nourishing obscurity

Admittedly not suiting this room, except in hue, in the same way that cheap shoes detract from the rest of the outfit, nevertheless seagrass matting is well suited to hot climes and occasional rooms in northern climes, such as the conservatory.

Similarly, rattan furniture is fine for the Raj and for Raffles in Singapore but it is viewed a little askance in more formal homes.  It’s perfect for the bedroom below but it needs a suffusion of covers, cushions and bed linen to defuse the harshness of the wickerwork.

Provençal style rooms, especially French kitchens, take some beating, especially keeping them clean and they add an airiness, a breeziness which is refreshing.

The orientalist interior has always been a favourite motif of the English and with good reason, given the climate-induced heavy-handedness of most northern decor.  In my third book, a government department in a northern town set up a grotto platform high among the walkways connecting ramshackle outbuildings and there was a paradise, complete with birdbaths and so on.  They called it Eden.

My own room I’m in now is light and airy in appearance, if more central heating in reality and light decor like that certainly improves the mood.

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