Memo No.013
TO: ANYONE FEELING BORED BY THEIR COFFEE TABLE CURATION
FROM: MOLLY DUNCAN
DATE:
SUBJECT: CONVERSATION STARTING 'ODD OBJECTS' TO SPRUCE UP THE CENTER OF YOUR DEN
"In every room I love, there will be something in there that a lot of people might not choose or even like, something a teeny bit divisive whether that’s art, a choice or fabric or a penchant for ceramic vegetables and horses... Because if everything in a space is subjectively ‘nice’, ‘fine’ or perfectly coordinated, it can feel static and a bit, well, bland."
-Lucy Williams in her Substack, REMOTELY
I got this little velvet bust in a small Notting Hill boutique for $16.
There is such a thing as too perfect. I hired my brilliant best friend since middle school, Alexandra Killion, to design our first home. I did, however, insist we keep the decorative object curation in our court. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to build our collection of tiny trinkets and incorporate sentimental objects onto our shelves.
On this sourcing journey, I found it to be the perfect way to inject whimsy. Ever heard every room needs a hint of bad taste? Do so on your coffee table with a $10 flea market find (like my kissing piglets up top!); that way, the stakes feel lower. I'm calling these doo-dads 'odd objects,' and they're a refreshing spin atop your books from the traditional highball or bud vase.
"I always find that having something unexpected goes a very long way in a room. [Yes, the anchovy, as I've heard you refer to it.] Exactly...it's still the perfect metaphor for it."
-MIEKE TEN HAVE for Architectural Digest
