The inescapable prop

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 13 of 13, W24 *
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You'll find it lurking in stylish rooms, like an enigmatic guest at a party. It insists on wearing black and keeps words to a minimum. It exudes an offhand sexiness like a fragrance you can't forget. It's the Tom Ford book, and it gets around.

Its heft is substantial: eleven by fifteen by two inches in its clothbound slipcover, and solid as a brick. At the same time, it has a way of dissolving into the background, creating an ambience of glamour without calling much attention to the source:

For those alert to its presence, it says: "This is the home of a confident, worldly, fascinating person." Those who don't notice it are probably thinking: "Hey, this room feels good and I'm not sure why."

The other day I spotted the Tom Ford book in a work colleague's living space as we started a virtual meeting. It wasn't a digital backdrop, it was the real thing, and I mentioned that I have the book too. It was a subtle bonding moment as we waited for our teammates to arrive. We sheepishly confessed to one another that neither of us has ever pulled the book out of its casing to look at its contents.

You'd think that looking at ten years of a legendary fashion designer's work would be a draw, but the book is so forceful that it conveys all of that and more without being touched:

Flip through a shelter magazine and you'll often find the book installed on coffee tables in aspirational living rooms. I picture a beleaguered stylist hauling it from photo shoot to photo shoot, just to give already pleasing spaces that extra je-ne-sais-quoi.

Of course, there are much lighter, much cheaper replicas available on Etsy. Up close they're a bit klutzy looking, but maybe they'll exert some of the same magic from a healthy distance:

But why rely on a prop that's this inescapable? Why not find your own statement-making object? Let's learn how, together, in the next season of guy with an eye.

Goodbye winter

It feels appropriate to conclude our winter season with a snowball. Not just any snowball, mind you, but Kosta Boda's snowball candle holder, a design that's become a classic since its debut in 1973:

I picked up this one second hand at Zig Zag, but you don't need to scour vintage shops to find it, as it's readily available new. In Toronto, try Ashley's, where you can get the medium size on its own, or all three sizes as a trio. At a time when real snow is increasingly scarce, it's consoling to have a memento that never melts.

This tranquil object also happens to be the centre of a legal battle. Or shall we call it a snowball fight? Check out this story in The Guardian for all the details.

Coming soon

The spring-summer season of the newsletter begins on Wednesday, May 22. In the meantime, if you'd like to get in touch, just reply to this email. What interior dilemmas are you confronting? What topics would you like me to write about next? Remember, you can also always reach me at guy@guywithaneye.ca.

Thank you for reading.