When I looked at the first dahlia blooming in my garden, with a few drops of rain still sitting on its petals, I thought of one word: perfection.
And then I wondered — what is it about this flower that makes me want to keep looking at it?
The answer was symmetry.
I won’t lie to you, I love symmetry.
To me, it means balance. Yin and Yang. Newton’s idea that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I like to believe that even through chaos, the universe eventually finds its way back to balance.
And I think I look for the same feeling in my home.
In interiors, and in the things I surround myself with, balance often means symmetry. Two lamps either side of a bed. A pair of chairs. Objects arranged in a way that somehow just feels right. It gives me a sense of peace and calm.
But I know that isn’t true for everyone.
Sometimes I imagine staying somewhere completely different from my own home — a place filled with vibrant colours, books piled everywhere, mismatched chairs and unexpected pieces collected over a lifetime. Somewhere an Italian vase sits happily beside a Moroccan coffee table and, somehow, it all works.
I think I would rather love it.
And actually, I’m getting better at asymmetry myself. Living in an old cottage full of crooked walls teaches you a certain amount of patience — and acceptance!
You can see it in the photograph of our bedroom. The fireplace is completely off-centre. I wake up to that view every morning and now, believe it or not, I actually like it.
A year ago, I was contemplating getting rid of it altogether.
Perhaps our homes teach us things too.
What I love most is that we are all different. Some of us feel happiest in a calm, minimal, symmetrical space. Others would choose a room filled with books, art, pattern and a hundred cushions, each one a different colour.
Neither is right or wrong.
Because our homes should reflect us — and balance means something different to every one of us.
That is what I hope to help people find through The Quiet Home Edit Studio. Not my version of the perfect home, but yours.