Symmetry

Symmetry is defined as the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis. I recall those dreary days of Geometry class where such definitions were memorized mindlessly never realizing that the concepts did not elude our young minds for they were innate. Wouldn’t it have been better to forego the classroom for the basketball court, football field or dance studio to show us that we understood perimeter, circumference, arc and radius?  

There may be no more critical aspect of interior design than that of symmetry. It informs every project—the placement of windows, the bookshelves that flank a fireplace, the night tables on either side of the bed, the lamps set on each end of a buffet or a collage of framed pictures. As humans we have a natural inclination to symmetry because it gives order to our lives. We seek it out and put it into practice almost subconsciously. Of course beautiful design does not have to employ symmetry, but I find power in it because the objects are noticed more than if they stood alone. Imagine identical twins walking into a room; we cannot but help to be drawn to the site. So the next time you see a beautiful mirror or work of art or vase or lamp, buy two.