Twist: micro-decorating move #27 + More

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 3 of 13, SS26 * Subscribe free *

Is your home stagnating? When furniture and objects get too settled, it's time to bring fresh energy into your rooms by moving stuff around. The good news is it doesn't take a full-scale redesign to have an effect. Sometimes all you need to do is twist.

Our domestic twisting is usually subconscious – a door handle, a kitchen tap. At the other end of the spectrum, it's painful – an attempt to unscrew the stubborn lid of a jar. In between, there's a sweet spot – a small, almost effortless adjustment of something that needs a new stance.

Sculptural objects are a natural for this treatment. My stylized wood figure by Ron Stuart looks symmetrical from this vantage point:

Turn it ninety degrees and its fetching asymmetry is revealed:

Twisting has a way of bringing out the variable moods of objects. These cat-shaped storage bins look soldier-like when facing straight ahead:

With heads angled in tandem, they look like they're sizing up a new guest:

Facing each other, they have a conspiratorial air, as if they're plotting something devious:

The clock I recently bought from IKEA's PS 2026 collection can look a bit shy when turned to one side:

Facing front it has a more confrontational demeanour:

(Congrats to the two readers who correctly guessed that this is the item I chose from the selection two weeks ago!)

Twisting is always more fun when two objects are involved at once, like this undulating set of candlesticks:

I may have caught the twisting bug at last year's Interior Design Show, when Benoit of Le Tenon & La Mortaise demonstrated how their Lazy Susans look extra spectacular when wall-mounted:

I'm now the proud owner of the lilac-coloured model, allowing me to twist arrangements en masse:

It's like a carousel for favourite objects, and I can't get enough of its simple yet hypnotic appeal.

So, scan your environment right now for something that's begging for a twist. You'll be surprised to discover how little it takes to banish stagnation and make your space come alive.

Sightings

Look'n'learn

This past Saturday, I was strolling along Roncesvalles and paused at tiny park to photograph some flowers:

I realized there was a butterfly in the shot, its pale orange wings a perfect accompaniment to the green and purple of the scene:

It got me thinking about how we extend our homes on trips through cherished neighbourhoods. A while back, in Breakfast at the Manulife Centre, we looked at the notion of "adopting" a room, turning it into an imaginary part of our nest. Now that summer is here, why not consider adopting a public garden as well?

Butterflies know no boundaries; why should we?

Thank you for reading.