1. The beauty of repetition – Do you enjoy the simplicity and predictability of having two similar night stands and two identical lamps sitting on said nightstands on either side of a bed? Do you like having exactly the same type of end tables and an identical pair of table lamps placed atop each of those two end tables on either side of a sofa? And do you like the idea of having two pairs of armchairs sitting opposite each other on either side of a sofa to form a U-shaped layout? You, my friend, are a fan of perfectly symmetrical design, where shapes mirror each other perfectly to form a pleasing and consistent whole. There’s nothing wrong with perfect predictability as this is the formula that most hotels, restaurants and private residences use to create a comforting and soothing design. Many people enjoy order and symmetry and it’s a surefire formula for achieving a beautiful and disciplined form of interior design like in the bedroom pictured below. It’s a classic approach to arranging object as (1) it’s a really simple formula to implement or copy, (2) there’s a lack of arbitrariness to it that feels reassuring and (3) there’s a ‘rightness’ to it that’s hard to dispute. However, some people do find it a bit boring.
2. Repetition vs. variation – Which brings us to the second type of furniture arrangement, which is the asymmetrical approach. This is where you relax the somewhat rigid formula of symmetry and add something different into the mix just to add a degree of variation. For instance, I may put only one nightstand to one side of the bed, and nothing on the opposite side. And then I may put a table lamp over that one nightstand and then I may put a floor lamp on the side that is missing a nightstand. So it’s asymmetrical in that there are not two identical nightstands but only one. But I may incorporate some thread of consistency by repeating the style of the table lamp and floor lamp similar to add a level of sameness to it even though they’re essentially two different objects (i.e., a table lamp vs. a floor lamp). Another approach it to use two identical lamps and then put two completely different end tables underneath. I may use a pedestal style table which consists of a table top, stem and base (with no drawers) out of wood on one side of the bed while I might use a conventional nightstand on the other side with 1 drawer on the other side also made of wood for that ‘same-but-different’ dynamic. Or I may put an ottoman across an armchair instead of using two identical armchairs like in the picture below.
3. Changing some elements within the same symmetrical layout – Imagine having a fireplace on one side of your living room and then furnishing it by putting identical sofas on either side of the fireplace. That would be the perfectly symmetrical approach. Some people would prefer to mix things up by putting a pair of armchairs directly opposite the couch like in the picture below. That’s one way to create some symmetry… but not perfect symmetry. Other people would go as far as changing the colours of the two armchairs opposite but keeping the overall style the same. More adventurous folks might choose circular-shaped armchairs to just to make things even more interesting visually. They might even choose leather for their sofa, and then use velvet fabric for the two armchairs sitting opposite the sofa. In a dining table meant for two people, I may use wooden benches on the two long sides and then wing chairs on the two short ends of the table. I’ve also mixed art deco with contemporary style by using 1920s leather and steel Marcel Breur BRNO armchairs on the long sides with a pair of mid-century Eames plastic and wood 1950s chairs on the short ends, and that asymmetrical type of arrangement creates an interesting visual result.
4. Varying sizes and number of objects – I like to introduce asymmetry mostly on the walls as this is where you can make things really interesting. If you look at most people’s living rooms, you’ll typically find art over the sofas or beds arranged in ones, twos, or threes in the same size. This is the the simplest and most basic way to display art. In other words, over a standard 3-seater sofa that’s 86” inches (or nearly 8 ft) long for example, you may find a large piece of art that’s 3 ft high by 5 feet wide. Nothing could be simpler right? Or you may find 2 pieces of art that are 2.5 ft high by 2.5 ft wide that are side by side or three identically styled pices that are 12” in high by 18” in wide for example. This is the conventional no-brainer way to do things. Simply choose a style and colour of art that you like and lay them side by side in perfect symmetry. What if you wanted a bit of disorder instead? Putting different sized, colour, style of art can be an interesting way to do things except that it does require a practiced eye to choose what objects to place side by side. The more you can mix it up in terms of size, subject matter, style of art (painting, sketch, photo, etc.) the more interesting and personal your art collection becomes.
5. Total asymmetry: throwing out the rules with eclectic design – This is a situation where seemingly all rules of design have been thrown out the door. The simplest way people break the rules for example is when using chairs around a dining table that are all completely different from one another, using mismatched end tables and lamps or using accent chairs that are not identical and look completely different in style from the sofa. It’s as if every object has a story of its own and were picked at random. With eclectic design though, nothing ever happens at random. The whole seemingly crazy mixture of objects was chosen not to coordinate with another piece of furniture in the room, but rather for their own meaning and unique personality. In fact, there is no single prevailing style of design and it seems as if several decorating styles were mashed together to creating a more interesting result. The more diverse the collection of objects, the more you will need the help of a design professional to ensure that you don’t mess this up (and people do easily mess things up when they try and do an eclectic style) and end up with a visually cohesive result. Check out this living room pictured below with the classically styled wing chair, the sort-of-mid-century chest of drawers, art deco gold mirror to the right of the curtain, the tropically styled round mirror and planter, the middle eastern ottoman stool and the seemingly collection of wall art that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a combination of elements from various time periods that seem nonsensical but put together makes for a very pleasing whole.
