Mother's Day Furniture

You choose a piece of furniture with a tape measure: the free space around it decides more than its style. This collection brings together dining tables and a coffee table, benches, a parquet-pattern rug, a metal clothes rack and a mattress.

Keep a clear path around the table

A table is not judged on its own but by the room it leaves to move around. Allow about eighty centimeters between the edge of the tabletop and the wall to push back a chair, and a little more on the side where people walk through. A square table fits better than a rectangular one in a short room.

Measure the rug against the furniture

Under a dining table, the rug should extend far enough that the chair legs stay on it once the chair is pushed back. In front of a sofa, align the rug with the length of the seat instead and let the coffee table sit entirely on it.

The bench, space saved

A bench slides completely under the tabletop when not in use, something a chair back prevents. It seats two people on a narrow seat, and can then move to an entryway or the foot of a bed. Check the gap between the seat height and the tabletop height: about thirty centimeters gives the right position.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a table be for six people?

Allow about sixty centimeters of tabletop per guest along the long sides. A table of nearly two meters seats six people comfortably.

How do you care for a mattress day to day?

Turn it head to foot from time to time to spread the pressure, air the bedroom in the morning and protect the top surface with a washable mattress protector.

Can a metal clothes rack replace a wardrobe?

It is mostly useful as extra storage, to keep the clothes you wear most often out in the open air. Give it a clear wall, since everything it holds stays visible.