A spectacular modern living room means lots of light, glass and sparkle. In this case, gilding is excluded, and varnished wood is considered insufficiently sparkling. The problem is solved through reflective polished and mirror surfaces. This solution is called living room gloss.
The reflective surface can be of any color. It reflects the light, thereby improving the illumination of the rooms and visually expanding it. However, the white color of glossy furniture enhances this effect.
Pros and cons of glossy furniture
Among the main advantages of glossy living room furniture are:
- Durability in use, because furniture with a glossy surface is resistant to contamination.
- Furniture with a glossy surface visually expands the space, which is very important for a small living room.
- Furniture with such a coating looks very beautiful and expensive.
- Glossy furniture is well suited to many style solutions.
This type of furniture also has disadvantages:
- Smudges and fingerprints quite often form on glossy furniture.
- With a large number of glossy furniture items, eye fatigue may occur due to an excess of reflections and glare.
- If the living room is decorated in a palette of light colors, then glossy furniture can add a feeling of coldness to it.
The most winning compositions
The best option for shiny furniture would be so-called static interior items: cabinets, walls, bookshelves, cabinets. Their use is limited to storing any other furnishings, while tables and chairs are used differently, more often. On such pieces of furniture, gloss is not a very practical solution, as it focuses attention on any scuffs or scratches.
The next key point in using glossy interior items: they should be scattered around the room in the form of small accents or, conversely, placed in the center of the composition. You should be careful with this design decision, as reflective surfaces can make the overall look either luxurious or tacky. The decisive role here is played by a competent combination with non-shiny details. A great example is a cabinet or bookshelf with a glossy cabinet and frosted glass doors.
The classic solution was the use of reflective surfaces near the TV or home theater. LCD screens generally do not produce glare, like glass screens, for example. Therefore, the use of gloss in wall design is quite acceptable, even encouraged.
A work area and a closet with shiny shelves and drawers will look very stylish and business-like. The impartiality of vanilla gloss will play a positive role in this decision: it will help set the mood for productivity and give the place the rigor of a study.
Do not forget that not only a cabinet or modular living room, walls, but also upholstered furniture can have a shiny surface. However, it also has its pros and cons. For example, it is easy to clean, it looks chic (especially if it has the texture of real leather), but at the same time such pieces of furniture do not create a feeling of comfort, they are slippery and cold. Some people associate leather furniture with offices or other business premises.
Color scheme for a glossy living room
When choosing glossy furniture, special attention should be paid to the color scheme, since familiar tones can look different in gloss.
- Glossy furniture in black looks bright and deep, and when properly combined with matte furniture it can be either darker or more solemn in appearance.
- Glossy white furniture looks dazzling and impartial, but in large quantities it can make the living room cold and uncomfortable.
It is worth noting that all colors in a glossy design are brighter and more saturated in appearance.
Nuances when choosing colors for glossy furniture in the living room:
- It is not recommended to choose a large amount of glossy furniture in cold colors for the living room, as gloss will only enhance this feeling. In order to give the maximum feeling of comfort and coziness, it is necessary to choose a warm finish for cold-colored furniture.
- Bright, colorful pieces of furniture in a glossy finish are best chosen as an accent for furniture in neutral tones.
- When choosing glossy furniture in several colors, it is recommended to choose no more than 2 tones so as not to overload the space.
Why is gloss not suitable for the bedroom?
Designers have differing opinions on this issue, but the majority is in favor of a lack of gloss in the design of this room. The bedroom is intended for relaxation; the key points of the interior here should be calm and comfort. Reflective surfaces will not allow you to relax, and some shades can make the room cold and somehow lifeless.
If we still talk about using white gloss MDF in the design of the sleeping area, then you should be very careful about the arrangement of objects in the room. Avoid placing reflective surfaces near mirrors and light sources.
Materials for glossy furniture
Glossy furniture facades are made in several ways:
- From plastic;
- In the form of varnishing;
- From enamel.
Also, instead of a facade, glossy furniture may have a mirror body. For their manufacture, chipboard or MDF is most often chosen.
If the product is made of chipboard, then it is more budget-friendly in cost, but less durable and not very durable in use.
Furniture made from MDF has a special protective layer of enamel or varnish, which directly acts as gloss. Furniture made from this material tolerates high humidity and temperature changes well.
