Say chairs!

Experimentation in furniture design and style, made buyers sit up

1 Ultimate comfort: The rock hard chairs that were an anguish to sit on, are a passe. These were replaced by chairs that were design delights as well as comfortable to sit on.

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2 Cool colours: Neutral colours were the essence of a modern home, which aimed to be simple, sleek and stylish. Bold and bright colours were introduced with throw cushions. Red and chocolate brown were extensively used.

3 Fabric fetish: The trend in design was about global influences and the mixing and matching of fabrics. Popular fabrics were silk, stripes, goff cotton and linen. Damask prints were universally accepted in various textures and colours. Florals and rich colours like silver, gold with shimmers were also the trend.

4 Glamour element: Chairs in 2009 have turned more glamorous. Leather covered chairs dominated the scene with the trend of the chair legs being cased in leather partially or fully. Solid wood and steel upholstery were some of the popular materials used this year.

5 Stylish shapes: Tall, comfortable, high back and wing chairs were in vogue this season. 2009 also saw an emergence of organic forms in chairs. Leela chairs (fully upholstered bedroom chairs done in velvets and suede with chesterfield effect in black cushion), high back chairs and wooden back chairs (they have curved wooden back with arms and can also be made fully upholstered with straight or curved legs) set the pace in 2009.

(With inputs from designers Baba Dewaan, Rolly Gupta of House of Raro, Nupur Gupta of Alchemy and Ashwani Narula of Bench Craft)