacious home in these cities!
Inevitably, to live an urban life, we have to settle for smaller houses. But does that mean you have to cramp up the apartment and have no fancy decor? No way, right…?
Today, we are here with 8 Highly Smart Furniture and Urban Interior Design Ideas for Your Small Urban Home!
Let’s get started!
1.Hidden Kitchen / Dining Table That Doesn’t Take Additional Space
Modern problems require modern solutions! Your kitchen and dining spaces are vital for obvious reasons. However, if you merge the two, you can save a lot of room for other functions!
For your dining table, choose a table that fits perfectly into your kitchen fittings. In this way, this one-of-a-kind and elegant solution frees up a lot of extra floor space and gives the kitchen furniture arrangement a more defined visual appeal.
2. Multipurpose Furniture
When you live in the city, you have to perform all your functions in your tiny space. When you multitask throughout the day, you need furniture that fits into the hustle. Multipurpose furniture is the best option for your urban decor! For example, you can use a plastic table that serves you during your work hours and then moonlights as a coffee table in the afternoon!
You can also opt for multi-purpose Chairs like the Italica Spine Care chair that can be used as a Work chair and a Dining Chair. Italica Spine Care chair is a premium quality ergonomic, comfortable plastic chair used for indoor and outdoor usage. One added benefit is that it helps you to improve your posture with its exceptional lumbar support!
You can also use this designer plastic chair with the dining table that fits into your kitchen settings and adds a trendy flair to your urban interiors!
A sofa bed is perfect for bachelors and small flats, and it can withstand the rigors of daily life. You can move such furniture around the home with ease. It’s a godsend when you have limited space and need a practical piece of furniture. It is the epitome of utility when it comes to modern urban decor.
Sofa cum beds are soft, comfortable, and easy to put together. The perfect solution for saving space with minimal effort and time- it is a functional unit with its sleek appearance and helps you keep a clutter-free home, as you’d expect from such a lightweight but robust piece of furniture.
We recommend this fantastic sofa cum bed for your urban interiors– Check it out here!
4. Sliding Doors
Regular doors take up a lot of space while opening and closing. Even in a closed state, you cannot utilize the space required to open doors. However, if you opt for sliding doors, you save that space! These doors are super compact and easy to use as well! These doors also look incredibly stylish! You can choose plastic sliding doors, wooden or even glass ones! This is one of the most brilliant urban interior design ideas you can implement for your urban interiors!
5. Utilize the Height
A lot of vertical space goes to waste when you don’t plan your home efficiently. Instead of crowing your floors, make use of the space high on your walls. Add high shelves to store your books or decor items. This saves you a lot of room, prevents ground-level obstructions, and is perfect for the urban interiors decor style!
If you have storage cabinets, utilize them for miscellaneous items that may clutter your urban interior!
Colors play a huge role in your modern urban decor! They can make or break the entire look of your home. To elevate your urban decor style and to make your home look bigger and broader, light and cool-toned colors are your best bet! White and lighter colors give an illusion of space and can make your tiny home look spacious!
Your home is always filled with miscellaneous items that you never knew existed! There are certain things you just cannot categorize! These things end up cluttering your space and causing a mess and chaos in your small home.
For such items, you should consider using plastic storage bins. You can keep all the things that are not of immediate use to you in these bins.
Check out Italica’s excellent multipurpose storage bins:
This trick is mostly for aesthetic purposes. You can also make your studio apartment look much larger by installing mirrors. Using mirrors to give the illusion of a bigger space isn’t a new decorating trick, but it’s a game-changer. This not only gives the impression of more space, but it also reflects light, brightening the room even more. Without having to renovate, this simple decorating trick makes your room feel brighter and more open. This elevates your urban interiors style quickly!
If you’re thinking about adding leaning mirrors to your room, keep in mind that style is essential. A mirror increases the amount of space and light in a room and doubles whatever is in it. It will help if you keep it simple because you want the mirror to represent a tidy, beautiful space. Focus on decorating a different area to prevent unnecessary clutter because a large statement mirror is already a focal point of the room.
