The joy of 'X'

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 5 of 13, A24 *
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The letter X is a secret ingredient in home decor. It creates a moment of "wow" and at the same blends effortlessly with everything else.

A few months back, I bought a shaggy pair of pillows from Guff, and it must have been the drama of doubled Xs that swayed my purchase. The crisscrossing energy perks up any corner:

It might be the chameleon-like quality of X that makes it so powerful. At the bottom of a letter it's love, in a cartoon character's eyes it's death, and in a math equation it's an unknown quantity. Whatever meaning it takes on, it's bold without being overbearing.

It's no surprise, then, that it's a common motif in modernist design. You'll find it bolstering components in the furniture of Charles and Ray Eames, for example. Their DSW chair, seen here in miniature in my dining room, has four Xs that overlap in intriguing ways as you shift your perspective:

But all it takes is one X to achieve impact. One of the best examples is Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona table, with its elemental structure supporting a perfectly square slab of glass:

The stark intersection composing the base is an ideal backdrop for whatever varied forms you place on top:

Its companions in the world of seating are perhaps more familiar to you. The graceful Xs of the armchair and ottoman have an unimpeachable charm. But it's the no-nonsense X of the table that feels somehow eternal:

My Mom's living room is centred around a Barcelona table and I'm never bored by the way its simplicity brings the space together.

The thing about Xs is they spring up everywhere. You don't need a five-figure decorating budget to capitalize on their beauty. At Bronze, I picked up a remnant from an old sign for twenty-nine dollars, and it circulates through my environment like an intrepid house pet:

In fact, once you start tuning in to X appeal, it's like an electrical current running through everything. Just the other day, I stopped to admire the grid of Xs on the escalator landing at Ossington Station:

Beware, though. There's a rather tiresome billionaire out there who would have you believe he owns X. Thankfully, X is so elusive and liquid that it's impossible to possess. Its chameleon-like nature guarantees that it will be available to any of us, if only for a moment.

So find an X to domesticate for a while, and see what it does to your interior. Delight awaits.

Guy's buys

Occasional finds selected for you

You know me well enough by now to anticipate my next claim: Vintage Xs are better than new. Right now, Atomic Design has a set of X-Line chairs available, designed by architect Niels-Jørgen Haugesen in 1977. Composed of steel rods and perforated steel plates, they look great stacked up:

A whole new set of Xs come into view when you look at the stack from the side:

There's even a delicate X-shaped indentation in the seat, connecting the four corners of the plane. Unstack these babies to create an entire symphony of Xs:

The architectural quality of this quartet is enough to complete a room.

From the archives

X isn't the only letter that could supercharge your decor. Find out how to "typographize" your space, in this article from our growing micro-decorating library.

Thank you for reading.