Design Trends
Red bar stools give a cool retro look
Red bar stools are the classic interior design statement of a 1950s-style diner, and they’ve remained fashionable thanks to nostalgia and people wanting some old-school retro charm in their homes and restaurants. We stock many of our bar stools in red, so here we’re highlighting the best designs…
Bodoni gas lift bar stool
This stunning angular bar stool is very hi-tech looking, and would be right at home in a stylish and contemporary kitchen or a bar. The red faux leather gives it a slight retro feel, as does the round pedestal base.
The upholstered faux or buffed leather seat is supported by a strong and elegant chrome or satin aluminium frame.
Sitting by the breakfast bar has never been made more comfortable with the design of the deep seat and supportive backrest and the rectangular foot support is ideally placed so you’re never left with your feet dangling!
Also available in this range is the Bodoni Bar Stool and the Bodoni Dining Chair.
Pod Gas Lift Bar Stool
The gas lift pod bar stool is sleek, ultra modern and very comfortable,
with a chrome base, steel frame and tough yet comfortable plastic seat.
This stool with its moulded curves and shiny construction would not look out of place in a modern art gallery, but we can also imagine it in a retro-inspired cafe or diner. It’s great for this kind of setting because the plastic seat is totally wipe-cleanable so will stay looking fresh for years.
The gas lift feature means you can be sitting high and mighty at your bar and then sitting comfortably at the right height for a dining table!
Florenta bar stool
The Florenta is a simple but attractive piece of furniture designed by Fabio Di Bartolomei and suitable for commercial use.
Complete with a retro-style curved seat, arm and back rest this bar or kitchen stool comes in a variety of eye catching colours, including red.
It’s all perched upon a chrome frame which includes a foot rest for maximum comfort and a circular base in chrome or aluminium satin for stability.
The seat is made from high quality polyurethane and as gas lift adjusts to varied heights, making it a very versatile seating choice.
This is a ’special order’ product with a delivery time of 4-6 weeks.
4. Elario bar stool (available in retro red)
If you are looking for that retro but stylish look then the Elario is the bar stool you need. The Elario stool consists of a chromed steel tube frame and an upholstered seat with an attractive chromed band.
Available with several options including faux or real leather, the round shape and vibrant colours combined with the chromed steel the design of the Elario is reminiscent of the 60s we reckon.
Interiors trends update: zone your rooms
The latest trend to emerge in the world of interiors is furniture zoning – it’s a great way to create useful and cosy areas within even the largest of rooms
Create distinct zones for dining, relaxing and watcxhing TV. Pictured: modello dining chair
Over the last few months we’ve started to see a shift in people’s furniture buying habits. There’s increasingly a trend away from sprawling open-plan spaces with all the furniture part of one large scheme. The new trend is for arranging furniture into ‘zones’ and using smaller pieces of furniture and flexible items such as modular sofas, coffee tables and bar stools to create intimate and useful living areas.
For example within one open plan living dining room, you may want to create a ‘reading area’ with two high backed arm chairs arranged near a book case and a reading lamp. Separate from this you may want a couple of small sofas or modular seating that can be arranged as you like, plus a coffee table and your TV and entertainment units. On the other side of the room you could place a dining table and chairs, a sideboard and lamps. In this way, a large space is broken up into three distinct ‘zones’ that make your home a nice place to live.
If the area you’re breaking up is a kitchen diner instead, then you might want to create a casual dining zone with a breakfast bar and bar stools, a formal dining area with dining table and chairs, and perhaps an area with floor cushions or low stools arranged around a TV and games console – so the family can be entertained while somebody cooks.
At Danetti we’re one step ahead of the trend – we have available a range of items that can easily be reconfigured, such as coffee tables that turn into dining tables, simple stools that can be used as casual seating and also as coffee tables, and modular sofas that you can organise according to what you need.
Call us if you would like advice on designing your space – we’ll be only too happy to help.
