Today, surfing through the ATLA Flickr pool, we happened on Amy Rice's fuzzy ball chair (a few months ago we blogged her stenciled shed). Our first thought was "wow!" and we shared it with a friend, exclaiming how much we'd love to have it in our own home. Our friend was puzzled. How exactly would we fit something like this into our home? For all of you who are wondering the same thing (or have a piece that wish you could bring into your home), here's our thought process...
As with any piece of furniture, the first question is, do you love it? Then come a series of practical questions: Do you need it and would it be useful? Is it comfortable (because if it's not, if it's the wrong size for your body or it's too hard or too soft, you will never use it and you'll begin to resent its presence in your home). If you can answer "yes" to those questions and it's within your budget, we say, "go for it."
Taking this particular chair as an example, we love it. It's playful, inviting and colourful and we could easily see curling up for a long afternoon of reading "Twilight." It's such a strong piece (after all, it was designed for an exhibit), we know that the other pieces in a room would have to be equally strong but probably neutral and perhaps streamlined in order to balance it out. Modern or Mid-Century Modern would probably be the best foil for something this rococo (maybe a Saarinen side table next to it to hold a cup of tea?) but Modern Farm, with its strong rustic lines would also work. The chair's strong pinks and pops of yellow would form the cornerstone of our colour palette. Orange could come into play (for an analogous colour scheme) or we could bring in blue-green for a jolt. Suddenly, from one piece, a whole room's come together.
If you're not sure what your style is, and you've taken our one minute test hoping to figure it out and you're still stumped, this is a good way to start. Determine the pieces you love, then use them as a jumping off place and design your home around them.
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Comments (25)
Love it. but unfortunately couldn't fit it in my home. But there are many ways to fit playful unexpected pieces into your home. In fact, without one totally unexpected piece or vignette, a room is not complete, IMHO. But be careful. Too much and it becomes tacky really quickly. Eclecticism is hard!
This makes me want to play with Koosh Balls again!
After lots of use wouldn't the all the fringes flatten out?
I used to love those Koosh Ball things growing up, I'd have a hard time talking my partner into this chair though. Regardless of the colours chosen, it's going to be a very attention-grabbing item.
There's playful...then there's just plain ridiculous.
Hey! That chair belongs in the ugly couch contest that was posted just before this. Not a couch, but FUGLY!!
Actually reminds me of sea anemones. Like a part of a coral reef in your home. I have no idea how I'd fit this into my apartment.
that is one wild shaggy chair!!!
i just wanna jump into it!!
don't know if i'd want it in my own home, i think i lack the room actually....but i'd sure love to visit this place!
But if you think reading Twilight won't destroy brain cells, then this is certainly the chair for you.
AT's gone "through the looking glass"...
A thought: What's the decorating/design equivalent to "jumping the shark"?
what were they thinking? the people who made the chair I mean (and I guess the people who bought it).
I think this belongs in the next post . . .
There are numerous House Tours and color contestants whose apartments are full of kitchy stuff, and I think a chair like this would be great for those, because often what's missing in those is a LARGE stroke of something whimsical, because they're so often filled will LOTS of small bits of whimsy.
To me, the slightly broken-down color bits of this piece would help bridge that gap by relating to those smaller elements to something bigger.
One thing that I like about this is that it reminds me of a float in the Rose Bowl Parade. You should re-post this on New Years Day. No. Really. I mean it. Waddaya mean seriously? YES, seriously!
Is this what we are supposed to do with all those toilet hugging rugs?
Its like a parade float threw-up on a chair.
I do not know if it's all the pink haunting me, but I love it
WTF?
Oh the bed bugs and dust mites that could hide in that thing...
I would have expected to be horrified, but this is CUTE. I think it's the colors and the way they've been carefully set into a nice pattern. Is it made of Koosh balls for sure? I wouldn't want to sit on that. But if it's made of fabric, then YES!
That chair makes Pee Wee's Playhouse look butch.
Looking at this chair makes me smile!
The world would be a more happier place if everyone had a chair like this!
this has got to be one of the uglier things i've ever seen posted here
kuroneko,
I doubt it's actually made of Koosh Balls, I just said it makes me want to play with them again. Sitting on Koosh Balls would be insanely bumpy!
Koosh Balls = awesome
that chair = not awesome
I don't know if there any rules for fitting something into a home and that's why when someone does it well, it is so astonishing.