Decorating with Italian furniture and accessories can cover a wide range of home owner tastes. Renaissance, Classic, Tuscan, and modern contemporary Italian furniture are the more popular styles. Furniture design in Italy is a skilled trade that has been passed down from one generation to another for hundreds of years. Although the styles have changed dramatically with time the workmanship has retained the high quality of earlier periods, creating not only unique elegant furniture, but actual works of art in many cases.

Renaissance style Italian furniture was designed in a variety of fashions. Large heavy, very unique and ornate design was incorporated into every piece of furniture. Detailed carvings in wood furniture include everything from various fruits and birds, to grotesque animal and human figures. A combination of Roman and Gothic styles make this decor something not to be easily forgotten. A word of warning though; this type of furniture is more suited for large spaces as everything, from elaborately designed credenzas to elegant iron accent pieces, are "big".

Probably the most familiar form of furniture to come out of Italy is Tuscan furniture, named for the Tuscany Valley in Italy. There are actually two styles of Tuscan furniture, one being the more elegant design furniture coming from Florence. The traditional, more common style of furniture, is the simpler, almost rustic design that came from the rural areas of Italy. Decorating with this style of Italian furniture relies more on accent and accessory pieces than the furniture itself. The furniture is built sturdy but simple, made to last in country homes and farmhouses. Woods such as chestnut, cypress, and fir are common together with leather and iron accents.

Decorating with Tuscan style accessories involves color, stone and metal. Deep rich red and cool Mediterranean blue colors combine to give a feeling of warmth and friendliness to the decor. Granite, marble and limestone are very popular in accessories and are used particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. Metals used in this design are normally in a raw form, unpolished and include copper, iron, tin and pewter.

All of these elements are used in different pieces to give a home the peaceful, lived in, relaxed feeling. Throw-pillows and blankets decorated in the earthly colors depicting the country landscape, detailed wrought iron wall sconces and candle stands, and colorful tapestries and paintings stand out when added to the simpler styled Italian furniture pieces. Large family kitchen tables are often topped with bowls of colorful fruit (real or ceramic), open cupboards display linens or dishes, and terracotta or copper pots can be used in any room of the house for decoration or storage. Antique rugs can add color and warmth to the wood or stone floors of a Tuscan designed room.

Contemporary or modern Italian furniture is made of the same old world craftsmanship, but has a totally different look. Wood, leather, and chrome are combined in ultra sleek smooth designs. Glass is commonly used in tables leaving the stylish slim curves of the chairs below to act as the focal point. Clean and unobtrusive, the modern Italian furniture pieces can often act as works of modern art as easily as they do as functional furniture pieces.

There can be no question, if you are considering decorating your room or home with Italian furniture and accessories, you will certainly find a style to suit whatever taste you may have.

You’ll want a stable, sturdy model that can stand up to spilling, kicking, and regular cleaning for at least a year (some babies can’t bear to sit in a high chair after that). A chair with a tray that can be released with one hand is also a plus. Picture your baby occupying your other arm while you’re opening and closing the tray; it’s just one of the many physical feats you’ll be asked to master as a parent.

A high chair usually consists of a frame of molded plastic or metal tubing and an attached seat with a safety belt and a footrest. There are still a few old-fashioned wooden high chairs out there with a removable tray or arms that lift the tray over a baby’s head, although they aren’t always as comfortable for babies as the modern, form-fitting models on the market now, and most of them aren’t certified as meeting the latest safety standards. You’ll also find a few hybrid units, which can double as a swing or convert into other types of gear, such as a chair for an older child or a play table. (more…)