It's Time for Ugly-Chic

In the world of interior design, ugly isn't always a bad thing

It was interior designer Jim Walrod who so eloquently described the sensibility that most resonates with me these days: “I like things that bother me.”

As Walrod explained to Architectural Digest in 2015, “Time figures out what’s good and what’s bad. Punk rock was ugly. It wasn’t melodic. Art movements were ugly—I mean Jackson Pollock ain’t pretty.”

This might be controversial but, since we’re among friends: Not everything has to be pretty.

In fact, when it comes to design, some of the most striking, thought-provoking work is dare I say …. a little bit ugly.

And sometimes, things can be ugly and still incredibly chic.

A stunning room designed by Brooke Giannetti; photograph by @lisaromerein

The French have a word for this! “Jolie-Laide,” which, translated, means “pretty/ugly.” To be clear, it’s a term of endearment, and meant to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful.

Aesthetics evolve and sometimes things that start out as ugly and laughable become so enmeshed in the cultural zeitgeist, that we view them as attractive (I am old enough to remember when we all hated Crocs. Now, Balenciaga makes Crocs!)

Design that is too perfect — too symmetrical, too balanced, too pristine — feels unlivable. Slightly off kilter or, dare I say, slightly tacky, feels more fresh and interesting (almost like spotting Dolly Parton in a sea of Stepford wives).

A Kelly Wearstler-designed room featuring a very ugly-chic coffee table

Think of this as a new iteration of my Wrong Art Theory. Adding a dose of weird shakes up a space and it’s something we should all be doing more often.

Let’s call this one The Ugly-Chic Theory. If it’s all looking too chic, throw in a little something that, on its own, might be ugly. When paired with pretty things, that one ugly or weird thing becomes more attractive — and it keeps everything else in the space from looking too serious.

Shopping vintage is obviously a great way to nail the ugly-chic look because so many people pass on the ugly stuff!

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A design by Buchanan Studio. Look closely on that bathtub…those are boobs.

Here’s How to Get the Ugly-Chic Look

• Look for weird art (even stuff made by kids): The photo at the top of this email demonstrates how art can absolutely make a space. To be clear, I adore the painting in that space but I realize it wouldn’t be everyone’s taste. Here, it’s a foil, functioning as a piece of whimsy in a room that might otherwise feel too damn pretty. Imagine if a big old still-life of flowers were hung there, instead. The impact wouldn't even come close to what it is now.

• Look for “ugly” furniture: Even a single ugly chair (I am partial to weird wooden ones) can inject personality into a room. I love pieces made out of driftwood or with a handmade, almost craft-like look.

• Buy photography: Something about a stark photograph (especially an oversized photo or a wall of smaller photos) feels really modern and fresh.

• Don’t be afraid to clash: You can do small doses of ugly-chic or you can go big — by pairing patterns and colors that traditional design rules warn against. Clashing is good, in this case.

• Add a dose of irreverence: That bathtub above isn’t for everyone, but it’s hysterical (and from afar, kind of looks like seashells). I love a tiny hint of irreverence. Life’s short, right? Let’s have some fun while we’re here.

• Save room for chic: It’s ugly-chic for a reason. This isn’t about filling a room wall-to-wall with tacky. Instead, it’s taking things that might be off-putting or tacky when they stand alone. But when placed alongside pretty things, they get a little bit of the shine on them, too.

Another Buchanan Studio design that reveals the power of color saturation and clashing

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Rapid Fire

Something I watched: I find some Ryan Murphy shows to be overwhelmingly kitsch but Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story is much better than I had anticipated. It offers a different view of the story and the accuracy remains…unclear, according to many reports. But the acting is outstanding. The actors who play the brothers are wildly talented. There is one particular episode that was unlike anything I had seen before on television and I think both have huge careers ahead of them.

Something I bought: I’ve been using it for a full week so I can say with some certainty that this deodorant is great. It’s clear, glides on smooth, comes in biodegradable packaging, is aluminum-free and bonus: it actually works. I used the Secret aluminum-free stuff for years and it was essentially like wearing nothing. With this, I can apply in the morning, go for a long walk, and even if I sweat, I don’t stink. I wear the Monaco scent — rose, mandarin and oud.

Something I listened to: I really enjoy the Wall Street Journal’s The Journal podcast. It breaks down big headlines in an easy-to-understand way. Their recent episode, on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut, examines what it actually means for the U.S. economy and for buyers.

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And I’ll leave you with this…