It is worth noting that exposure to direct sunlight can damage the color, and some mechanical damage can cause the varnish to crack.
Selection rules
When choosing a cabinet, you should consider not only the appearance, but also the contents, especially if this will be the only storage system in the apartment. Also, when choosing such a cabinet, you should consider the following factors:
- Both light and bright options are suitable for the bedroom. In a small room, a glossy cabinet should be installed along the wall. For a spacious bedroom, you can consider the option of a built-in model. Cabinets with patterns on a glossy facade look good;
- The nursery should be made in bright colors. As an option, you can apply images of fairy tale characters or original patterns to the glossy façade;
- a light glossy cabinet will help expand the space, while black gloss will reduce it;
- since gloss does not really like interacting with moisture, it is better to choose similar cabinets for the kitchen only as wall-mounted structures;
- in the hallway, a glossy cabinet will go well with a mirror on the facade.
Types of glossy furniture for the living room
A standard set of furniture for a glossy living room consists of:
- Wall;
- Closet;
- Dresser;
- Dining table or coffee table;
- Shelf or bookcase;
- Nightstand.
If desired, some elements can be replaced or not placed in the living room at all.
For a simpler and easier choice, there are several types of glossy furniture that are well suited for placement in the living room:
- Modular furniture, which is considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing in appearance, is comfortable and functional to use. A set of furniture of this type consists of separate modules that allow you to assemble furniture of a certain configuration. As a rule, a set of cabinet furniture for a living room with a glossy finish includes: a TV stand, a wardrobe and shelving, open shelves.
- Classic furniture is one of the most practical and standard furniture sets, which consist of bedside tables, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. It is worth noting that such sets of living room furniture have certain standard dimensions and consist of open and closed elements.
- Mini walls in a glossy design are an excellent type of furniture for a small living room. It is worth noting that this type of furniture has quite a spacious place for storing things and all sorts of small things. The set contains a sufficient number of open shelves that can be used to place equipment. This type of furniture is distinguished by its compactness and mobility; if necessary, it can be quickly and easily moved to another room.
- Combined furniture with a glossy surface is an ideal option for a living room of any size. Furniture of this type is available in a very large assortment, both in terms of components and design, colors and sizes.
What to look for when choosing
When choosing furniture in a store, you should first of all take a close look at the materials and technologies; the quality of the laminated layer plays a big role in terms of practicality. After all, traces of unwanted influences - chips, scratches - will be immediately visible, such defects will begin to be immediately evident against the backdrop of an elegant environment. Therefore, if defects occur, the entire furniture façade may have to be replaced. But all these negative aspects can be minimized if you purchase high-quality modern materials from proven, reliable companies. Some manufacturers describe in detail the manufacturing technologies of their products, give advice on care and proper use. Take an interest in all the details, even consider the cost of cleaning materials and the frequency of their use - perhaps you should not save on the initial cost of the furniture because of the inconvenience that may arise during subsequent care of it.
When choosing glossy furniture for his living room, the customer must focus on specific conditions, dimensions, and configuration of the room. Glossy facades are used to cover various types of cabinet furniture, so that when choosing one set or another, the owners of an apartment or country cottage will have the opportunity to combine modules depending on the individual characteristics of the room. Elegant, elegant furnishings can fit into a small city apartment or a cottage with a non-standard layout when using modular furniture with glossy facades. The choice of lighting and its angles when planning the setting is also very important, since gloss can create glare that can have an undesirable effect on guests. If for some reason a beautifully furnished room lacks coziness and you don’t want to linger in it, you should try to change the location of the lamps. It is known that gloss transforms all known color shades, so that even traditional furniture can “sparkle” in a new way against a glossy background.
White gloss is rightly considered one of the most elegant and fashionable color solutions. Such interiors can be made in Scandinavian style or in Art Nouveau style. Glossy furniture has a reflective effect, which increases the illumination of the room as a whole, but can create a feeling of coldness. Elegant and modern, white gloss may also seem too cold to some. Perhaps this effect can be smoothed out by upholstered furniture covered in white leather, or natural silk curtains in the interior, decorated with small patterns or natural embroidery. Some interior details can also be covered with natural silk:
- decorative couches;
- bedside tables;
- banquettes;
- small sofas;
- chairs;
- armchairs;
- ottomans.
creating an atmosphere in a romantic or Empire style. Parts such as those that are very sensitive to abrasions and defects may not be used in everyday life, but stand aside or be stored separately, especially for special occasions.
