A couple months ago, I went to Sedona with my high school friend. On the flight there in a half-conscious state I pecked out a rough blog post about the art of curation. I was trying to identify what steps I’ve taken in the past that worked so that I could apply those concepts to a couple of high-stakes blank spots I had in my house. One spot was on the wall behind me where I work. The room was complete. There was just that missing piece. I wanted a framework to guide me to a solution I would love – no compromises. Here they are below:
1. Define your non-negotiables.
a. Size – get a measuring tape and see what the minimum and maximum measurements are for the spot you are looking for. Write these down in a note on your phone for easy reference. I needed something in the 4’ x 6’ - 6' x 8' range for that spot to balance the piano on the other half of the wall.
b. Material – A photo in a glass frame? A painting? Tapestry? I needed a woven or cloth piece because the back of my chair would bump up against it and I didn’t want a painting to get damaged or glass to get broken.
2. Define your other priorities:
a. Colors – Based on the repeating patterns in the room (see my blog post about this here), I wanted something with pink.
b. Design – Something I like. Totally subjective.
c. Manner of procurement – Almost all the decorative objects in my house are from a trip, an artisan market, a hand-me-down, or thrifted. It’s more fun this way and it gives you a conversation piece when your friends come over.
d. Price – Yes, the dreaded budget consideration.
3. Assign a weighted scale to each priority. Some points may be more important than others and you might be willing to flex on one point if you found something that had everything else. This way, if you find something you really like that may not hit all the points you aren’t really compromising. You are just being flexible and open.
Armed with my plan we hit the shops. We saw a fine Persian rug store that said it was established in 1790. I thought, “Wow, that’s intriguing” and, “I have no business going in there.” But I slunk in anyway feeling like I needed to grab a piece of cardboard and a Sharpie and write, “No really, just looking” and hang it around my neck in the spirit of full disclosure.
We poked around and I was drawn to a rug that had tassels sewn into sides. The rug was a combination of tufting and flat weave which was really interesting and unique.
The rug that drew us in.
Then I saw this beautiful flat woven rug sitting on top of a pile in the corner. Feeling like I was heading into treacherous territory I asked the salesman if we could take it out onto the showroom floor to have a closer look. The rug had a deep pink background with blue, green and fuchsia geometric floral design. The man explained it was a handmade Persian rug, over 100 years old and made with natural vegetable dyes. The salesman pointed out the double border. One border means “home” and two borders means “safe at home.”
Heat-of-the-moment Insta story post.
At this point my head is exploding and I’m stomping in circles around the rug. I’m thinking, “Where will I put this rug? Should I buy a whole new house so that I have a floor to put this rug?” It took me about 15 minutes to realize this rug was perfect for the wall in my office. Then I kind of froze realizing that squealing like a schoolgirl isn't the best way to head into a negotiation, but I was pleased to find that he accepted my offer.
Now the rug hangs in its place in my office, completing the room. I made zero compromises. The colors seem to glow in the natural light from the window. I love staring at the place where the edge of the wool rug meets the grass cloth wallpaper. It's so good I can barely handle it.
The corner that I am loving.
Comments