Italian furniture comes in a variety of beautiful styles and is a wonderful addition to any home.
What is Italian furniture? You may have heard that Italian furniture is known for its traditional beauty, its rich textures and colors, its ornate carvings and gilding, and its opulent materials. Or, you may have heard that Italian furniture is sleek and modern, with a clean, simple look, asymmetrical lines and startling freshness of design. You may have visited a showroom and noticed that Italian furniture is often characterized by blocks of solid colors such as pure white, black or bold red, and fine leather upholstery.
 

The truth is, there is no one “Italian” look in furniture. Italian furniture design has evolved from the time of the Renaissance to the modern era — from classical elegance, to baroque exuberance, to contemporary comfort, to modern minimalism. It may be represented by a classic black lacquer table, accented with a geometric Roman border; to a huge baroque sofa upholstered in red silk brocade; to a sleek, low-slung modern sofa in pure white leather. Though Italian furniture often draws on scenes and symbolism from ancient Rome, it is also on the cutting edge of new furniture design, and every year buyers from all over the world flock to cities like Milan to see the latest Italian furniture design.So, if you want to add an Italian piece to your home, you have many looks and ideas to choose from. Here are some suggestions on how to decorate with different styles of Italian furniture.

Classical

  • Classical Italian furniture has a very opulent look – curved lines, rich materials such as silk, brocade or velvet, and intricate carvings, with or without gilding. Pieces such as dining room tables, beds and sofas tend to have a larger-than-life look, and can be physically large and heavy, as well.  An ornate Italian sofa and chairs would instantly become the focal point of a plain room with few other furnishings. They would also fit into a room filled with antique or Victorian furniture, though with this style it’s important not to let the look become too busy.

Modern

  • Contemporary Italian furniture is a striking departure from the elaborately decorated styles of the past. The look is sleek, simple and elegant. The textures and materials are still of the highest quality – Italian leather sofas, for example, are among the finest and most luxurious in the world – but there is much less embellishment. Lines are clean and simple, and solid colors are the norm, although the colors may be vivid reds, yellows or blues. A piece of modern Italian furniture might well be the focus of a room, but the simplicity of modern design gives you choices. You could use a modern sofa as part of a strictly modern décor, but its clean lines and solid color could also be mixed with pieces of other styles without clashing, or making the look of the room too busy.

Italian style sofas, dining room tables and beds tend to be large, heavy, one-of-a-kind items – especially the antique pieces. Moving them is often an arduous and risky undertaking. It’s a better idea to hire a professional who knows how to disassemble a couch for moving. Sofa disassembly and reassembly ensures that your beautiful Italian sofa arrives without a scratch, and spares you the necessity of trying to move it yourself.