This season’s new interiors neutrals
Russi Sofa from Danetti
If you’re looking to keep your home fairly neutral and then add just a few accents of colour then basic white and cream are not your only options…
Clay and earth tones are great for giving a natural, organic look – they’re great for mixing with greens and reds as there are colours found in abundance in nature as well. The overall look will help you bring the outdoors in a little.
Soft off-whites create feelings of light, warmth and serenity and can be just as effective in modern and period properties. Remember that often even something that seems as neutral as white can have a hint of blue or red, which can change the character of the colour altogether.
Grey is a very modern looking neutral and is especially good if used instead of white when you’re creating a monochrome look. Bare black and white can start to look too stark and it’s a bit of a dated look, but if you bring in elephant grey, or stone grey, then you have a very sophisticated scheme.
It’s easiest to think of neutrals as falling into two families – the warm neutrals such as brown, tan and beige, and the cool neutrals like white, silver and grey. Cool neutrals are perfect for creating pretty yet contemporary looks and work well in kitchens and living rooms. Warm neutrals are more flexible and work well in any space particularly where warmth and relaxation is desired.
We hope that helps!
A perfect pink modern home office
Modern home office furniture
Work in style…
Office spaces needn’t be boring and corporate-seeming. With the use of bright colours and a little imagination, they can be places you’ll actually want to be.
We’ve styled this pink, white and black home office with Danetti furniture, and a few plants and accessories to show you how to get a modern look – whether you want to create an office for your home, or for a more formal, commercial environment.
HOW WE GOT THE LOOK:
DESK: The Fern white desk, available from Danetti. BUY
CHAIR: Pink and white Sweet office chair, available from Danetti. BUY.
POSTER AND CLOCK: The flower clock and ‘Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff’ poster, both available from Hunky Dory Home
PLANT: Available to hire or buy from Interior Plant Scapes.
SIDEBOARD: The Santino 3-door sideboard with gloss finish black doors. BUY
Product focus: The Kool plastic chair
The Kool plastic chair for outdoor or indoor use
If you want a designer look for your home dining room, or for your restaurant or cafe, then we think the Kool chair is a stunning choice.
The seat is made from a translucent polycarbonate material – and if you choose the clear option, it’s completely transparent, which gives a great feeling of space and is very contemporary, as you’ll see from our picture of a chic modern cafe where the Kool is being used.
It comes in a fresh and funky range of colours: yellow, red, orange and clear – and we love the idea of mixing them up, perhaps going for a zingy orange and yellow colour scheme.
If you’re buying them for a commercial setting, then it’ll be very important to you that they can be stored away easily when not in use – these can be stacked up to eight chairs high!
The Kool plastic chair for outdoor or indoor use
They will keep looking good, as they’re made from a material that’s light, shock and UV ray resistant (so no fading of the colours if they’re left out in the sun.
The steel tube frame is available with a satinized or chrome finish.
Furniture ideas for small spaces
When you have lots of space to play with, you hardly have to give a thought to your furniture choices, but furnishing a small home can be a lot trickier. You’ll have to measure every dimension and find pieces that will fit the most awkward of gaps. At the same time, you have to bear in mind that it’s important to have some floor space free so your home doesn’t become too cramped.
At Danetti we’re used to helping people furnish their homes – both big and small, and we love the challenge of sourcing items that will help to make your living space a much nicer place to be.
We thought we’d draw your attention to a few of our pieces that are either so neat in proportion that they look good even in tiny flats, and also to a couple of our multi-functional products that save space because they can be used for different purposes.
Bodil sofa with metal arms
COMPACT SEATING
First up, we wanted to show you the Bodil sofa – it’s fantastic for small living rooms because it doesn’t have the enormous padded arms that you find on many sofas, which can take up a metre of your valuable space if you’re not careful – instead it has neat metal arms. The seat and back rest is just as comfortable as a regular sofa though.
Emery contemporary nest of tables
OCCASIONAL TABLES
Next, a modern nest of tables – the Emery set – which are very useful in small homes. While you may think of nests of tables as something your grandmother used to have for putting bowls of peanuts around the living room at Christmas time, they’ve moved on, and are still actually a useful thing to have if you need extra surfaces when you have people over, but want them out of the way the rest of the time. The Emery nest of tables is fantastic value for money and has three tables, each with a chrome frame and glass top.
The stackable Silvi plastic bar stool
STACKABLE STOOLS
If it’s seating that you need, then consider bar stools – these Silvi plastic bar stools are cool, contemporary and great value for money, plus they’re stackable so they’re a great temporary seating solution if you have a party or friends over, but can be compactly stored when not in use.Generally, bar stools can be a very good idea if you have a small home. When teamed with a wall-mounted slim-line bar table, they can provide you with somewhere to sit for meals without taking up much floor space.
The versatile Somen coffee table - use as a table, for storage or as a stool
THREE-IN-ONE
Next, take a look at this tri-purpose product – it’s a stool, table and storage unit all in one! The Somen coffee table can be opened to store magazines, toys, blankets, or whatever you like, and it can be flipped over to make a comfy padded stool. It’s ideal for modern homes, and it’s a very popular option for our commercial clients as well, as it’s ideal for bars and clubs.
The Pollock multi-form extending table - closed
SHAPE SHIFTER
Flexibility is important in a small home – sometimes you’ll need a large dining table, but probably not all the time, and when you don’t need one, you don’t want it dominating your room. A great option is to go for an extending table. The Pollock Multiform table is amazing because it can be used as a coffee table, extended to make a formal dining table , or even just half extended, so you have two separate surfaces – great for parties!
The Pollock multi-form extending table - open
Product spotlight: the Aine chair
Aine chair in white
Every now and then we like to showcase a product on the Danetti blog that we think is just a little bit special.
This time, we’re focusing on the Aine chair, because we think it’s stunning, and if you buy one or two for your your home, we can assure you that they will be a real talking point.
This chair is part of the Italian-made Aine range and everything about it, from the gentle slope of the back rest to the deeply padded seat, is designed with your comfort in mind. There’s even a padded headrest which makes it a seriously comfortable place to sit for your afternoon nap!
That’s not to say any style is compromised – typical Italians. The whole design is really unusual – from the gravity-defying chrome base, to the deeply contoured upholstery, which we think is a really nice designer touch.
Aine chair in white, close up view
The upholstery is available in black or white faux leather.
This chair is such good quality that it is also suitable for use in a commercial setting – and would look amazing somewhere cool and contemporary like a bar or an art gallery.
* Also available in this range is the Aine Armchair, Aine Dining Chair and Aine sofa.
Turquoise is THE colour of summer 2010
Sporta dining chair, in turquoise
The colour company Pantone announced that turquoise would be the key colour trend for 2010, and now it’s everywhere. A vibrant shade of turquoise is a great colour to have in your home or garden as it sets a summery tone and gives an upbeat vibe. Turquoise is very versatile and looks amazing with all sorts of unexpected colours such as red, hot pink, coral, chocolate, green, yellow and grey! We also think it looks great teamed with clear glass for a real water-side look.
At Danetti many of our products are available in turquoise, including this Sporta chair – a simple, elegant dining chair which has an ergonomically moulded shell in a choice of either transparent polycarbonate or glossy nylon, mounted on a chromed steel frame. With its relaxed and informal design and eye-catching range of glossy sheens, the Sporta fits well into waiting areas, cafes, modern offices or homes.
The Dorna trio set is another of our products available in turquoise – it’s a triple chair-shaped piece of modular seating with three wide, comfortable seats and supportive back rests. Several combinations can be achieved by joining other pieces from the Dorna range together.
