apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I agree that a crooked shade, not a broken shade, can make a home look lived in, unstaged.

I love the looks of that room. Very cozy. The pillows are great.


Emily

Crooked shades are like crooked pictures - they're crying out for someone to come along and straighten them.

I couldn't agree more. Not that a shade has to be crooked in particular, but there has to be something. A lot of places with the perfect mid-century Eames-this and DWR-that leave me cold because they say next to nothing about the owner. Something approximating taste and style can be bought, but personality can't.

I agree with the quote ,my whole home is decorated in this way.

but I hate the shade in the picture ..

How ugly is the lamp? How crooked is the shade? How polished is the overall composition? These are the devilish details that determine whether a room works or not.

Not necessarily crooked, but too pretty and matchy-matchy is usually boring and impersonal. To me a home only feels like a home when there are REAL personal touches (and this does not equal messy), like an old teddy or mirror you inherited from your grandparents.
This is one of the things I love about this site, that it features homes that have all those things. Unlike a lot of interior magazines that lack life.