Are you moving into a metro city and you’ve been thinking about decorating your new place but don’t know where to start? Read our detailed blog on A-Z Guide on decorating your home here!
Did you enjoy this blog? If you did, do not forget to share it with your friends and family. Comment below if you have any other unique ideas for decorating an urban home!
Did you know that your home interiors can literally control your feelings?
There may be several subliminal triggers in your home design that cause changes in your moods and mental health.
When we think of decorating our house, our primary goal is to achieve a certain kind of aesthetic. We want our homes to look beautiful and pleasing to the eyes that can wow everyone. Some people also focus on utility.
But what most of us don’t realize is that there is a psychological aspect that connects us to the style and decor that we choose that gradually affects our mind as well.
In this blog, we will take you through all the different aspects of your home decor that may be affecting your mood and overall mental well-being.
Psychology of Colours
The colour of your interior may have a profound impact on your psyche. Psychology of colour is a vast area of study for interior designers. Different colours can have distinct effects on your mood. Hence, it is vital to understand the proper usage of colour in interior design before deciding upon a colour scheme for chairs, tables or decor items for your home.
Red is an eye-catching colour and also raises the energy level of a room. However, it is a colour that can also induce anxiety and nervousness in many people.
Yellow is a warmer shade that is known to evoke positivity and energy. While using a lot of yellow in your home might make your decor look loud and bright, a pop of yellow with neutral tones might be a good idea!
Green is one of the most soothing colours for your home. It stimulates thoughts of peace, balance and immediately brings the idea of nature into our minds. Green shades are known to have a calming effect on one’s mind.
Blue tones can bring a sense of peace to your mind. This colour is the most recommended colour for bedrooms as it is often associated with trust, serenity and success.
Neutral colours such as black, nudes, browns, and whites make your interior colour palette flexible. You can pair these with other colours quite easily. Neutral colours are known to evoke feelings of balance, contentment and security.
Positioning of your furniture
The positioning of your furniture in your home determines your movement in that space. It is crucial to arrange furniture in a manner that is aesthetic as well as functional. If your house is very crowded, you might feel a sense of suffocation and anxiety more often than you realise. But at the other end of the scale, it is also not the best idea to line up your furniture against the walls and keep a large space in the middle. Set a focal point to arrange furniture, and a hero piece to set the room to organise it in a way that makes it comfortable to move around and enhances its utility without cluttering the space. If your home has ample space, it gives the illusion of abundance and makes the person feel satisfied and pleasant.
Ergonomics
Whether it is your home or your office space, the importance of ergonomic interior design is undeniable! Your workspace needs to be suited ergonomically to ensure maximum productivity. If you buy a fancy chair that goes perfectly with your decor but hurts your back within a few minutes of usage, it will make you irritated. Hence, it is advisable to use seating that offers excellent lumbar support. This aspect of comfort applies to other furniture as well. If you buy cabinets that do not have enough space to store your belongings, that may also cause anger and annoyance impacting your mood and behaviour in the long run. Hence, it is essential to focus on designs that are comfortable and functional for your workspace.
Natural Elements in Modern Interior Design
Being in proximity to nature can lift your mood and mental health in many ways. Having wooden interior settings not only elevates your style, but it also brings in the feelings of calmness. Indoor plants and greenery add to your mood. Like we mentioned earlier, green shades tend to have a calming effect on people and hence having a decor with Natural Earthy elements like indoor plants can make you feel fresh, rejuvenated and peaceful. The sight of plants also enhances your memory retention and inspires productivity.
Not only do plants look good in your home, but they also keep the air fresh. Floral prints, tropical prints or rustic prints are also known to boost your morale.
