Your Decorating Hotline

Decorating with pairs - that don't match.

I’ve heard it quoted as gospel over and over by designers and clients alike. To be attractive, things have to be grouped in threes. I’m here to say “bologna”.

To illustrate my point, I wandered my house and took pictures of the “not three” groupings I have. Here are a few….

Here's a pair on top of a bookshelf.

Two dissimilar items on a bookshelf.

To those who follow conventional wisdom and live by the rule of odd numbers, I want to remind them that people are built around the number 2. Two eyes, hands, ears, legs, etc. We are naturally disposed to find pairs pleasing. An obvious example is candlesticks or candelabras - usually sold in pairs, one for each end of the table.

Another grouping of two items.

WORKING IN PAIRS

Grouping things in pairs can be slightly trickier when you don’t use 2 identical items, but follow the same “rules” as any accessory grouping – pay attention to color, shape and scale. You can see in these pairings that there is a common color and a contrast of size and shape. Although one item is clearly taller, it’s within the rule of thirds so it’s still a pleasing arrangement. (No, I did not just contradict myself. The rule of thirds regarding proportions is more valid because it has to do with scale and size, not quantity. Rarely does anything look good paired with something half it’s size.)

Pairs develop symmetry and create a more formal atmosphere – a pair of chairs in front of a fireplace, a pair of topiaries framing the front door, a pair of lamps on a sideboard.

To put the above grouping in perspective, here’s a little more of the bookshelf it’s on. You can see that the shelves surrounding it are quite full so the emptiness of this shelf gives more prominence to the display and gives the eye a place to rest.

A pairing on a bookshelf.

The top photo showing the pairing of the family photo and finial on top of a bookcase help to connect the shelf unit to the upper ledge display, hinted at by the trailing plant – which also helps to visually connect the elements.

Sometimes a grouping of three works beautifully - or is it 4?

Another shelf in my bookshelf wall has this grouping of three – or is it four?? On the left is my group of 3, on the right my ‘group’ of 1, both odd numbers for those of you who are purists. Taken as a unit, the grouping is 4, an even number.

Again the overall grouping (however you want to view it) is held together by a unifying color, it’s visually balanced because the 3 on the left are approximately the same “size” as the bowl on the right. The interest is introduced by the polished driftwood – a new texture and color.

A tabletop trio.

BE AN INDIVIDUAL

This tabletop trio again uses connective colors and stairstepping size from the small doll up to the height of the plant. Although the doll doesn’t match by color or style, it has emotional value and fits size-wise, so for now it’s part of this group.

The lesson I want you to take away from this article is to decorate appropriately to the style of the room, the size of the shelf, the scale of the pieces in the grouping. Don’t be a slave to conventional wisdom….be an individual. If you enjoy 2 items paired together, don’t force adding one more thing just to have the magic number three. Stop when it looks good.

As in most things decorating, there is no one absolute answer. The best rooms will likely have a combination of pairs, trios and larger groupings. Enjoy the freedom of letting the decor develop gradually until you’re satisfied with the result. When you look at the following room pictures, find the pairs or even numbers: lamps, pillows, sconces, ottomans, accessory groupings. Do these rooms feel more formal to you due to the use of even pairings? If that’s a look that appeals to you, you now know one of the main ingredients to achieve it. Go on, try it!