With a fresh new month and new year, January is all about new beginnings, getting organised and rejuvenating your life and home. Just like with a Spring clean, it’s a great time of year to declutter, have a clear-out and re-evaluate the things you really need and can’t live without.
I took the time between Christmas and New Year – days usually lost to lazy mornings, binge watching box sets and copious amounts of leftovers and chocolate – to get ahead with a bit of DIY. We’re so nearly there with the renovations. The floors in the living room and kitchen have been painted white (we got the walls done before Christmas), and after all the dust and builders it’s beginning to look fresh, bright and like somewhere you could actually live!
The best bit about starting this new year is that we now have this lovely blank canvas to make our own. A clean, bare room. We can start afresh and take our time filling the space with our belongings, only adding the things we really need or love, leaving everything else in a pile to sort out. There’s something about painted white floors in particular that make you want to leave the room minimal, light and airy. I don’t want to ruin this beautiful space with piles of clutter, overflowing shelves and tangles of wires…
Yes, the tangles of wires, the bane of my life! I can’t stand seeing unsightly wires trailing along the walls or poking out from underneath furniture. Wires trailing down the side of tables from lamps. Plug switches can be so ugly too. Framed prints leaning against the wall or piles of magazines and also plants are great ways of hiding these technical necessities but what about all the power outlets we need to hand for our mobiles, tablets and computers?
If you’re anything like us, you need at least one phone charger in every room, just in case you suddenly hit 5% battery and are halfway through a TV programme/Pinterest binge/Instagram stories fix. And a laptop charger or two. If they could all be hidden away.
That’s where Calligaris’ clever Tender table comes in – a multifunctional piece of furniture that is fitted with an integrated cable hole to conceal every type of power cable, from a lamp to a laptop charger. Designed by Manuela Busetti, Andrea Garuti and Matteo Redaelli, it’s the perfect addition to the modern home where function and flexibility are key but good design is a must. It’s lightweight and can be easily moved around, to adapt from side table to work station next to the sofa. It could make a great bedside table too.
When I’m working from home but don’t necessarily want to be at my desk (I’ve got this lovely new space to enjoy!) I can move it to perch over the sofa with my laptop and have my phone charging close at hand. The cable runs down the spine of the table, popping out the other end to connect to a multi-plug under the sofa (or simply plug into the wall). The hole is large enough that you could have multiple cables if you had different devices or wanted to add a light to the mix. When I’m finished I can then move it to one side an use it as a surface to store books and magazines.
The cable hole tidies come in three different colours, I’ve got a blue-grey here, but there’s also red and white to swap and change as your room evolves.
The table’s clean lines and minimal profile help fit it in with different styles, next to a contemporary sofa or vintage armchair.
A small surface also means there’s not lots of room to fill with stuff! A laptop, phone, charger, plants and coffee, of course, is all I really need to work 🙂
The table also comes in red, sky blue and a beige colour called nougat. I like the light, airy feel of the white, and how, from some angles, the table’s surface appears to float in mid-air.
I love clever, functional furniture like this than can help create an uncluttered space and adapt with you as you live in the space. Simple pieces that uplift the everyday, that respond to contemporary needs and changing lifestyles. For people like me who are slaves to their technology but don’t want that to ruin the look of their home. Now I’ll be wanting several in each room to hide all the wires…
All images my own. This post is sponsored by Calligaris
Source list (*indicates where I have received a discount or the item has been gifted):
Table: Calligaris*
Wall colour: Farrow & Ball Blackened*
Floor colour: Farrow & Ball All White*
Sofa: IKEA (discontinued)
Lampshade: IKEA
Striped cushion: Happy + Co*
Grey linen cushions: H&M Home
Mountain print: Coco Lapine
Blanket: ByMolle
Chair: vintage, eBay