Health and Safety in Interior Design
If your home is not designed with safety as a priority, then it can build up a lot of irritation and anger. If your home is full of accident-prone sharp edges which keep causing minor injuries, such as the constant banging of your toe against your furniture, you may not be able to feel very safe in your own space. High Quality and Aesthetically pleasing Plastic furniture might be a great option to avoid such injuries and accidents.
The overall safety of your home may also affect your mental wellbeing. Hence, it is advisable to keep a proper locking system in your homes and install additional locking mechanisms on your windows and balconies so that you can live at peace without worry about the safety of you or your family.
Shapes and symmetry
Symmetry and shapes can also affect the overall vibe of your home. If you want your home to feel welcoming, you should steer clear of more angular shapes and use curves and circles instead. Curves and rounded shapes denote harmony and completion. Angular shapes represent efficiency, professionalism and balance. Symmetry also adds to the sense of balance and harmony. It is also aesthetically pleasing and enhances your mental peace.
Lighting in Interior Design
Whether it is natural or artificial, lighting is an essential aspect of home design. Extreme brightness can cause an overpowering feeling making you may feel suffocated and anxious. On the flip side, if the lighting is too feeble and dull, it can cause depression and anxiety. Your living room should be the most brightly illuminated, best if it’s natural light in the morning and strong artificial lights in the latter half of the day. The bedroom should have soft and cosy lighting to radiate comfort and relaxation.
It is imperative to design your home in a way that pleases both your mind and body. These are some of things that affect one’s psyche in terms of interior design that needs addressing during the planning stage itself. Your space should bring in comfort and make you feel like a safe haven!
If you liked this blog, leave a comment down below and share it with your close ones. Let us know in the comment section if you have any other home designing tips that benefit mental health!
Everyone has a unique way of styling and organizing their house. Some people might prefer functionality, while others might prefer aesthetics. But most of us might have to compromise on our small apartment’s interior design due to space constraints or budgetary restraints.
The common ground here is that we all want to live in a house furnished beautifully without cluttering our space. Sometimes, we might reach a point where it becomes impossible to declutter your home and keep it organized!
But don’t you worry!
We are here to spill some tips and tricks on re-furnishing your cozy space and decluttering it like a Pro!
Set a weekend and designated hours for your decluttering
We all have often thought of cleaning our cluttered spaces but ultimately have backed off because we were too lazy, to begin with. We know what you are thinking, and Yes, It does sound like your last weekend plan.
It is not the easiest task to come up with decluttering ideas for a small apartment overnight. Therefore, what you need to do in this situation is set a goal for yourself. Pick a day and designate specific hours for “decluttering” as a task in your calendar. You can put on your fav playlist on repeat and begin decluttering your space. If you are too lazy, then honestly, this could be a tedious task, and you might end up not doing it. So, call your friends and turn this into a fun mission with their help.
Planning it out beforehand
Once you have set a date and time, all you need to do is plan everything out! If you start without a plan, you might get overwhelmed and left with a decluttered space all over again. Go through one room at a time. Plan your room according to your decor goals.
For this step, you need to do some research. You have to visualize what you want your house to look like and Start decluttering according to a particular idea/theme. Search for ideas according to your taste and aesthetic. Imagine what you would want your home to look like! Do you have a certain aesthetic or a vision for your dream home.
Get rid of all the furniture that is old and broken
This is perhaps the most challenging step! It is essential to get rid of your old “not so used” belongings and create space for new and better things for your house!
might be some furniture that isn’t being used and is now a part of the clutter. It could be the broken ottoman that you keep bumping your pinky toe against every time you enter the living room, or that empty dresser you don’t need anymore. Hence, it is important to separate all those items, understand its usage, and discard/ resell the same to create some space in your house!
Get rid of all the things that don’t spark joy
This step has been sensationalized by the Japanese organizing GURU, Marie Kondo! In this step, you have to evaluate every item in your house. Take these items and analyze whether it brings you joy or not. If it brings you joy, you can keep it, and if it does not, then you have to let it go. In this process, we realize that there are many things we simply hold on to, despite them not adding any value to our homes.
