Past imperfect

April 5, 2011 - Posted by Ryan Mayo

Broken glass that could have been discarded is instead re-purposed to add a layer of sparkle at the base of this plant.

Grandma used to say that it was our flaws that gave us character. Growing up, I just thought that she was trying to make us feel better about our mousy brown hair or our freckles, but today I totally get it and, yes, Grandma you were right it is often the flaws in something that make it more appealing.

Early in my career I had the pleasure of visiting the home of esteemed designer Robert Sweep in Calgary, and of course I oohed and aahed around every nook and cranny. But it was a particular pot in the foyer that I vividly remember to this day. The oversized clay urn had a huge chunk missing from its mouth. The pot was home to a large tree, and the base was lovingly covered in deep green moss which helped accentuate the broken mouth.

Initially I didnt even realize that it was broken; I simply thought that it was a fabulous piece of unique sculpture. When I exclaimed my love for the piece, Robert told me the story of the broken pot and how he often found that the flaws in particular pieces of art, furniture or, in this case, pottery made for more visual interest.

It is a lesson that I recall often as I indulge in design adventures. For more than 20 years I have been searching for another broken urn just like Robert’s. I have found some, but none so perfectly imperfect. The quest continues. I have, however, found other fabulous flaws to celebrate and design with.

I have hung a stained-glass window which featured a broken glass heart in its centre; the rest of the piece was in perfect condition. On another creative occasion, finding ourselves short a roll of wallpaper, I worked in an intentional missing section by ripping some of the wallpaper back from the wall, painting the tear with a black paint. The wall looked great, much edgier than a perfect version. Another possible solution would have been to rip literally pages from a favourite book and glue them onto the wall in a stripe where there was a gap in the wallpaper.

How about mixing and matching drawer fronts on a dresser, or at least the hardware? Go ahead and give one drawer a big purple ceramic rose, another a crystal knob and yet another a silver coin. Need a new tabletop for a table base? Salvage around for a broken, even irregular, piece of granite, discarded at the countertop shop it will make a fantastic tabletop.

Flaws can be fun, quirky and far more creative than perfect items. Before you shed the tears over having just broken a favourite vase, take a second look at it. Have a ceiling that’s in very poor shape? Paint a mural of the ceiling actually ripping apart. If nothing else, when something breaks, try to find a way to rethink and recycle the material for example, using broken glass to add colour or sparkle at the base of your planters, or turning used fur coats into pillow covers. Flaws are exciting, and sometime’s there is more beauty in the breakdown.

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