The Fly in the ointment
Exploring odd pairings, the perfectly imperfect & the element of surprise.
I recently read this quote from Alexa Chung in The Cut
“ Sometimes bad taste is kind of exciting. If everyone has good taste, you need something that’s a fly in the ointment to make it all make sense.”
I thought it perfectly summed up what I have been thinking about lately in relation to interiors. If everything is too agreeable, too polite, too tasteful … things can just feel ‘off’ … in fact something often needs to ‘feel off’ for a space to have that special magic. So today I’m sharing some bits that deliver that perfect ‘fly in the ointment’.
The ‘fly’ can manifest in lots of different ways but often its when 2 or more things colide that shouldn’t go together but just do. Its also when there is a moment of unexpected, when a choice is made that feels less travelled and predictable, delivering something perfectly imperfect.
DESIGNER
Geremia design seems to nail the above. Case in point contrasting a nostalgic floral fabric on a contemporary modular style sofa. Classical ornaments and traditional flower arrangements on a very structured mid century style shelf. The head board above , slightly mad in theory but delivers perfectly on the unexpected.
If you are into the contrast of floral modernism , you might like these B & B Italia Bamboles,
Not for sale but this Rietveld Zig Zag Variation 6: Great Granny by Garry Knox Bennett hits the right off notes too from chairblog.eu
Infact anything by Garry Knox would deliver on that unexpected note, particularly in a more traditional/ period setting ( cottage with beams … Georgian with ornate cornicing etc)
Before I leave the floral modernism behind I just remembered another triumph of a project by Reath Design.
If you like this feel but don’t like the idea of an upholstery project this Floral togo from Aria might hit the spot.
I think my personal preference on a floral is a small print. If I’m totally honest I’m much more comfortable in the stripes and plaid realm but if I did go the floral route, here’s a selection of favourites.
Anything by Josef Frank for Svenskttenn is perfect for the floral fearing/ floral adverse (a.k.a me). The botanical nature of his print definitely feels more contemporary ( despite being designed in the 1920s) and much less granny/cottage core vibe. You can read more about Josef Frank here on my Journal Muse and Maker
As you can see above , Frank’s own furniture designs also considered the ‘off kilter’ element in their form. In the 1930’s these random sized drawers and super chunky chair feet would have been a complete aesthetic surprise and still do deliver on that element of the unexpected.
Above is LIBERTY Thorpe House Linen in Purslane would work well on a contemporary silhouette.
as would …
Hollyhocks by House of Hackney My preference would definitely be the Autumn colour way.
Again more in the botanical genre Fabric Iceflower by Klaus Haapaniemi & Co would give a sleek silhouette a fun warmth and an heirloom quality.
I’m weary that this post doesn’t just become about botanical upholstery so will end it on a recent discovery that juxtaposes florals perfectly. The account startrekdesign discovered via For Scale . This was one of those internet pleasures that I feel the past only seemed to serve up … perhaps because everything online is so tasteful these days. Anyhoo, I went down a wonderful rabbit hole on For scale as I was remembering Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi’s fantastic house that perfectly sums up that “fly in the ointment” feeling ( art & crafts house/ post modern chair/ floral wallpaper and a lifetime of accrued objects , see below). For context Denise used to play a game with her husband called “ I can like something worse than you can like” …perhaps its a game we should all occasionally get on board with to combat overly agreeable interiors.
Images of Denise & Roberts house from sah-archipedia above . If you subscribe to Apartamento they had a great article on Denise and the space here
and after that tangent … below is some fun from startrekdesign as promised. Its an account dedicated to identifying the objects, furnishings, and interior design used in Star Trek. You’re welcome.
Serpente Lamp designed by Elio Martinelli for Martinelli Luce
Medusa Lamp by Olaf von Bohr for Valenti 1968
First Chair designed by Michele de Lucchi 1983
Modular Sofa by Preview c. 1970’s
Please do share your “flies in the ointments” in the comments section below, I would love for this Substack to be a place where we can exchange fun visuals & ideas. Mines a glass in the shape of a trophy that sits on our Kitchen shelf. A charity shop find that has seen us though a myriad of celebrations from house moves to our son’s arrival. Thats the great thing about the fly in the room’s ointment, it doesn’t need to be expensive …in fact the cheaper and tackier the better perhaps.
See you all again soon!
Em
x
Just a note that L.A.Door is actually making more versions of the Gary Knox Bennet Zig Zag chair with permission.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjlZU_-P9Fz/?igsh=cWU3ZmxyMHplYmho