Recycle and reuse
There might be many things lying around in the house that you might not have used for ages. Some of those items can be easily recycled, such as plastic (recyclable), glass, and paper. Junk mail and shredded paper can be easily DIYed and used again. You can recycle your paper items into paper mache and place them around your plant pots base. This helps your plants hold nutrients and water for longer.
Electronic items like CFL bulbs, batteries, and old TVs have to be recycled more carefully. These items contain toxins; hence they cannot be disposed of openly. However, there are shops and home depots that will collect your old articles and recycle them. Plastics are trickier to recycle. Check for the recycle mark while sorting all the plastic materials before you send them for recycling. Can you tell us a few more methods of recycling at home.
Donate items
Most of us end up hoarding things that aren’t of any use to us. Even though these items would be in absolutely good health, it might probably not be of much use to us. At such times, It is important to realize that donating these things would be much more beneficial to someone else rather than hoarding it up without using them. Instead of discarding, look out for an option where you can donate it to someone in need.
Upcycled Items
Another creative way to declutter is to upcycle your old things. If you have an old chair lying around, you can be artistic with it by painting and reusing it. Paste beautiful parchment paper on that dull old chest of drawers to give it a fresh and trendy look! If you start looking through the lens of creativity, there is so much you can DIY in your house! What are some of the things in your home that you would like to upscale.
Get furniture that are used for multiple purpose
If your space is small, it will get cluttered more easily! The key is to economize your area and think through before you get your furniture. Before you buy any furniture, pause and think if it adds any value to your home. if this piece of furniture will be used daily, or if it will fit in your house, in terms of size and aesthetics. If the answer is NO, you want to invest in a piece of furniture that serves more than one purpose.
A perfect idea in this situation is to buy multipurpose furniture items. One of the best examples will be Italica Coffee Table that can be used as a coffee/ tea in the morning, be eye candy for your guests, or be used as a cozy dining table for date nights. Investing in multipurpose furniture helps you to save space and money!
Organize/ Categorize your belongings
Cluttering is caused by small items that are scattered everywhere. Right from big things to small, start organizing everything with a label on it. Once you are done with sorting and categorizing, you need to designate a space for each and everything you own into storage crates/ boxes/ bins.
The hardest part is to maintain that categorization as time goes by. Therefore, you need to segregate the belongings in storage bins to keep your belongings separate. Keep your work papers in one paper organizing tray, your art supplies in respective organizers, a separate box for your medical equipment, and so on. You can decorate your storage bins and add labels to make them look more appealing and aesthetically coordinated.
You can also use such storage bins in your wardrobe to sort your clothing items into categories and minimize the mess! Even after categorizing everything, there will be many things that do not fall under any category. These things may not be indispensable. For such items, you can create a miscellaneous box with all the uncategorized stuff so that it will stay out of your way.
Arrange your furniture creatively
After you have decluttered, you would wonder how to decorate your studio apartment. There is no definite way to arrange your furniture, but you can certainly play around with them. So, place them in a way that they complement each other and the overall decor. No two furniture pieces should be kept close to each other, and there should be enough wiggle space around the furniture.
This is important because free space around the furniture will make your home look spacious than it is. Another critical thing to remember here is that you may feel like adding new items to your space as time goes by. Keep that in mind and furnish your place with some room to add a thing or two, if needed.
Customize your space
After you are done with all these steps, do not forget to decorate your home with a few pictures, plants, fairy lights, and other decorative items to add your personal touch. But remember, do not add too much! What are those essential decorative items that you would like to add to your room? We all buy things that would spark joy and make us feel cozy and comfortable but make sure you keep it minimal as per your needs and space.
And there you go. You have successfully decluttered your space!
If you follow these easy steps, cleaning your space will be easy and fun! If you found this blog helpful, share it with your friends and family to help them furnish their homes without cluttering their space!
