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Minimal Modern Wooden Furniture

simple wooden chair by perch and parrow
simple wooden chair by perch and parrow

Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the hunt for the statement piece, the thing that will add the wow factor that we can forget about the basics. The simple workhorses of the house that will give you a perch for the fabulous vase or bring the finishing touches to a room. You can’t have everything shouting at once and sometimes you need to pay attention to the one sitting quietly at the back that’s just getting on with it.

I think this range of furniture might be it. Now I’m not saying you should buy the whole range but if you have a statement table then perhaps some simple chairs might be the answer. Or vice versa. I’m also a fan of a bench for aesthetic purposes but these days find that if it’s not a bench against a wall then I’m unlikely to be lingering over the cheese and red wine. Although, on balance, that’s probably a good thing.

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rebecca dining table by perch and parrow

I came across this range when I was searching for a console table for a friend’s bedroom. The room is long and, relatively, narrow and I felt there wasn’t room for an ottoman at the end of the bed – instead a seating area at one end has been planned – but there is a large window and it felt like something needed to go there. We decided a console table would be the perfect solution as it would decorate the space but needn’t be cluttered with the mess of a dressing table.

Instead, a couple of table lamps, perhaps some photographs and maybe a few books would – hideous word alert – dress this area of the room and give the window a purpose. It’s too high for a window seat sadly before you start suggesting that.

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console table

The great thing about a piece of furniture like this, or even the rest of the Olafson range, is that it’s versatile. It can move around the house as the fancy takes you. From bedroom to behind the sofa and out into the hall. Most of us can’t move the big pieces of furniture around – even in the same room – but I have just swapped my bedside tables for two of the kitchen stools and put the original ones on the landing to store stuff and bring focus to an often ignored corner.

These chairs could go in a bedroom by a desk or in a corner of a bedroom to have the clothes draped on them. Don’t pretend you don’t do that…. In short these are pieces worth investing in as they can live all over your house. I say invest – the chairs are £180, the console is £285 and the dining table £650 so they’re reasonably priced as well. It’s all from Perch & Parrow, a relatively new store opened by Astrid Limal, an interior designer and stylist.

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

1 Comment

  1. Yes wooden furnitures can be very versatile! I have a wooden stool in my living room and sometimes it serves as my chair, sometimes a vase stand in the living room, other times my cat’s throne in the bedroom 😀

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