Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Rule: a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure, furniture arrangement, my every thought, etc

I am at last willing to admit my love of rules. I always thought I disliked them but I'm learning that I love them. This is a positive and a negative thing. In the world of design and decor, guidelines are incredibly useful (I'll speak to the not so useful another time). I believe more than a few of you have heard me state the distance that should remain between your sofa and your coffee table, and I suspect that many of you have implemented it regardless of how crazy you think I or the rules I embrace are. A few examples:

  • 'Twinkle lights' are for Christmas. They are not for weddings, to be wrapped in tulle, or strung along your living room ceiling.
  • White grout is not for public restrooms.
  • CFL bulbs (like florescents) are bad for you. Well, they're bad for ambiance, but I shall wield the general statement with all my might.
  • Light fixtures hang 28 to 34 inches from the top of your table, are no wider than the diameter of the table less 6 to 8 inches, and so on...
  • Proportion, scale and spacial layout are 75% of the feel of your space. No wall color will fix poor space planning. 
  • Everything is not worthy of chalkboard paint, mostly because I'd like it's appeal to last more than 4 years.
They may seem like pet peeves, and I know they are kind of funny. It's a sample of the way my mind works minute by minute. The visual dsicrminations that allow me and many others to see things for what they could be. I'm open to new thoughts and a changing design landscape, but I think the little things go a long way in impacting our day. From the coffee shop, to the park, to the grocery store, we go in and out of well or poorly thought spaces. Take note, those of us who think this way hope you enjoy our work  ... without noticing the work.

Oh and the coffee table, approximately 18 inches.