We understand that purchasing new furniture can be exciting yet very confusing, with an array of options and variety available in the market.
While there are plenty of parameters to select your furniture, the furniture material is a common and crucial element. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of the available furniture materials is essential to decide the best fit for you and your home.
It may seem challenging to decide even if you are clear on your requirements as there are plenty of options to choose from. But if you know the furniture materials well, you can do it quickly with minimal effort.
With the help of this blog, we have tried to explain the variety of furniture as per the commonly used and available materials and select the perfect one for your home without being overwhelmed with the full range of options.
Are you ready to know your furniture by its material?
Let’s explore the commonly used and accessible furniture materials!
Wood
Wood is one of the most popular furniture materials. It has been the leading material in furniture manufacturing for ages. Anything from storage units to bed and tables has been made of wood for centuries, making its integration into the interior simple as ABC. While it is widely used, it is generally a higher-priced material than most of the options available. And hence, it is preferred only when the furniture is expected to be used in the long term.
Wicker / Cane
Wicker / Cane is another material type that has been used for long enough now. It has become relatively less common today. However, plenty of light and stylish furniture solutions made of cane are still available. Though, the thing to keep in mind is it needs a matching decor to go within the interior space. Though it brings new beauty to the home, it is not entirely durable, and high maintenance is required to upkeep this.
MDF / Plywood
MDF/Plywood is a cost-friendly solution for the modern home decors. It provides the basic look like wood, but it is a low budget option with lesser durability. Nevertheless, with recent trends of regular revamping the homes, it has definitely become one of the dominant materials in the current furniture market.
Another variant of stylish MDF furniture is to cover it with a polished and thick lacquer finish. The furniture will look bright and elegant. They combine style and simplicity, making the most suitable modern interiors solution.
Glass
Tempered glass is a modern approach to interior decoration options. There are a few types of furniture made of glass exclusively. Yet, plenty of tables, storage units, and even computer desks may be made of a combination of materials featuring glass as the primary material. While glass can add elegance and class to the furniture, it is fragile than most of the materials and risky to use.
Acrylic
Acrylic looks similar to the glass, but it is a cost-friendly option. Not only that, but it is also more durable as compared to even the most exquisite quality safety glass, which itself shows very impressive durability. Though it is very affordable, it does not bring a fresh or stylish look in the long run. For using it for a shorter period, it is a good option.
Steel
Stainless Steel and other materials of the kind like chrome and metal are dominant in modern, hi-tech interior space solutions. Like glass, some furniture will be made of Steel exclusively. In contrast, most of them can have metal inserts for strength with other materials in both functional and decorative pieces. While it brings power without adding much of a weight, it does not give a classic look. Hence, it is not much preferred in general.
Plastic
Plastic is undoubtedly one of the most budget-friendly options that give you good looks from outside and provides strength and durability. Among other furniture materials, plastic furniture is an all-time favorite for most people for interior and exterior usages. While it gives a vibrant look, it also saves much space and is easy-to-move and durable and makes it one of the best choices for personal and commercial areas equally. With changing times, we can also see some excellent ergonomically designed high-class plastic furniture like Italica’s Spine care Chair and Oxy series chairs.
Leather
Leather is widely used for furniture upholstery to provide softness and elegance in look. It can play a part in giving you the contemporary or a classic interior look, depending on your interior theme and design. It can be of both faux and genuine leather. While genuine leather can bring the budget to the higher side, faux leather may seem affordable. However, it is quite difficult for a layman to distinguish between real leather and faux leather. This is why most people refrain from taking the risk.
Fabric
Fabric is undoubtedly a softer and mild material used for the upholstery in a piece of furniture. Mostly fabric is a part of delicacy in furniture meant for seating arrangements like a chair, sofa, stool, ottoman, etc. Unlike leather, it comes in a range of prices depending on the quality and texture of the fabric.
So we got the basics of the commonly accessible and popular furniture materials covered.
