It’s not walls that define a space, it’s the furniture. Each lounge or dining zone becomes a curated expression of lifestyle, shaped by form, material and craftsmanship.
At the heart of design is people. How someone uses a space, how they move between different areas throughout the day, the memories and feelings they want to experience in their homes every day. For Donna Higginson, owner of Sarsfield Brooke, how a space will actually be lived in is the foundation.
“But the real gold comes from conversation,” she says. “When clients are open to talking, there’s so much to learn about how they move through their home, who’s around the table, what matters to them day to day.”
Donna’s other non-negotiable when guiding clients in selecting the right pieces for their space and lifestyle is scale. “If you’re not placing furniture on a plan, you’re guessing. Getting pieces onto a floor plan is fundamental and how you truly understand spatial awareness and make the best use of a room.”
Once that plan has been set, what furniture should go where?
Start with a hero piece
Furniture can be more than something to sit on or hold your favourite books; it can be an extension of your personality. When working with customers to find the right pieces for their homes, Donna and her team at Sarsfield Brooke will always ask if there’s a hero piece in their home, something that they smile at each time they walk past it, that one thing they want to keep in the family forever. “And if you don’t have one yet, that’s where we start.”
These pieces might not have any significance to anyone outside of your family, but if it’s important to you, there’s every reason to give it pride of place.
“Craftsmanship is always a consideration. Understanding why something is made the way it is, and made well, matters. But ultimately, it’s what a piece means to you that earns it a place in your home. It will have a story. Ask yourself: why were you drawn to it? That answer tells you everything.”
If none of your existing furniture comes to mind, be open to new influences and don’t be afraid to buy something without a plan. “The hero is never ordinary; it might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but it quickly becomes part of what makes a home unmistakably yours,” says Donna. “Without a ‘look at me’ piece, what do you really have?”
Find that hero piece that becomes part of your story.
Create distinct zones
Multiple spaces deserve multiple personalities. Think about how differently you use them: the Sunday afternoon sprawl watching your favourite series is a completely different experience to the lounge you retreat to after a dinner party, or the quiet corner that belongs entirely to the bookworm of the house. Each of those moments deserves its own setting.
Creating these different zones within an open-plan home is possible, too. “It’s more straightforward than people think, and it starts with pulling furniture away from the walls,” suggests Donna. “Bring a bookcase or cabinet forward, and suddenly you have an intentional zone. Open-plan living can feel vast and impersonal, but furniture and lighting together can counteract that. Used well, they give a large space a proper sense of intimacy, a kind of warm embrace within the openness.”
Plan for hosting
Everyone hosts differently, so how can guests have a different experience in your space?
“Nothing works better than the element of surprise. Pieces that look beautiful and then reveal something unexpected. I love watching a guest’s face when the chair they’ve just settled into turns out to swivel and rock. Suddenly, no one wants to leave it. That kind of delight is what makes a space memorable.”
At the end of the day, you know you’ve chosen well when, years down the track, your instinct is to restore or recover a piece rather than replace it. When you find yourself telling guests about the artisan who made it, that’s the mark of something truly worthwhile.
“The pieces we carry at Sarsfield Brooke are made with that kind of intention. Created with genuine skill and heart. They’re the pieces you’ll talk about for the rest of your life,” says Donna. “If your space makes you happy, you’re exactly where you should be. It’s as simple as that. When you arrive home and feel genuinely satisfied, settled, restored and proud, you know you’ve got it right. You’re living in your home, not on top of it.”
