The design of the room in our feature photograph is a great example of how symmetry and asymmetry can work in harmony. While the decor is balanced, it still has a sense of the unexpected through items that do not necessarily match.
If you remove all of the accoutrements in this room, you will be left with a very architecturally symmetrical space. Matching built-in bookcases flank a centre fireplace. The common way to decorate a space like this is to have additional matching items brought into the space to support the paired theme. In this particular instance, however, the room has been designed with the use of both symmetrical and asymmetrical trappings.
For example, the two matching pictures hung over the fireplace are fairly symmetrical in that they are a matched set, except for the actual patterns, which are so similar I'd consider them to be symmetrical.
One would be tempted to flank these two prints with matching vases, lamps or topiaries set on the mantle. The unexpected surprise is the non-matching vase and decorative box on the mantle, which are placed off-centre. This small asymmetrical touch keeps the fireplace from feeling too formal and stodgy.
The same idea has been carried onto the matching built-in bookcases. Most of the items on the shelves are similar but they are not laid out in the same pattern so as not to match the other shelf, which keeps things visually interesting. You have to love the wall colour (CIL Sail away), which makes the white fireplace and accessories really pop.
This mix-and-match decor is carried into both the furniture and the groupings. On one side of the fireplace, you have a comfy armchair in a casual fabric while the other side boasts two formal armless chairs, a table and a footstool. There is symmetry in that both sides of the fireplace are flanked with furniture, but also asymmetry by the very furniture items chosen and how they are placed. Traditional thought would have the two matching chairs flanking the fireplace, which is also lovely, but I like the juxtaposition of the furniture as it is in our feature space.
The matching items provide visual balance and harmony and an air of a formal decor while the offset and mismatched items provide a feeling of casual comfort. This room is elegant but not too stuffy so as to be uncomfortable.
How to pull it off
If you have a room that is architecturally asymmetrical and you find it too modern in appearance and feel, you may want to balance it through the use of symmetry. If there is not a focal point, then create one by including an item such as a fireplace, a piano or a large entertainment cabinet, for instance. Balance co-ordinating artwork, vases, topiaries, candlesticks or lamps on each side of the focal item.
Strengthen the harmony and balance by flanking the focal point with matching chairs and side tables for a finished look. You might have matching candlesticks on top of the piano or accent chairs flanking the large cabinet, for instance.
Likewise goes for the opposite dilemma. If your room is architecturally formal like the one pictured here and you want to make it more casual or funky, add offset items and mismatched yet co-ordinating furniture to the space. Use unusual items, such as a vintage trunk for a coffee table, to 'undo' the stuffiness of a formal living room, for instance. Soften an overly conventional fireplace by using an asymmetrical setting on the mantle. For example, lean (rather than hang) a medium-sized painting (formal or modern) on the mantle placed a bit off-centre, then next to that perhaps a tall vase and maybe a small fern that hangs down on one side of the mantle, which will soften the sharp corner.
A single unique lamp, like the one pictured here (instructions on how to make it to follow) will be more interesting than a matching pair. Keep in mind three accessories are more asymmetrical than two or four and are visually more appealing. Play with size, shape and colour until you get an eye-catching arrangement.
Globe lampshade
I got this idea from the Internet months ago and went about separating the two halves of an old globe in order to make an interesting lampshade.
Using a utility knife and a lot of patience, I carefully separated the two halves, removed all the hardware and was left with two lovely lampshades. I antiqued the surface of the globe with brown craft paint to give it some Old World charm.
I then kept my eyes open for a lamp base with a harp that would work with the globe shade. It took a few weeks before I happened upon a lamp base at the thrift store ($4) that worked perfectly in both style and scale. The globe had a natural hole on top and the harp tip fit right into the hole and the shade was held on with the finial-just as a regular lamp shade would be. Because the half globe was not long enough to look balanced, I purchased a length of beaded trim from a fabric store and glued it to the bottom of the shade to finish it off.
I love the way it looks, and it is truly a conversational item in my new decor.
I received another lamp base from a friend that did not have a shade. It was a wire base in a cream colour and was fairly tall for a table lamp. Instead of a normal lampshade, I decided to create a sphere shade to top off the unique base.
I dipped lengths of cotton butcher's string in a papier m¢ché paste and covered a blown-up balloon until it was nearly completely covered, leaving a 12.7-centimetre opening at the bottom. Once completely dry, I gently punctured the balloon and let the air out slowly and was left with a spaghetti-like sphere.
The shade fit over the harp of the lamp base and again, the finial fit through an opening in the top of the sphere. When the lamp is on, the light filters through the holes in the shade making for a nice ambience in the evening.
Give one or both of these lampshades a try. They are a lot of fun to make and are really interesting in the decor.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
