February 27, 2021

"The asymmetry of the table not centered under the window is troubling, no?"

Said R C Belaire, looking at this photograph in yesterday's Lunchtime Café

IMG_5361 

Meade had, in fact, been troubled by the asymmetry, and, even before seeing Belaire's comment, had embarked on the project of repositioning the table. Here's Meade's photograph, to dispel all your troubles that are about window-table asymmetry at Meadhouse:

IMG_2545

44 comments:

rhhardin said...

Faces with perfect symmetry look weird.

Temujin said...

That would have driven my wife crazy. Symmetry Über Alles.

Curious George said...

Haha I'm that way too.

David Begley said...

Meade:

Thanks for correcting that. It kept me up all night and now I’m a wreck.

CWJ said...

The first photo didn't show the wall on the left, and this appears to be a first floor dining room. So like any center hall home of the era, I assumed the entry was on the left, and the asymmetry away from that wall was to avoid interfering with it because of the large spray of the plants.

The second photo shows I was wrong.

selfanalyst said...

The crooked blinds are stressing me more than the table did.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

So it turns out Meade is a centrist.

Ann Althouse said...

"The second photo shows I was wrong."

But the entry to the dining room is on the left (of the photograph). There's also an entry that's behind the back of the photographer. There are windows on 2 walls and entries on 2 walls.

Iman said...

FirstWorld problems...

Ann Althouse said...

For the record, I hadn't noticed the asymmetry and it did not bother me even when it was pointed out. There are many idiosyncrasies in this house I've lived in since 1986, and I can't be letting every little thing distract and annoy me or I'd be a mess.

rhhardin said...

Wm Blake, fearful symmetry.

Temujin said...

"...and I can't be letting every little thing distract and annoy me or I'd be a mess."

That's true. Did you move the rug to meet the new symmetry? I mean...is it symmetrical with the window, the table, the entryway behind the photographer, and the light fixture?

rhhardin said...

The icosahedron has 120 symmetries to get wrong.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Fabulous is obtainable.

Sebastian said...

Now do the plants.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Some things being out of kilter really bother me. Pictures and artwork on the wall in particular. Even if they are just a small amount of whack.I have been known to straighten pictures on the wall in other people's houses when they aren't looking.

AND even restaurants in front of everyone!!

I could not eat with out being distracted by the disharmony of crooked pictures next to me on the wall. It also made me thing if the restaurant is not paying attention to these details...what ELSE are they being sloppy about. Dumbplumber (my long suffering husband just shrugs and orders another scotch)

Balance, symmetry and proportions in how the furniture and decorative objects are placed is important.....(forget about my closet!! those clothes are 'supposed' to be all over the place, unfolded and on the floor.😁)

Oddly enough the artwork can contain all sorts of subtle or jarring non symmetry and I find that to be good...actually makes the art more interesting.

wendybar said...

I didn't notice it either Ann, as I don't even in my house...which drives my husband NUTS!!! He sees everything!!

Lurker21 said...


Tell them it's hacho, the Japanese aesthetic of intentional asymmetry.

Or fukinsei, the use of asymmetry and irregularity.

Or wabi-sabi, beauty in imperfection.

Then write a book about it and become the new Marie Kondo.

Then use the royalties to move out and buy a kondo some place sunny.

*

Hardly any snow here last year. Plenty this year.

Has Biden already reversed global warming?

Tommy Duncan said...

Symmetry requires measurement and seeks equality. But measurement and equality require math. But math is racist. So seeking symmetry and equality is racist. And "equity" requires measurement and equality as well. In sum, I'm offended by your quest for symmetry and want mathematically calculated reparations.

tim maguire said...

I’m surprised I didn’t notice. That’s exactly the sort of thing I normally home in on. I was distracted by the glass table and vibrant ferns (mine are always at death’s door by the end of winter).

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Is online group OCD a thing now?

Jaq said...

FBI investigates whether the dognapping of Lady Gaga's bulldogs was politically motivated because she sang at Biden's inauguration

https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1365371551793762310

I thought that this was a joke

Lyle said...

