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DESIGN 101
Fluted Furniture Guide
For some time, consumers have chosen one of two designs: a sleek, smooth look or rough, natural textures. There was little to bridge the rustic aesthetic and the modern — something between cool and empty and jumbled clutter.
Fluted furniture helps find a middle ground. It’s elegant, sophisticated, and neat, but textured and ornate at the same time. It breathes new life into your decor and is exceedingly flexible. It can integrate into whatever aesthetic that’s catching your eye at the moment.
What Is Fluted Furniture?
Fluted furniture sports a textured design similar to ribbing, but the grooves can go in any direction. Most fluted styles have vertical ribbing, but there are also examples of horizontal ribbing resembling a corkscrew shape. Often the edges of these ribbing elements are smooth.
The ribbing can be narrow or wide and cover an entire piece or only one side or portion. While fluting lends a distinct pattern to the furniture, it’s still simple. That means it can be incorporated nicely into ornate or minimalist designs.
Fluted furniture materials
The fluting design can work almost anywhere, so few materials are immune to the fluting trend. Fluted wood furniture is common, but furniture designers also use stone, plaster, marble, and even durable plastic to apply the fluting effect on cabinet doors, millwork, and decorative columns.
Fluted designs work with almost any material too, from velvet to leather. However, thicker or more luxurious fabrics like shaggy wool might hide the design. You’ll most likely need a tight, texture-free material in order to see the piping and ribbed effect. Plain material shows off the distinct symmetrical fluted shapes.
You can also find the fluted pattern on couches, side benches, or even wooden side tables with different stains and finishes.
Interior design styles that best complement fluted furniture
The fluted design is distinct yet subtle enough to fit almost any aesthetic. But it’s perhaps most fitting for transitional designs that bridge the gap between traditional and modern. It fits nicely with textured furniture like wicker or plain wooden pieces, and it’s simple enough to bring an element of modern style to a minimalist room.
Transitional designs typically use muted color tones, like tan and taupe partnered with dark brown and textured natural materials. Well-balanced transitional rooms have minimal accessories and modern bright lighting. It's an ideal environment for the right piece of fluted furniture, whose texture is definitive of its design.
Many fluted pieces are flexible and can be a welcome addition to a variety of room styles. It fits right into any retro room that wants to bring back some of those style icons of the 1950s and 1960s. But sleek modern living spaces that revel in the new-century aesthetic can also incorporate fluted accents. It's not so much a question of what styles complement fluted furniture, but which fluted furniture pieces best complement your personal design style.
How To Incorporate Fluted Furniture Into Your Home
Fluting is a simple and straightforward design element, so it's important not to overdo it. For example, limit the design to a dresser with ribbing only on the front drawers and don't include other fluted pieces in the room. Ribbing on columns and walls is a tasteful break in an otherwise texture-free surface, but too much ribbing can ruin the effect.
Consider placing that one perfect fluted piece in the center of the room, such as a low coffee table, end or side table, or even a matching pair. Balancing fluted furniture with other design elements, like texture-free chairs or couches, will give the ribbing or grooved look the respect it deserves without looking cluttered.
The Best Fluted Furniture
The options are nearly endless when it comes to choosing your fluted pieces. You can pepper them throughout your home as accents or use them as central pieces in your bedroom or larger living areas. The best options are those that work with your personal style, which might incorporate something retro, traditional, modern, or entirely your own. Here’s a look at our favorites for each part of the home.
For your bedroom
From your bed frame to your side table, you can bring the aesthetic of ancient Roman ruins, a late-1960s bachelor pad, or a modern family home into your bedroom. The fluted look can comprise the entirety of a piece’s exterior, like some of these dressers or side tables, or as a mere accent, like a unique headboard that integrates flat wood with fluting on the edges and center. Your color options range from deep oak wood to a light gray that recalls ancient stone, and about every natural shade in between.
For your living room
There are fluted pieces to suit any living room. Whether you’re lounging around a rug-covered laminate or thick carpet, you can find a coffee table or side table that brings the fluted design into your current decor. Many end table pieces combine an elegantly grooved base with a smooth top, providing functionality and visual appeal.
But you're not limited to tables. An ottoman with a grooved accent is not only a beautiful addition to your decor but also provides a bit of extra storage and an extra seat in the room.
For accenting your home
The fluted aesthetic is a break from the mundane, bringing a pattern of grooves and ribbing into a variety of materials. Imagination is the limit when it comes to potential decor accents that contain fluting. Vases and lamps are just a few examples of pieces that offer a touch of texture that brings new energy to any corner of the room. The best thing about using fluted pieces as accents is that you can incorporate them almost anywhere and move them around as your mood and tastes shift.