In interiors, why does everything have to be practical? It is a question we find ourselves asking more and more. Of course, a room should work. Chairs should be comfortable, tables should be the right height and a hotel room should have somewhere sensible to put your suitcase. At our Design Studio, we think a little bit of impracticality can be rather wonderful. A beautiful lamp that takes up more space than it needs to. A chair that is far too sculptural to be the most comfortable seat in the room. A tiny table that is really only big enough for a cup of tea. A piece of art that serves no purpose at all, except to make you smile. These are often the things that give a room its personality.
So many interiors seem to be designed around the idea that everything should earn its place. The palette is neutral, the lines are clean, storage is concealed and furniture is often expected to serve more than one purpose. There is nothing wrong with any of this. Practicality is important. But when everything is designed to be universally pleasing, a room can begin to lose some of its character.
Before defaulting to the easy or familiar choice, pause and notice what catches your eye before you have even decided whether you like it. Walk into a room and pay attention to what you notice first. It might be the worn edge of an old table, detailed metalwork, an unexpected shade of blue, an unusual ceramic or a patterned fabric.
Do this often enough and patterns may begin to emerge. Perhaps you are always drawn to things with age, deep earthy colours, slightly unusual shapes or objects that show the hand of their maker. These small observations can be surprisingly revealing. They offer a way of discovering your own taste, rather than simply following what is currently considered beautiful.
Some of our favourite details in the hotels are the ones that are not strictly necessary. A curious object tucked into a bookcase. A painted detail you might only notice on your second or third visit. An abundance of painted pots and vases. A little stool in a corner simply because its shape is charming. The room does not necessarily need another stool. We just like it there. And perhaps that is reason enough.
There is a difference between clutter and collecting. A room does not need to be filled with things to be interesting, but nor does it need to be stripped back until every object has a practical explanation.
Not everything needs to earn its place. Sometimes the best thing an object can do is make us stop, look twice or simply make us smile. And perhaps that is practical in its own way.