Love your attitude about it Ann. I try to live each day the same way.

The first photo makes the issue look like the plants in the window were the problem and not the table. Well done Meade!

Original Mike said...

Adrian Monk would have moved the window.

Jaq said...

"Balance, symmetry and proportions in how the furniture and decorative objects are placed is important.”

To some people, obviously. I am with Althouse on this one though. My problem with the pics is that I would want to take a machete to those ferns.

wendybar said...

tim in vermont said...
FBI investigates whether the dognapping of Lady Gaga's bulldogs was politically motivated because she sang at Biden's inauguration

https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1365371551793762310

I thought that this was a joke

2/27/21, 8:31 AM

Well, we know where the FBI's priorities are...surely not the Russian Hoax, the fraudulent election ect..ect...ect...

Inga said...

Oh good. I played around with making a comment about centering that table because the fern on the right wasn’t getting it’s fair share of sunshine and because the asymmetry was somewhat unsettling, but I thought better of it.

Jaq said...

Once it’s a photograph it’s different, I guess. But then again, I have learned to appreciate Althouse’s disregard for composition, which is really a way of ... [don’t you hate it when you know there should be a word for something, and it doesn’t come to you?] it’s a way of tarting up the reality you see by hiding or changing most of the reality you see.

Inga said...

The ferns are lovely, but an overly large display in one window, they do look a bit better today. How about separating them to two more windows?

Jaq said...

"the asymmetry was somewhat unsettling,”

This must be like that “multiple little holes” thing, as in a lotus flower.

Inga said...

Oh wow, I’m surprised I didn’t notice the crooked blind until someone mentioned it, that drives me to distraction when the blinds are crooked. Sometimes in the highest position they don’t stay up correctly and they have to be lowered by a couple of inches to not sag on one end.

wildswan said...

Indoor plants in winter

"Annihilating all that's made/ to a green thought in a green shade."

CWJ said...

Althouse,

FWIW. Wrong that the plants would interfere with the front entryway. The second photo shows that there is enough wall at the front to alleviate that concern. But as to your description, that's exactly what I would have expected in your home absent remodeling.

Craig Howard said...

I insist on cruel symmetry.

Ann Althouse said...

"Or wabi-sabi, beauty in imperfection.

Then write a book about it and become the new Marie Kondo."

I have this book: "Perfect Imperfect: The Beauty Of Accident, Age And Patina." It's about wabi sabi.

About the blinds — I don't see the unevenness as a problem at all. It's like wearing a beret at a tilt.

Ann Althouse said...

"The first photo makes the issue look like the plants in the window were the problem and not the table."

By "table," I meant the table that the plants are on. Not the glass dining table. Sorry for the confusion.

Inga said...

“About the blinds — I don't see the unevenness as a problem at all. It's like wearing a beret at a tilt.”

Jaunty! A good way to distract myself when I’m fixating on my crooked blind.

Ann Althouse said...

"But as to your description, that's exactly what I would have expected in your home absent remodeling."

I have done plenty of remodeling over the years, but there are endless things that could be done... some of which I would do to change things that I myself did. Mostly, I don't want to be thinking about that. Last year, we spent a lot of money fixing various things — new roof, new deck, new exterior walls (in the newer part of the house), new attic window, new garage doors and interior doors, new front door. For the most part, I like the 100-year-old part of the house. It's the 50-year-old part of the house that has needed a lot of work. The dining room is in the 100-year-old part. Actually, we did fix one thing there last year: there was a crack in one of the leaded panes. But basically, the dining room is fine. We'll paint it eventually.

Ann Althouse said...

But I spend 90% of my time in the 50-year-old part of the house!

McSavage said...

Please fix the shades are re-photo

LA_Bob said...

Thank goodness someone strives for balance at the Meadehouse.

ALP said...

But now the lighting fixture obscures the plants!!!

The Crack Emcee said...

No.

There's anal, and then there's ANAL.

Known Unknown said...

The blinds on the left are crooked.