Š Ryland Peters & Small 2014
WHEN IT COMES TO TEXTILES, IMPERFECTION IS SOMETIMES SEEN AS A VIRTUE AT THE MAKING STAGE.
LAYERS OF HISTORY
Imperfection is sometimes seen as a virtue at the production stage when it comes to textiles; this hanging (above left) would be a duller proposition if its pattern were regular. Layering fabrics can make for rich and exotic interiors, whether they are more everyday objects, such as a coat-stand of Indian bags (above right), or an inviting place to rest (opposite). The passage of time can do wonderful things to fragile fabrics, like this frayed and patched upholstery, bulging with escaping horsehair (right).
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Š Ryland Peters & Small 2014
COLOUR CONTRADICTIONS
Creeping tongues of rust work their way over a panel of American tin painted a distinctive pea green (above, clockwise from top left); these bright balls of colour add an instant shot of cheeriness – we have them lined up on our stairs (see page 24); directly contrasting colours are the most eye-catching of all, such as this fluorescent stationery standing out against some purple tissue paper found in an old stationery
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shop in Paris; the soft, tufted edges of this pile of remnants make their bright colours blur together; the hand-crafted brass spoon contrasts with a heavily oxidized copper table made by Costanza Algranti; this door in our house has seen a number of bright colours over the years, so we selectively peeled back the layers to reveal all of them at the same time. Katharine Pole’s remnant jars (opposite) are filled with all the fabric scraps that she can’t bear to throw away.
Š Ryland Peters & Small 2014
{ recycled & restyled}
REPURPOSED
Being able to see new uses for old objects can take a certain amount of imagination, whether it’s getting a feel for how industrial objects can be reworked into a more homely setting or – a step up – making your own wild creations from whatever is to hand. Odd juxtapositions of objects can bring unexpected humour to a home – lights made from brioche tins and taps/faucets, or an iPad stand created from shoe lasts – while giving forgotten or obsolete goods a new purpose is also creatively satisfying.
Š Ryland Peters & Small 2014
NEW WAYS TO PLAY
Die-cast toys sitting at the bottom of backless wooden frames play with scale (this page). The offset, stacked arrangement results in a carefree look, which is supported by the playfulness of the toys themselves. An American mailbox with a saddle of rust (opposite) has been repurposed as an office storage box in Masakazu Yonehara’s store Buaisou. The desk, chair and lighting are all redundant factory finds.
INTERIORS
IMPERFECT HOME IS A LOOK THAT IS NOT SWAYED BY TRENDS. IT’S ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES AND SEES THE BEAUTY IN IMPERFECTION, BUT IS AT THE SAME TIME CREATIVE, MODERN AND BRAVE. YOUR HOME DOESN’T NEED TO BE PERFECT OR PRISTINE, AND
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NEITHER DO THE THINGS THAT YOU FILL IT WITH.