Design Tension

Years ago, I dragged Carter to a talk by designer Michael Smith at the Corcoran Gallery.
Michael had many gems of wisdom to share but the key take-away that stuck with Carter Shuffler (and me) was his thought on "tension".

Michael preached that every space should have some sort of tension - something that isn't quite right to, in a way, throw the room off and engage the eye.

Image via Quadrille, design by Charlotte Barnes

Like this lamp. I think in the land of "perfect" design, a gold or white gourd lamp would be great, yes? But taking this black/gold/gray vignette and adding a blue and white porcelain lamp with a boho lavender pleated shade make the space come to life. A lamp. That's all it took to take this space from lovely to spectacular.

This though has stuck with me (and Carter) for years now and I think it's such a great little piece of advice...just as you wrap up a space, ask yourself what your tension is. If everything feels perfectly placed and in harmony maybe you need to edit something to give it some gusto.

p.s. That is Quadrille's Zebra Embroider fabric on the chair and it is a new favorite! I'm such a huge fan of black and white. I think this pattern on a chair would work in almost any room as a neutral. And the wallpaper is Quadrille's Persia Wallpaper.

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