Incorporating Geometric Shapes Into Contemporary Interior Design

When you think about geometric shapes in interior design, you might envision cold, rigid, blocky furniture in a space bereft of comfort and creativity, but nothing can be further from the truth.

The fact is that many elegant designs have uniformity about their sides and corners that adhere to the principles of geometric design. 

If you have a penchant for geometric forms but aren’t sure how to make them work in your home, let the award-winning Baer’s Furniture Design Team show you how.

Geometric shapes are flat or solid objects constructed of lines, curves, angles, and surfaces. When discussing geometric shapes in furniture design, the curves have a uniformity or symmetry that makes them appear consistent.

For example, the Alanna Contemporary Barrel Back Swivel Chair by Best Home Furnishings essentially has the approximate dimensions of a cylinder with a circular base. Naturally, a section of the cylinder is “missing” to provide a comfortable sitting area, but it’s undeniably based on this common geometric shape. It also has a softness and color that is warm and inviting.

While not all furniture has an obvious geographic shape like in the above example, you can identify shapes in many different pieces. Coffee tables, for instance, tend to take the form of a rectangular prism. Many modern minimalist sofas have a devoted adherence to straight lines. Even bed frames tend to follow geometric patterns. 

Consider the straight lines and features of the Contemporary Upholstered Bed from Bernhardt’s Solaria Collection. This front view shows that the headboard, footboard, and feet are all rectangles.

The Solaria Collection also has this Contemporary Buffet that’s comprised of a large rectangular prism supported by two rectangular legs.

There are several approaches you can take to work geometric forms into your interior.

It’s hard to go wrong with the straight-line approach. Essentially, all lines are either vertical or horizontal and run parallel — so no circles, triangles, hectogons, octagons, etc.

Incorporating geometric shapes into your décor doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be a purist. There are numerous furniture pieces that display geometric shapes and patterns that allow you a greater degree of freedom when working them into your space.

One subtle implementation of geometric shapes can be found in the Axiom Buffet by Bernhardt. This heavily textured surface features multiple triangles and squares. The globe lights above show how different types of geometric shapes can be brought in, as well.

One common approach to incorporating geographic shapes and patterns into interior design is to work from large to small. Almost every room in your home could be described as a rectangular prism or a box. With this in mind, the easiest approach to structuring patterns is to line up the straight edges with walls.

For example, you would place rectangular or square rugs on the floor, followed by large pieces of furniture (i.e., the bed, sofa, dining table, etc.), lining the edges of the furniture with the walls and area rug. Next would be the smaller pieces: nightstands, benches, loveseats, chairs, ottomans, etc.

If you are trying to incorporate circles or curves into your space, you can add smaller decorative accents, as you see in this stunning bedroom featuring the Bernhardt Foundations Upholstered Bed.

The bed, bench, nightstands, and area rug all have straight lines that run parallel to the two visible walls. Circles are introduced in the form of layered, low-hanging chandeliers and round dishes on the nightstands. The carelessly placed throw at the foot of the bed gives this geometric bedroom a more relaxed appearance. 

Whether you are seeking a minimalist piece with strict lines, or a softer interpretation of a classic design, you will find what you’re looking for at Baer’s Furniture. With 16 convenient furniture store locations throughout Florida, Baer’s Furniture is your number-one retailer of high-quality furniture. We have hundreds of in-store display models and a seasoned team of design experts to help guide your purchases. Shop Baer’s today!