Modern Icons: X Marks the Spot
Use the X Shape to Add Geometry in Design
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
I'm not sure when the letter X started popping up in the history of design, but I'm sure it was early. The "X" means many things in many languages; it can mean a nay vote or a yea vote, it symbolizes an unknown variable in math and is the Roman numeral for 10. Around the home, the X shape can grab attention and add some much-needed diagonals into a room full of "clean modern lines." Here's a peek at where the X has been turning up.
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| X-base ottomans look smashing in pairs, and I am particularly enjoying the way this designer played off the X-bases with that curvy X over the mantle. |
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| In case you did not quite understand where the focal point was on this wall, it's marked bigger than a pirate's treasure on a map! A shape like an X is a fun alternative to a typical rectangular painting. |
The first thing my eyes are drawn to in this picture is the bold X-base of this console table, then next I notice how much fun that geometry is paired with the gourd vases and squares on the carpet.
This classic Mid-Century Modern Hans Wegner desk utilizes elegant wood Xes for its base. The classic Wegner Round Chair is the perfect complement for it.
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| A classic X-base chair is paired with a matching X-base ottoman. |
A sleek coffee table gives a double X coolness rating to this spare open room. With so much white all around it, the metal table needed to have a strong presence.
by CIH Design
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Speaking of an X-base ottoman, they are where I am seeing the X around the home lately. This is a curved and mirrored version with a lovely tufted top.
by Niche Interiors
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In small space you'll often spy a pair of X ottomans tucked under a console table. This way they can be pulled out for extra seating when needed.
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| Look closely: Here four small X-base folding side tables in a cluster form a coffee table. This room is so minimal that I think one plain old coffee table would have been a real snooze in here. All of the Xes keep this room from being monotonous. |
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| If you look closely at this picture you'll see how much fun this designer has with shapes. Not only is that cocktail table a big X, there's also a cube, a star-shaped one, and a hexagonal one. |
| These leather-topped folding stools are like camp chairs that grew up, had a movie makeover montage scene and turned out super hot. They also play off the X-base coffee table in the area beyond, tying together the two gathering spaces visually. |
An X ottoman can serve as a dressing table seat in a tight spot, tucking completely underneath the table when not in use.
A more subtle way to incorporate the X into your decor is via more traditional farmhouse dining chairs.
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| Note the way this designer has played the X-back chairs off the X shapes on the cabinet doors. |
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| In fact, sometimes when I think of an X, I think of that top window/door in a hayloft above a barn. (At least my plastic Fisher Price farm had one!) On these cabinets, the X adds a little bit of a farmhouse feel to a very elegant kitchen. |
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| Repeated X patterns can also create diamond-shaped patterns within them, which were often seen during the Victorian Era. |
| A stately X-base desk adds a contemporary touch to this transitional room. |
by Cristi Holcombe
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In this office, X reigns! They create the structure of the shelf units and are repeated in a much lighter wood on the trestle base of the desk.
| X shapes on shelving are great for rolled up towels in a laundry room. |
They are also good for wine storage racks. Again, this kitchen designer has repeated the X on the cabinet doors.
Do you have any favorite shapes you wind up repeating around your house?
Next: Browse more home design photos
Do you have any favorite shapes you wind up repeating around your house?
Next: Browse more home design photos
Ideabook published on March 1, 2011.
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akss- no, I live in Atlanta, grew up in Cincinnati. I think that's where my love of deco started - the midwest is so chock full of great architecture. Personally, I think Chicago wins for best American architecture overall more than any other city. Anyone else care to make a case for another city? I'd love to get a conversation rolling about it! I think my love of the Hancock tower began with going to see Ferris Bueller in Jr. High :) I've always wondered if they actually would let you get away w/ standing on a railing and pressing your face against the glass like they did!
05-I am not sure which building that is in the Big D! But you just made me miss Sue Ellen and J.R....
Vivievix, those are GORGEOUS! I'd never seen them before.
Interdesign, I've been collecting Barcelona images for a "Modern Icons" ideabook for quite some time - I'll have to hop on that soon!
Its from a store here in Australia called Freedom www.freedom.com.au