Part of what makes a well-composed corner is the way it works on multiple levels simultaneously. The view is immediate when you enter a room, while the corner opposite the door is often the first thing in your sight. There are views from the sofa, the bed, the bath – positions from which, more often than not, a corner sits squarely in the frame. ‘Imagine where you or your guests will sit, lie or stand in the room,’ says Brandon. ‘They almost always point you at a corner. A satisfying visual feast for the room’s occupants is crucial.’
The anatomy of a good angle, Brandon argues, comes down to the relationship between foreground and background. ‘A really well-made corner will usually involve a combination of the two,’ he says. An armchair set at a corner, a low table beside it; Behind the chair, anchor the corner cabinet with a lamp on top – or, if the piece is tall, a standing floor lamp. Art Completes the picture: a considered hanging that works with the shape of the wall and brings the elements together into something coherent.
Not every corner of the room needs – or should – have this level of resolution. London designer James Thurston Waterworth Knowing when to stop is thoughtful. ‘Sometimes, you want to keep them understated, offering soft, quiet moments,’ he says. ‘These are areas where you can introduce elements such as decorative screens, seating or even a comfortable reading chair – but always with care, making sure you don’t overplay them.’ The principle is one of the considered variations: the room benefits from both a perfectly resolved angle and a breather, which allows the eye to relax.
What is perhaps lost in recent approaches to interior design is the historical understanding of how angles function in the overall rhythm of a room. Joanna Plantwhose practice is deeply rooted in decorative tradition, she finds herself regularly returning to the great decorators of the past. ‘The way they arranged the furniture was a lesson in balance, intimacy and simplicity,’ she says. ‘They instinctively understood what a room should look like.’ Too often today, corners are either left blank or addressed as an afterthought—a missed opportunity, as her own work demonstrates. One of her favorite devices is designing small corner sofas on either side of the chimney breast, drawing two intimate seating areas near the fire. ‘They soften the scale of the room beautifully,’ she says, ‘and encourage conversation in a way that a more formal arrangement never could.’
