--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is usually a mistake to impose an…" description: "\"It is usually a mistake to impose an individual's taste on a room that has its own…style. Conversely, to put very fine pieces of furniture in a room th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/nancy-lancaster-33990_absurd_it-is-usually-a-mistake-to-impose-an-ind_2443333.png" --- # It is usually a mistake to impose an individual's taste on… ![“It is usually a mistake to impose an individual's taste on a room that has its own…style. Conversely, to put very fine pieces of furniture in a room that is without architectural distinction is as absurd as wearing a tiara with a bathing suit.” quote by Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/nancy-lancaster-33990_absurd_it-is-usually-a-mistake-to-impose-an-ind_2443333.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/nancy-lancaster-33990_absurd_it-is-usually-a-mistake-to-impose-an-ind_2443333.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/nancy-lancaster-33990_absurd_it-is-usually-a-mistake-to-impose-an-ind_2443333.png) > “It is usually a mistake to impose an individual's taste on a room that has its own…style. Conversely, to put very fine pieces of furniture in a room that is without architectural distinction is as absurd as wearing a tiara with a bathing suit.” [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imposing mismatched décor or over‑elaborate pieces disrupts a space’s inherent style. **In simple terms:** Match décor to space. Key Takeaway Respect a room’s natural aesthetic. Themes design aesthetics authenticity Mood critical reflective Type design philosophical When to use this quote - interior decorating - home staging - architecture - personal style Key Concepts visual harmony contextual design Questions to Reflect On - When is it okay to break style rules? - How do you balance personal taste with space identity? A Different Perspective Bold choices can sometimes create striking contrast. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Bathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bathing/) [Bathing suit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bathing-suit/) [Bathing suits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bathing-suits/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Furniture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/furniture/) [Furniture Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/furniture-room-506462/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Interior design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interior-design/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Pieces Furniture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces-furniture-506464/) [Room Architectural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room-architectural-506463/) [Room Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room-style-506461/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Style Conversely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style-conversely-506465/) [Suits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suits/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Tiaras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiaras/) ## Related quotes > [The abstract expressionists had that thing of, subject matter becomes content, content becomes form. And I always thought there was no room for style.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/the-abstract-expressionists-had-that-thing-of-subject-matter-becomes/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [I don't have any furniture of mine in my room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-newson/i-don-t-have-any-furniture-of-mine-in-my-room/) [Marc Newson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-newson/) > [“Talking to her is like coming home and finding the furniture in every room rearranged. The same pieces are there, the same sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-redwine-2/talking-to-her-is-like-coming-home-and-finding-the-furniture-in-every/) [C. J. Redwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-redwine-2/) > [“When I look at a piece of furniture from across a room, I see form, style, scale, context, and intended use. As I approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-korn/when-i-look-at-a-piece-of-furniture-from-across-a-room-i-see-form/) [Peter Korn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-korn/) > [Designing is my hobby. If I didn't do what I do for a living - at some point when I don't do this for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/designing-is-my-hobby-if-i-didn-t-do-what-i-do-for-a-living-at-some/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [In my lifetime I've been to bed with men, women, and odd pieces of furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/in-my-lifetime-i-ve-been-to-bed-with-men-women-and-odd-pieces-of/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [I have a passion for design. Be it a line of clothes or taking a gut decision with unique pieces of furniture, one should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/i-have-a-passion-for-design-be-it-a-line-of-clothes-or-taking-a-gut/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [Writing is a little door. Some fantasies, like big pieces of furniture, won’t come through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/writing-is-a-little-door-some-fantasies-like-big-pieces-of-furniture/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [There is a latent fairy in all women, but look how carefully we have to secrete her in order to be taken seriously. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-french/there-is-a-latent-fairy-in-all-women-but-look-how-carefully-we-have/) [Dawn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-french/) > [This isn’t happening to you, princess,” Sabine snapped before I could do more than shake my head. “This is happening to us. While you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/this-isn-t-happening-to-you-princess-sabine-snapped-before-i-could-do/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [My only experience in the world of tiaras was as a contestant in a homecoming queen pageant that featured all the high school homecoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bailey/my-only-experience-in-the-world-of-tiaras-was-as-a-contestant-in-a/) [Cynthia Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bailey/) > [The harsh truth is, most red-haired men look like blondes who've spoiled from lack of refrigeration. They look like brown-haired men who've been composted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-harsh-truth-is-most-red-haired-men-look-like-blondes-who-ve/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Wall-to-wall masterpieces, after all, ought to be preferred to wall-to-wall decorative arts, even if the decorative arts are of the highest quality peppered and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alsop/wall-to-wall-masterpieces-after-all-ought-to-be-preferred-to-wall-to/) [Joseph Alsop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alsop/) > [It's very important to have two tiaras when you're on the road; you never know when you'll be invited to something really formal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/it-s-very-important-to-have-two-tiaras-when-you-re-on-the-road-you/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [“You know, when I was a kid, I was tricked into thinking that princesses wore tiaras and hosted tea parties. Now that I've met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/you-know-when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-tricked-into-thinking-that-princesses/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) ## More by Nancy Lancaster > [Scale is of prime importance and I think that oversized scale is better than undersized scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/scale-is-of-prime-importance-and-i-think-that-oversized-scale-is/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [A gentle mixture of furniture expresses life and continuity but it must be a judicious mixture that flows and mixes well. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/a-gentle-mixture-of-furniture-expresses-life-and-continuity-but-it/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [In choosing a colour one must realize that it changes in different aspects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/in-choosing-a-colour-one-must-realize-that-it-changes-in-different/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [I've always liked a formal layout and informal planting," she explained. "First get the structure right, like the bones in a face, then plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/i-ve-always-liked-a-formal-layout-and-informal-planting-she-explained/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [How lucky I've been to live in such beautiful places and able to make them as I dreamed. I've been lucky. I've adored my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/how-lucky-i-ve-been-to-live-in-such-beautiful-places-and-able-to-make/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [I had learnt from going to Houghton that to make a room quiet, to make it harmonious, you never wanted to have only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/i-had-learnt-from-going-to-houghton-that-to-make-a-room-quiet-to-make/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [Even if it's not a style of architecture or period you like, a decorator has to have a feel for a house's personality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/even-if-it-s-not-a-style-of-architecture-or-period-you-like-a/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [In restoring a house one must first realize its period, feel its personality and try to bring out its good points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/in-restoring-a-house-one-must-first-realize-its-period-feel-its/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [Crossing too many t's and dotting too many i's makes a room look overdone and tiresome. One should create something that fires the imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/crossing-too-many-t-s-and-dotting-too-many-i-s-makes-a-room-look/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [I like to preserve simplicity rahter than over-polishing. Fashions are changeable. Taste is in realizing the essence of a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/i-like-to-preserve-simplicity-rahter-than-over-polishing-fashions-are/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [I've lived too long and I've lived too well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/i-ve-lived-too-long-and-i-ve-lived-too-well/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [I never think that sticking slavishly to one period is successful, a touch of nostalgia adds charm. One needs light and shade because if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/i-never-think-that-sticking-slavishly-to-one-period-is-successful-a/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) > [If every piece is perfect the room becomes a museum and lifeless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lancaster/if-every-piece-is-perfect-the-room-becomes-a-museum-and-lifeless/) [Nancy Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) [Explore all 14 Nancy Lancaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lancaster/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-workman-of-today-works-every-day-in-his-life-at-the-same-tasks/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is usually a mistake to impose an individual's taste on a room that has its own…style. 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