Wednesday, August 14, 2013

beauty lies in the imperfection


Mom and I have been talking a lot about how we grow and change every year.  Our tastes change, they mature, they digress, they take a side trip. One of the things I've come to realize I find to be a cornerstone in the style of design that I like is imperfection.  We see so many images every day that anything unique and slightly imperfect makes it feel more 'real'.  In my own corner of the world, I see way too much stagnancy - retail box rooms, out of date furniture, grey and white everything.  But even if a room has any of these 'offenders', I find myself still loving it if there's something imperfect or off about it. An off-center picture, an old moody portrait, a misshapen slipcover. Shows character and ability to think outside the box.



My mom has a story about one of our dear friends, who always looks perfectly pulled together and coiffed.  She once told us she couldn't put together an outfit if she tried, her trick was to buy the outfit in the window or on the mannequin, that someone else put together for her so the equation always worked. We see this translated into design - a perfectly pulled together room can soothe the eye but can often leave you feeling unfulfilled. It looks loved and lived in when things are slightly off.



I love seeing Jeffrey Alan Marks' home office area like this.  His stuff everywhere, his home really being used the way it was intended to be. Mismatched chairs, a screen packed in the mix to hide his mess.  It's delightful because it's how he really lives, I'll bet.



See this? This could never fly in my house.  For starters, whenever I make the bed ]to my standards, my husband runs and jumps on the top just to tousle my feathers.  Plus, these two bulldogs could never abide by the all white perfection.  They'd sloth their muddy toes across the bed despite my best efforts.



Aside from that, the symmetry, the matchiness of it all really underwhelms me. A model home is like Eva Longoria. She is stunning, her face almost total perfection.  But personally, I'd rather look at Sarah Jessica Parker's quirky nose all day long because there's more to study.  When I can't find something to situate my mind on in a room, it becomes a bit boring and I'm ready to move on.  We spend way too much time running around trying to be perfect - putting away the laundry so it doesn't sit in your living room, cleaning up after messy meals, putting on makeup to go out... Sometimes I think true beauty lies in the imperfect.


18 comments:

  1. agreed.

    I actually don't really like rooms that are too perfect and stiff. That bores me. I like real rooms.

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  2. You Said It!! I love a little imperfection ,there is something interesting about it and charming! It makes me want to know who lives there!!
    Great post!!
    xo Karolyn

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  3. Amen sister! You said it well my friend. I am talking about the same thing today, sort of. :) Great minds think alike!

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  4. I am totally with you on this one Bethany. I know people that have house that are like that and its just not inviting when you are actually in the space.

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  5. There's talent in getting that imperfect lived in look. I remember loving model homes, I don't really care for them anymore!

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  6. I love imperfect living. It is real and natural.

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  7. A Model Home is great for ideas on furniture placement etc. and a Designer Stylized Room is great for inspiration....BUT just once, I'd love to see that Designer's room the way it really is!

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  8. I have to much going on to have a perfect room...it is impossible! It would exhaust me to try!

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  9. It's amazing how often I have seen/read this theme lately. Everywhere it seems. Though maybe it's been there all along and I'm just now noticing.

    I'm finding huge value in it as I play around with decorating my home, but even more so as I think about who I am and who I want to be (that 30 year mark is causing loads of self-reflection:). There is a book on my "to read" list called The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. I am so looking forward to reading it. You may enjoy it too! :)

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  10. Wonderfully said! Life is imperfect -- and it just needs to be embraced!

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  11. We are all imperfect Bethany and there in itself, lies the appeal of the same in design. I totally understand and agree with you on that, and though my being an O-C would make me cringe at pillows out of place or a frame slightly off-centered, I try to incorporate objects that seem out of place in my decor. That's how I put 'imperfections' in my home - the unexpected, tacky personal mementos

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  12. I like imperfection as well. Rooms that are too perfect don't feel comfortable to me.

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  13. I love this post. I struggle with the idea of perfection all the time in all aspects of life: looks, career, design, etc... I agree that imperfection is so much more interesting.

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  14. Imperfection is probably one of my favorite all time things! Thank goodness I love it and I think most folks do too. Kind of takes the pressure off one doesn't it?

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  15. I couldn't agree with you more. Must be why I am so drawn to antiques, and folk art in particular. All those imperfections ARE perfection.

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  16. I learned the term wabi-sabi years ago ... and I believe in it wholeheartedly. Beauty in the imperfection. In fact I always try to throw in one "odd ball" thing in my designs. Something just needs to be "off" to create interest. Sometimes my clients don't see it that way!! Oh well ... I forge on!! xo

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  17. Well said, Bethany. I'll take character over perfection anytime!

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