White glossy furniture in the Art Nouveau style can be combined with contrasting shades of opposite (black, dark brown) or complementary colors - spectacular purple, light green and others. Such color contrasts can be attractive for owners who strive not to give their living room a too “cold” look, since the gloss itself has a “cool” effect, and will try to complement the living room decoration with interior elements in warmer colors. The design of living rooms using furniture lined with MDF panels can be made in a wide variety of colors - olive, blue, purple, or combine several contrasting color shades. Black gloss looks fashionable, elegant and modern in the interior: black bookcases, bedside tables, shelving, stands for a computer or home theater, coffee tables and other types of furniture can effectively contrast with white glossy accents in the interior.
Living room styles with glossy furniture
In principle, you can decorate a living room with glossy furniture in many modern style solutions.
The most popular and most suitable styles for a glossy living room are:
- Art Deco is one of the popular styles that combines luxury and comfort, the only thing is that you should not use a large amount of glossy furniture in it.
- Minimalism is a great option for a living room of any size.
- Pop art is an excellent option for decorating a living room with glossy furniture and for creating a certain bright accent.
- High-tech - well suited for the living room, especially if decorated with glossy white furniture.
Styles in which the use of shiny furniture is appropriate
Art Deco
Quite a popular modern style, as it is able to combine luxury and comfort. A glossy modular wall or cabinet is quite appropriate in such an interior, because they attract attention, look chic, but at the same time are functional and easy to care for. In addition, the Art Deco style welcomes the use of natural materials, so leather furniture will fit perfectly into the overall decor. The use of glass is also not prohibited.
Minimalism
Reflective surfaces in this style not only diversify the sobriety of the decor, but also bring light and air into the room. Again, the convenience of maintaining glossy furniture is captivating. In addition, the combination of natural and modern materials is an ideal opportunity to use it in decoration.
Tips for caring for glossy furniture
In order for the living room in a glossy design to be as well-groomed, neat and attractive as possible, it is worth paying due attention to the care of the furniture.
Experts give several tips that will make care easier and allow you to keep the furniture in its original attractive form for as long as possible:
- When caring for glossy furniture, do not use aggressive chemicals.
- If the furniture facade is made of MDF or covered with paint, then it should be cleaned with a simple soap solution and a piece of cloth with a soft surface.
- If there is a PVF film on the furniture, it should be cleaned with a soft, dry cloth or napkin.
- It is recommended to treat the surfaces of glossy furniture with an antistatic agent 1-2 times a month.
In order to add additional shine, you should use a special polish with wax.
Laminated wood boards
price segments: “economy”, “medium”
Laminated boards with gloss embossing are the cheapest option, although their price is ten percent higher than boards with matte textures. Typically, furniture makers use such materials in the manufacture of cabinets and facades of economy-class or mid-price furniture.
At the end of 2009, the Syktyvkar plywood plant was the first in Russia to master the production of boards in the trendy glossy structure. The impetus was the visit of SFZ specialists to furniture showrooms in Cologne and Milan. Very soon the company gained followers, but so far no one has managed to achieve such a high degree of gloss as that of Syktyvkar glossy slabs.
“The level of gloss depends on the quality of the surface of the base plate and the press pad itself,” says Yulia Sergeeva , head of the marketing department of SPP. — We bought press sheets with a maximum degree of gloss - 100 units, other board enterprises were limited to more modest indicators. Much depends on the decor. For example, on wood decors we manage to obtain an almost mirror-like surface. On monochrome, the gloss level is lower. The exception is black super gloss, which is in good demand. Moisture-resistant snow-white glossy boards are bought from us by bathroom furniture manufacturers, who mainly use them to make cabinets. And glossy wood ones are used by furniture makers to make facades for residential furniture and wardrobes. Among all the exclusives of the Lamarty collection, glossy decors are the most popular.”
