Youthify: micro-decorating move #20

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 8 of 13, SS24 *
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The Fountain of Youth may not exist, but when it comes to your home, you're in full command over turning back the clock. Add the right objects to your decor, and you just might find yourself walking with a new spring in your step.

Try channelling the playful energy of childhood by displaying something that takes you back to your early days. In my own apartment, there's a toy sports car by Candylab that has made so many appearances in this newsletter a reader remarked on it. Here's one more:

It has the stylized look of a design object, coupled with a hard-to-resist invitation to pick it up and make it drive somewhere.

It's often simplicity of shape that helps an item meant for kids harmonize with grown-up decor. In my entryway, I've hung a cloud-shaped mirror that I bought at Crate&Kids above a pair of Eames Hang-It-Alls. It bounces light around in a dark corner and sets an upbeat tone for arrivals and departures:

My dining room includes another cloud, this one a three-dimensional light that turns on or off with a tap:

The item that will best light up your inner child is unique to you, so aside from encouraging you to visit a toy store or the kids section of a home furnishings store, I can't advise on the precise object for you to acquire. In fact, you might own the thing already, a remnant from your growing up that's waiting to be found, dusted off, and loved yet again.

But if you want time-defying joy along with a design pedigree, I recommend pieces by Enzo Mari, an Italian iconoclast whose works included toys and children's books. Morceau in Montreal carries some of his triumphs, including La Mela and La Pera, bold prints with the power to revive a room:

If you're not ready to update your walls, you can get the same graphic punch in notebook form, allowing you to test drive Mari's visual eloquence:

The Mari piece that I crave, but need to save up for, is a puzzle of solid oak whose interlocking shapes represent sixteen animals. One day I hope to get my hands on its artful curves:

One caveat when using decor as an age-reverser: A little goes a long way. You can get phenomenal impact from just one object, but add more in the same genre and your room might devolve into silliness.

Adrian Tomine's recent cover for The New Yorker, titled "Eternal Youth," captures the unintended comedy of refusing to act your age:

A dash of childhood wonder can complement your day, but full immersion in juvenile things can make you seem a tad ridiculous.

So when adding that evocative object, choose wisely. If you hit the mark, you'll have a reliable way to recover a youthful spirit at a glance.

More Mari

If you have a chance to visit London in the next two months, make sure you check out the Enzo Mari exhibition at the Design Museum, on until the eighth of September. Here's a page of interesting facts provided by the museum:

Thank you for reading.