The interesting fact is that some of them are used alone to make the furniture at times. But more often, a combination of these is preferred to make a perfect looking durable and robust piece of furniture.
Let us learn how they work together.
Wood + Metal/Steel
Generally, wood is a costly furniture material amongst all. Also, it is not preferred due to the heavyweight as it makes the furniture very difficult to move. Unless it is not custom-made, it is a preferred choice for mass production to make the structure with Steel with a wooden platform on top to keep the cost and weight minimum without compromising the quality.
Wood/Steel/Metal + Fabric/Leather
A combination of these makes up for what is commonly known as upholstered furniture. Also, some basic furniture is made with the base made out of wood/steel/metal with a fabric or leather on the top for a better look and comfort with the sturdiness.
Plastic + Steel
While this may sound a little tricky, plastic with Steel is an excellent combination to make furniture. The Steel provides the strength, whereas the plastic gives a vibrant and stylish look to it. As both of them bring in durability, it makes for an excellent combination of furniture, especially for seating options. An appropriate example of this is Italica’s Plasteel chair that immediately brings charm to your personal and commercial space evidently.
Now you can quickly identify the furniture available according to combinations of furniture materials used.
The next logical step is to learn how to choose the furniture material that will be the best fit for your requirements. There are certain aspects to consider while deciding the furniture material. i.e.
Decide on Your Budget.
If you have a considerable budget for the furniture, you can consider getting a combination of wooden and leather furniture, depending on what you are buying. For the bed, sofa, stool, dining sets, tables, etc. wood furniture is excellent. And for the recliners and sofas, you may opt for leather furniture. But if you have a medium to low budget, you might consider MDF and faux leather instead. If you are not a fan of wood and leather, with a medium to low budget, you should go for Steel or plastic furniture depending on what you buy. For the bed, sofa, and wardrobe, Steel is a good option. For chairs, dining sets, sun loungers, stool, etc., plastic can be your option any day. Even glass is a good option for coffee tables, tv units, and dining tables.
Consider the color and interior style of your place.
You don’t want your furniture to look out of space after you have put so much time, effort, and money. Make sure to analyze the area well in terms of size, layout, the color of walls and floor, and the other elements put in the room to find the right fit. If your room is small in size or has a darker wall or floor color, consider going for lightweight and space-saving furniture in Steel or plastic or Plywood. Your room would look great with wooden furniture if you have a big space with white walls as it will fill the space beautifully. You can also combine it with wicker furniture in indoor as well as outdoor settings. Plastic furniture is an excellent option for space-saving and multi-purpose utilizing as they are easy to move and go with any background color or layout smoothly.
Cleaning and disinfecting process.
If you are a pro at cleaning and disinfecting your furniture, there is nothing you can’t go with in terms of furniture material. However, you should consider your options wisely if you are not someone who frequently likes to clean the furniture. If you have some allergic issues, you might go for plastic furniture more as it doesn’t hold on to dust like most of the materials.
Be in sync with your personal style and lifestyle.
Even if the place looks great, if it does not suit your lifestyle choices functionally, it is still a waste of money. So you must consider your personal preferences while choosing the furniture materials. If you are someone who likes to revamp the look and set up every once in a while, then a lightweight, easy-to-move Plastic, Steel, or Acrylic furniture would be a great option. A classic at heart with a considerable budget should opt for wooden furniture with modern variations and fabric upholstery to class it up.
In the end, whatever material makes up the furniture you decide to purchase, you need to be sure that it makes you happy. Buying home furniture for the first time or not, it is always an emotional connection more than the money you spend.
We can relate how overwhelming finding and buying the right furniture for your home can be. We sincerely hope that we could be a small help in making the decision a little smoother.
We are thrilled to hear your views and suggestions about understanding and selecting the right furniture material effortlessly.
Feel free to share the tips on selecting the furniture material with your dear ones if you find this article helpful.
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