some assembly required

June 2nd 2016 Comments: 1 Topics: , , ,

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Assembling furniture in a room is something we take quite seriously – whether it’s by decorating an existing room or in designing a new room – orchestrating and harmonizing furnishings is always foremost in our mind. All furniture has distinct character, some are dramatic while others come across as demure and retiring. To create a successful room, you need to compose an equal balance of each. I liken it to putting together a good dinner party – the best ones are not made entirely of verbose storytellers or an assembly of shy folk. You need the perfect weight of each in the scale. The best cocktail parties consist of a good assortment of shocking people and people that are easily shocked. Performers and audience, the young and the old – they all go hand in hand in concocting a sublime mix.

Furnishing a room is no different. A room full of antiques can tend to come across as formal and stale. A room full of contemporary furniture will look like a mail-order catalog page. But invite them to same event and you’ll find that clean, simple pieces provide fresh air while characterful, mature antiques make sure the youngsters behave. Too much of either never makes a balanced diet. You wouldn’t want to dine on a plateful of bland, white rice or a dish of a succulent, rich sauce. Put them together, though, and their marriage equates to the perfect dish.

I’ve always thought perfect marriages are constructed of people who are vastly different. Where one lacks, the other completes. Think of a room as a wedding chapel where you get to play matchmaker and God. After all, if the bride and groom are carbon copies of each other, one of them might be unnecessary.

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Faithfully,

Greg Tankersley,

for McALPINE

1 comment

  1. Leslie Moore says:

    I try and explain this concept all the time to clients that not every item can be the front and center showstopper, some selections need to be quiet and in the background. But of course you have said it so much more eloquently, so next time I will just show the client a copy of your wise words!

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