I have a terrible secret. Without further ado, here it is: sometimes I spend hours at a time on looking at soft furnishings online. No just any soft furnishings, mind you; I’m very picky. I’m talking about designer upholstery, curtains, cushions and even wallpaper. Sure, that last one’s not technically a soft furnishing item, but it’s an honorary one. Trust me on that.
From rugs to Roman blinds, bolsters to beanbags, I’ve been completely sucked into this world of sophisticated colour palettes, tasteful textures and playful proportions. In fact, I think I might be developing an unhealthy addiction, although in my defence I’m not actually buying any of these things. I’m not busting my budget hiring interior decorators. Truly, it hasn’t even crossed my mind – I’m simply feasting my eyes on the skill and flair of the world’s leading decor specialists.
I went through a similar thing once with following the Pinster-gram accounts of world-leading kitchen design experts. Melbourne alone has so many of them that my feed soon became completely inundated with rose gold tap-ware, farmhouse sinks, modular kitchen islands and slide-out pan-hanging solutions. Before I knew it, my obsession was over as suddenly as it had begun – I guess I over-saturated myself in it.
Did I get anything out of that episode? Well, not as far as my kitchen is concerned. However, I did end up doing a DIY bathroom renovation that drew strongly on some of the spatial concepts I learned in the course of my kitchen spiral. There’s no way I’d have had that idea for the concealed storage cabinet if it wasn’t for my stolen forays into kitchen interiors.
I guess my point is that there are transferable benefits to be had from these endeavours, at least in theory. Maybe there’s something to be gained from my fanatical adventures in soft furnishings – who knows what it’ll be? Perhaps I’ll end up with some custom upholstered bar stools, or kitchen curtains printed with stylised heirloom corn varieties.