Today, many leading board factories (Egger, Kronospan, VKDP, Nevsky Laminate, Ivatsevichdrev) produce laminated chipboards and MDF boards in gloss embossing. Slabs are also presented on the market in structures that combine glossy and matte fragments: these can be fancy, floral or geometric patterns. The breadth of the decorative range is different for each slab enterprise. For example, the group of glossy boards Gloss Boards, part of the Kronodesign collection from Kronospan, presents the most popular decors, and at SFZ they offer the entire line of Lamarty coatings, numbering about 90 options, in a glossy finish.
Photo of glossy furniture in the living room
Hot Coating
Several years ago, the German manufacturer of paints and varnishes, Kleiberit, and the Spanish engineering company Barberan, joined forces to offer the market an innovative Hot Coating method, which allows obtaining a high-gloss surface with a minimum of labor costs. The new technology makes a whole series of operations unnecessary - pre-grinding, puttying, drying, and then, after applying the varnish, polishing.
One-component polyurethane is simply applied in a molten state to melamine, paper or veneer with a smoothing roller, which rubs it into the surface, sealing pores and removing any unevenness. The composition immediately hardens, forming a perfectly smooth substrate, and almost immediately, in one pass, it is covered with a transparent top varnish, which is completely distributed over the surface within 30 seconds and then cured using UV lamps. All operations are carried out in one pass of the machine.
The glossy coating obtained using new technology has such a high strength class that it can be used for floor coverings in industrial premises.
Glossy slabs produced using the most modern technology - Hot Coating - are offered to Russian consumers by the Kastamonu company. The slabs are produced at a plant in Gebze, near Istanbul, where the Barberan line, 2.44 meters wide, is installed. Laminated MDF and chipboard boards are used as the base.
Kastamonu specialists developed the technology together with its authors, the Kleiberit company. As a result, we achieved that the white gloss, unlike the products of many competitors, does not turn yellow. Any decor is possible: plain, fancy, wood, stone. The decorative layer is resistant to abrasion, impacts, scratches, and does not fade in the sun. The front side is presented in gloss, the back side is the same color as the front side, but is not varnished.
The first batch of GlossMax panels has already arrived at the dealer warehouse and is available to Russian furniture makers. The format of GlossMax panels is 2.8 x 2.1 meters. This is the optimal size for the production of modern furniture, providing furniture makers with the opportunity to reduce cutting waste to a minimum.
Using Hot Coating technology, they plan to produce high-gloss panels in Smolensk. The 20-meter Barberan line has already been installed, and commissioning work will begin here at the end of April.
The base will be laminated boards of emission class E05, produced near Veliky Novgorod and Egger-Gagarin, as well as painted in our own production.
The standard program includes slabs with a thickness of 10, 16, 18 mm, but the Barberan line has no height restrictions, so it is possible to produce panels of any thickness used in furniture production. The panel format is 2500 x 1800 mm; cutting of slabs to any size will also be offered, and in the future, edging of slabs.
Modern
This is hi-tech and classic in one bottle. Modern successfully combines high-tech solutions and traditional classic design. Here you should also not forget about practicality - here it comes first.
In modernism, you can experiment with the shape of facades and even make them round. This style loves original pieces of furniture without strict lines. The colors are usually brown and beige. Complemented with gold accents and burgundy accents.
High tech
A modern style in which gloss looks very appropriate.
Please note: Practical built-in kitchen furniture.
High-tech is characterized by the use of the latest technology, smart built-in cabinets and other items that simplify life. This is a rather original style, which is also reflected in the furniture: for example, chairs may not have seats at all and have the shape of a “web”, and the table may be retractable. Glass surfaces are welcome, as well as gray, white and black colors.
Parquet and laminate will look great, also think about the lighting. It will help highlight glossy surfaces and create a special atmosphere.
Minimalism
An excellent choice for a glossy kitchen. The set should be simple and strict, without drawings or decorations. Minimalists try to make furniture multifunctional, but at the same time laconic and discreet. Handles integrated into the facades are often used, and kitchen utensils are hidden in cabinets.
The colors are mostly calm and neutral: white, black, gray, brown. It is acceptable to use bright accents in moderation.
Which style to choose
As already noted, glossy facades are not suitable for every style. This issue must be approached seriously so as not to spoil the interior. It is important not to overdo it with shiny surfaces, so avoid ceramic tiles and suspended ceilings. Stone and wooden surfaces without varnish will help smooth out the shine of glossy furniture. Gloss is used especially often in the following styles:
