The 5 Furniture Pieces You Didn’t Know You Needed

Whether you’ve moved into a new home, or have decided to completely overhaul your style and create the perfect lounge, you want to make sure that you’re making conscious purchase decisions when it comes to the furniture and carefully selecting pieces that will truly enhance your life.

Of course, starting with the fundamentals - such as a sofa, dining table and beds - is a given, but there are a number of less obvious furniture items which can have a transformative effect on the look and feel of the room, offering aesthetic benefits and practicality.

To help you get started in selecting the right furniture for your home, we’ve shared 5 key furniture pieces that you may not have known you needed, but will help you create a beautiful space that works well for your lifestyle…

Lowboards and sideboards

These can be an absolute game changer both in a practical sense and for aesthetic purposes. Having a lowboard or a sideboard provides extra storage space - ideal for a busy family home - while also offering an extra surface to display your favourite decorative pieces and inject a bit of your personality into the space. 

A sideboard is a great piece of dining room furniture, as it’s typically used for storing crockery, glasses and table linens close to the table, so you can entertain guests with ease. That being said, a sideboard doesn’t need to be relegated to the dining room - if you have a large hallway or lounge, a sideboard can be an excellent way to fill the space and provide more storage in these high traffic areas of the home.

A lowboard generally serves the purpose of having a TV on top of it, but even without one it can still be a very practical piece of furniture. Since a lowboard uses the width of a space instead of the height, it can help to elongate a room. If your TV has been mounted on the wall, a lowboard helps to tie it in with the rest of the space, offering handy shelves to keep appliances and cables tidied away. Again, from an aesthetic perspective, a lowboard offers a surface to place your favourite home accessories and make the space feel a little more homely and stylish.

Our top picks: For a clean and contemporary look, the Venjakob Plan X2 combines sleek design elements and the option to add LED lighting for an eye-catching display. If you prefer a more classic aesthetic, the Tamworth’s warm oak finish and antique bronze hardware is perfect, with a striking parquet design on the top for a truly stunning finish.

Accent chairs

If your living room or bedroom is feeling a little lacklustre and you have extra space, an accent chair is great for adding a pop of colour, pattern or texture to the space, while also utilising any unused areas that feel a little bare. 

Not only is this a great piece for providing an extra seating option for the family or guests, an accent chair creates an eye-catching focal point in the room, as the name suggests. While it may seem like a secondary to the start of the show - the sofa - an accent chair gives you a chance to have fun with your chosen style and express yourself.

Although the more likely room to place an accent chair is in the lounge, they can also work well in the corner of a bedroom or if you have a small space in the home where you could have a cosy reading nook.

Our top picks: The Fama Lenny chair has consistently been a best seller of ours, thanks to its unique design and maximum comfort, with a diverse selection of fabrics, leathers, patterns and prints to choose from. The Halle is another one of our favourite designs currently in store, with a unique curved ergonomic design upholstered in a warm grey boucle, along with a contrasting wooden frame - it’s a real eye catcher and would look beautiful in a number of different design settings.

Coffee tables

Although a coffee table may not seem like a necessary piece of furniture if you aren’t entertaining guests on a regular basis, it’s arguably one of the most important pieces of living room furniture after your seating. 

A coffee table is generally placed right in the middle of the space, framed by sofas, sideboards and armchairs - so it’s one of the first things your eyes are drawn to. It serves the very vital function of a centrepiece in the room, helping you bring each element together. Whether you have two sofas facing each other, or a large space between your sofa and TV, a coffee table helps to fill this gap which would leave the space looking empty.

By having a coffee table to put down drinks, you instantly transform your living room into a comfortable space where you and your guests can relax over a drink in a more casual setting than the dining room or kitchen. Add your own sense of style to the space by topping your coffee table with fresh blooms, ornaments, or a fragrant candle to make the room feel more like home.

Our top picks: The Jarvis offers a sleek and contemporary design with a unique curved triangular finish, with the option to choose between a durable ceramic or smoked glass finish for an effortless, modern look. The Ranch encapsulates the still hugely popular industrial design style, with beautiful detailing and a striking contrast between the naturally grained oak and anthracite metal accents.

Console tables

Another furniture piece which can often be overlooked is the handy console table. Hallway decor tends to be an afterthought, with our focus firmly on each room in the home. However, the hallway acts as a first impression for guests and it's the view you are met with as you walk through the front door, so you don't want this space to lack personality and style.

In an aesthetic sense, a console table is great for adding personal touches such as flowers, a beloved ornament, wall art, or you can hang a mirror above to reflect light in the space for a light, airy feel - something which can often be lacking in this area of the home. 

A console table is also extremely practical, providing you with a surface to lay down your keys and any miscellaneous items while you take off your shoes as you get in - allowing for a much more organised home. Underneath the console table is a great space to keep shoes or bags tidied away.

Our top picks: If you want something modern, yet minimal, the Valley console table offers an edgy industrial design with a black metal frame and stunning oak marquetry top. Alternatively, the Alesund console table features a light and breezy grey washed oak top and soft grey pigment frames - with handy drawers and a lower shelf to help you maximise on storage space.

Footstools

Finally, the footstool. This can seem like a less important piece of furniture when you have a sofa, but adding a footstool to your space offers a huge amount of versatility that you’ll wonder why you didn’t invest in one sooner. 

Aside from its most obvious use as a stool to put your feet up, a footstool also offers the perfect perch for a small child, or provides an additional seating option for guests which can easily be moved to a different spot in the room. A footstool can also double up as a coffee table or side table - simply add a few coasters, books and a tray. 

Not only are footstools great for adding to the lounge, they also work really well at the foot of a bed if you opt for a long, slim design - perfect for putting shoes on or to fill a large room. If you decide to go for an Ottoman style footstool, you have an added storage solution to keep your busy home a bit more organised.

Our top picks: For an effortless, contemporary look, the Liberty footstool is a great choice, available in a number of shades and with the handy option to double up as a coffee table. If you prefer a classic look, the Cassie footstool is oozing with elegance, complete with deep buttoning and a sumptuous velvet finish. 

Feeling inspired? Browse our huge selection of home furniture online…

https://andersonsofinverurie.co.uk/collections/all-furniture