Dorna trio seat, in turquoise
Six of the best black dining chairs
If you want to create a contemporary dining room at home then black dining chairs are the perfect choice – they’re dark and serviceable and can be combined with either a wooden or glass dining table and because black is so neutral, you can pair it with cream or white for a monochrome look, or select a couple of other colours as accent tones.
Far from being a boring choice, black dining chairs help to create the right atmosphere in your dining space, and provide a great blank canvas for interesting interior design.
In commercial settings black dining chairs look, and are ideal for a chic contemporary restaurant or bar.
At Danetti we have a host of black dining chairs to choose from. To give you a little inspiration, we’ve chosen six that we think are particularly interesting. If you want to see the whole selection though, just click.
1. The Akia black leather dining chair
This is a cool, chic, well-designed stackable chair constructed with a chrome or aluminium lacquered metal frame. The seating and backrest are finished in either faux leather or soft split leather and come in a choice of colours including black, as pictured. This chair is suitable for home use.
Akia black leather dining chair from Danetti
2. The Agata black dining chair
The Agata is a comfortable dining chair with a stylish curved back and the solid silver powder coated aluminium or chrome legs. It’s suitable for contract and domestic use. If you choose the silver powder coated legs this chair can be used both inside or out.
Agata black dining chair from Danetti
3. The Regal black dining chair
The regal is a funky outdoor dining chair that would be just at home indoors. Moulded from polycarbonate, this stylish chair is strong and durable and happily marries a traditional shape with modern materials, which makes it quite a talking piece.
The Regal chair is perfect for use at home or in a commercial environment like a restaurant or bar. It is stackable up to four chairs high.
Regal black plastic dining chair
4. The Primo black dining chair
The glossy Primo chair is elegant, contemporary and versatile. It’s a next generation air-moulded chair combing advanced techniques with modern design. This process creates a high gloss contemporary look which would be perfect for a modern kitchen and equally at home in a café or restaurant.
Primo black gloss dining chair
5. The Lula black dining chair.
With its simple design, chome frame and faux black leather upholstery, the Lula dining chair will add a touch of casual luxury to your dining area.
It would work well in a minimalist interior design scheme, paired with white and other block colours. The chrome finish gives this chair a luxury edge.
Lula black leather dining chair from Danetti
6. The Karri black dining chair
The Karri dining chair is available in black, cream or brown leather and had solid wooden legs – a classic quality combination that looks great when paired with a glass dining table, or with a wooden table to match the legs.
The high back and deep padded seat makes this both an elegant and comfortable chair.
Karri leather dining chair
How to create a minimalist home
Kiri chair
Some people think that minimalism in interiors is just about not owning many things – having white walls and very few items of furniture.
The truth is that the key to a really great minimalist look lies in simply choosing the things to put in your home.
Follow our five step guide to creating a beautiful, modern minimalist interior and you’ll never look back!
1.Opt for furniture with clean lines and simple shapes. Fussy, ornate furniture can cause a room to look cluttered. If a piece of furniture is well designed and useful, it will be beautiful in its own right, not because of decoration. Key pieces to invest in are chairs made without joints or screws – something moulded and streamlined.
2. Add interest with key pieces, and make sure they are beautifully presented. Rather than opting for a patterned sofa or curtains, keep detail restricted to objects – perhaps a gorgeous ceramic vase, or a limited edition print – and display them with purpose. Perhaps you could have a simple table with the vase as the centre piece, or the print framed and illuminated with a spotlight.
3. Have a place for everything. Piles of papers are household utensils are not worth putting on show! Hide them away and it will really help you to achieve the minimalist look. It’s important to be realistic about how many possessions you have and make sure you buy enough storage.
4. Opt for colour blocks – not necessarily just white, but bright colours too. The important thing is to have large expanses of one colour, as this adds to the uncluttered effect.
5. Don’t ignore the details. Make sure there are no outstanding DIY projects, chips in the paintwork or areas that need attention – in a minimalist scheme every aspect of the room must be neat, clean and elegant looking, or the overall effect will be lot.