There has been a lot written about fast fashion recently and we as consumers are being more aware of a number of issues, like waste, that are linked to our spending behaviour on clothes. But what about when it comes to spending money on your home. Yes, interior shopping for a modern home can be a load of fun, but check out any home magazine or pinterest board for ideas and you will see that shopping for interiors can be pretty heavily trend based. Just like its fashion counterpart.
Personally I do love to bring the buy less, choose well and make it last ethos to all areas of my life. My home included. So, this month when I started thinking about changing up my living space, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to avoid getting into the cycle of buying cheap and changing my living room interior every couple of years.
Now, hands up, getting this indoor space in order is not something I would have expected to want to do in summer. However, after spending a lot more evenings in my living room recently, thank you Love Island, it made me realise that certain parts of my home were not the havens of comfort I wanted.
Modern Frugal?
While updating the look and interior design of your home can admittedly be both costly and time consuming, as the room of the house that arguably sets the tone of your entire home, surely the living room is one of the most important rooms to invest in. In our modern world where most things can be affordably …. (*err cheaply)…. purchased, disposed of and repurchased and all without much thought, it is time for my family to thoughtfully invest in some well-made, properly considered and less trend lead pieces.
Why just settle for of the moment cheap interiors that will fall apart sooner rather than later! Don’t get me started on the amount of waste this brings! I am guessing I am not the only one who has bought a cheap sofa, bed or chest of drawers that actually ended up costing us more in the long run when you have to mend or replace it.
I like to call it modern frugal. It isn’t about saving money when purchasing, it is all about spending your money wisely and with a net result of being less wasteful. For me it is about modern timeless design that will infuse my living space with simple style lead long wearing pieces that are never in or out of fashion.
Bricks and Mortar
One of the bigger purchases that needs to be made is a replacement for my two decade old sofa. It has survived a lot and is now ready to re-utilised in the kids play room. I am not really someone who feels comfortable with buying big purchases like a sofa off the internet, I think it’s really important to try things in person. A store that always inspires me is the BoConcept furniture store and last weekend we visited one of their two Glasgow locations.
I love that BoConcept has bricks and mortar stores to try the comfort of the sofa, how that chest of drawers opens and closes or even see a fabric in real life situation rather than on a tiny fabric swatch sent through the post. Their website is super easy to navigate too.
BoConcept furniture stores are a great mix of modern scandi style, artistic vision, high quality and multi-functional furniture, using long-lasting materials, innovation and skilled craftsmanship. Fly by night trends need not apply.
Now, I will put my hands up and say that interior design is not something that comes easily to me, especially for high traffic spaces of the house. One of the things that has put me off tackling our living room is that it is a large but difficult space to work with. If like me you could do with some advice on how to get the most out of your room, the helpful team at BoConcept do offer a free interior design service.
With that in mind, there are three many areas of concern in our living room ….. seating, modern style and hidden storage. A modern home, made for living. Here are some of the pieces I that have caught my eye…. so far!
Carlton Sofa with Lounging Units
Simply love the shape and design of this sofa. My decision is between these two colours. The yellow is one of my favourite colours…. ever. The matt black is perhaps more forgiving in a household of two kids and a black labrador! The leg design will also show off our wooden floors.
Combi Glass and Concrete Vase £38
My love of indoor plants and flowers is never ending at the moment. I adore the contrast with the concrete base in this vase.
Lugano Wall Mounted Wall System with Drop Doors
I am on a mission to get our TV wall mounted, but this will still leave various accoutrements needing a home. I was drawn to the simple design of this wall system and the fact that there are places to hide remotes, games consoles etc!
Valencia Side Table with Integrated Storage
Perhaps in an effort to stop the family from using the sofa arms as a coffee table …. I love these side tables with integrated storage.
What about you? Do you buy well made furniture for the long haul? Do you have an eye for making the most out of a room? I am excited about the options that BoConcept can offer for our living space. I highly recommend going in store to have a look. Before I go, here are some of my top tips for buying furniture – ask yourself
- Do I love it and will I still love it in 5-10 years time?
- Is it well designed and well made?
- What is the room’s main purpose?
- Is it too trendy? or Is it versatile?
- Will it seemlessly fit into my home?
This post is in collaboration with BoConcept Glasgow. All opinions are my own and the products chosen are items I simply adore. A modern home, made for living. However writing this post also highlighted a couple of other areas in the house. Fully expect another post soon on making my daughters room more grown up.
BoConcept has two furniture stores in Glasgow, more details can we found here.
