Sharp angles and geometric prints are a major spring trend for 2023 – and not just on the catwalk. The humble square is having a particularly huge interiors moment, but while it may be a simple shape, its use in home decor and furnishing can be surprisingly tricky.
Interior designer Eliska Sapera (EliskaDesign.com) says, “Squares aren’t as easy to incorporate into a room’s decor as rectangles, but when used correctly they can look amazing.”
The way you use squares to add angularity to your design scheme will depend on a number of factors: what sort of room are you adding them to? Do you want them to add quirkiness to the accessories around the space or are you going for gold with a square-shaped or square-patterned piece of furniture?
“Squares work well on a floor space,” says Sapera. “For instance, over-scaled square floor tiles laid on a diagonal are ideal to help visually enlarge a space.”
Handmade Encaustic tile in Grau, 20cm x 20cm, £7.99, FiredEarth.com
Sapera adds, “Square dining tables are far more conducive to conversation than rectangular ones, and square tables are also more efficient than circular ones in terms of space.”
If you’ve got a large room, Sapera recommends using antique, square-shaped rugs to segment the space. The designer is also a fan of square boxes adorned with Chinese lacquer and intricate locks.
For a cosy, inviting effect, relax the severity of the square by incorporating it into your soft furnishings. “Square-shaped cushions are best for sofas as they are the easiest shape to place,” says Sapera. “Big, oversized square floor cushions are brilliant for conservatories and provide a stylish place to sit and relax.”
The interior designer says that the Wiener Werkstatte, a community of artists established in 1903, have been very influential in their use of squares in design. And one member has proven particularly inspiring to Sapera: Josef Hoffman, who created the iconic Kubus armchair below.
Josef Hoffman’s Kubus armchair. Image: Wittmann, 2023
One hundred years on and it would seem squares are as popular as ever – but the way in which they are used in interiors has diversified quite significantly over the past century. Here are a few of our favourite pieces…
The world’s thinnest chair
Designed by Enoc Armengol and Arnau Miquel and made in Spain, this ‘folded chair’ is inspired by origami and took 18 months to be developed. It is made from a single sheet of stainless steel alloy and its tiny 3mm thickness lends it a clean, orderly form.
£1,100 + VAT, EduardoCardenes.com
Mandarin four-poster bed
Orchid is one of AboutUs’s favourite furniture retailers and this bed pretty much sums up why. With a black lacquer finish, the Chinese four-poster makes striking use of squares and sharp angles in its fretwork and would lend an edgy impact to any room.
Also available in black-brown and white lacquer. From £2,490, OrchidFurniture.co.uk
Vintage Melba cake plate
Part of a 1940s teaset, this is a perfect example of squares being used in more traditional designs and just goes to show you don’t have to have a super-modern home to embrace the square. It is available from Chinasearch, which stocks a vast collection of vintage china, most of which has been discontinued within the last 50 years.
Teaset for six including cups, saucers, sugar bowl, milk jug and cake plate (pictured), £120, ChinaSearch.co.uk
Barcelona bedside cabinet
This bedside cabinet has echoes of the Rubik’s cube about it – but thankfully its simple walnut finish makes it far less mind-boggling. It also comes from the rather wonderful GillmoreSPACE, which specialises in reasonably priced contemporary furniture and is many an interior designer’s best-kept secret.
Walnut bedside cabinet £224.13, GillmoreSPACE.co.uk
Juliette’s Interiors
The French furniture stockist has gone square-crazy this season. The design of this room is reminiscent of bedrooms at Dubai’s Armani Hotel (although this look is slightly sparklier – we’re not sure those chandeliers would get past Giorgio).
Diva Collection Italia Bed in white alligator skin, H180cm x L198cm x D216cm, £7,887; Crocodile skin bedside table, H48cm x W54cm x D45cm, £2,675; Chandelier, H100cm x W40cm x D40cm, £4,273; Alligator skin bed console, H78cm x W188cm x D45cm, £3,029; JuliettesInteriors.co.uk
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