Gwyneth Paltrow has one. The iconic interior designer Brigette Romanek has one (having installed the one in Gwyneth’s). Beyonce sat in a Lee Broom one for a music video. We’re talking swings, and swinging is back with a vengeance not seen since its 1970s heyday.
Designers have been adding indoor swing ideas into projects with increasing regularity, and they’ve been spotted hanging out in some of the most beautiful new homes of the year.
But why is this interior design trend re-emerging? Quite simply because they’re fun, a joyous addition that can lift your spirits as they lift you off the floor. "They help you to relax," says Brigette Romanek. "They put a smile on your face. To me, they’re another form of wellness, able to put you into a trance. Close those eyes and sway. Gwyneth Paltrow has had one for years and always loved them — you can’t beat swinging in front of that view."
Designer Anne Marie Barton included Lee Broom’s Hanging Hoop Chair (that of the Beyonce music vid fame) in a project recently (as seen above), and agrees they’re a dash of pure hedonism. "Swings add an air of informality and play to a space," she says. "That’s why we love them."
At this point, you’re probably wondering how practical they could possibly be, but Brigette balks at such a pedestrian question. "That doesn’t matter!" she says with undisguised glee. "And that’s what I love so much about design, it’s what works for you in your home. It also serves a function [of relaxing you] as good design does."
Admittedly, they’re not for the fainthearted. ‘"When a client comes to me with the idea of a swing, my philosophy about their project is enhanced and I know who they are based on that statement," adds Anne Marie. "It says 'I have courage'".
Lisa Furuland Kotsianis is practically an ambassador for swinging. The founder of Lalande Living, the lifestyle store that designs and sells happily unnecessary but decor- and soul-enhancing home products like plinths, obelisks, and, yes, swings, extols the virtue of having one. "I’ve always loved the act of swinging," she says. "They’re gravity-defying, incredibly calming and a totally joyous thing to do. You know, comfort and functionality in a home are not enough — we need magic, we need art for the purposes of decoration but also a heightened sensory experience."
She uses her indoor swing for reading corners, meditation spaces, listening to music, or for entertaining guests. "They invite conviviality during gatherings," she says. "In my home I have dedicated half the lounge to a centrally placed swing which I treat as an ethereal installation." Her guests, she says, are entranced, keen to have a go, instantly at ease and primed for a relaxed evening of conversation.
Price: $169.99
Add a bit of boho comfort to your home with this wicker framed swing chair
Price: $179
This fun, tasseled option brings playfulness into the indoors.
Price; $8,850
Lee Broom's designer swing chair is Beyonce-endorsed, and looks modern and elegant.
Convinced? Then the way to do a swing is to embrace its eye-catching beauty. Lalande’s swings come embellished with ebullient leather tassels; Lee Broom’s is padded with a rich seat cushion and can be specified in any material you like. Brigette Romanek picked a monochromatic color scheme for hers (created bespoke by Thomas Hayes Studio in beige, cream, and gold) which she says is "soothing and felt calm.'
"To own a swing is to feel pure joy," Lisa says. ‘There is no such thing as an age limit to use one. Trust me, it’s the same as swimming in the ocean, feeling the breeze, those experiences that make you feel happy. Life is too short not to provide that emotion within the walls of your own home.’ A way to get high - in all senses of the word.
