People tease me for not liking salad, but I actually do enjoy vegetables, and while I have a similar aversion to decorations that match, a beautifully symmetrical room will always make my heart beat a little faster.
Symmetry is the sigh of relief in a room; the elusive thing that often makes no sense, but can take a mash-up of unexpected pieces and turn them into the most exquisite combination of comfort. It's a small detail, that bounces and balances what you have around the room, in a fluid, joyful movement; a harmonious dance of design and personality.
A symmetrical room feels more interesting, and the trick is to balance what you have, without following straight lines.
Play with opposites, balance a heavy piece with several small one's on the opposite walls.
Try to think more about shapes and sizes rather than finding things that look alike.
If it doesn't look right, change it, or take it down. Move things around until it feels comfortable to you. Don't be afraid to hang a picture too high (or too low) or change the use of a favorite piece (if your china cabinet looks better with linens in it, on the second floor landing, that's okay...).
When everything matches we become afraid to move anything. Our rooms feel so done, that we don't want to disturb them, and we have an almost illogical fear that we might forget where everything was. Why that matter's so much I don't know, but it also stops us from seeing what we have. If all we see are lots of straight lines and a pair of matching lamps, our brain shuts down, and it becomes bored. So it's kind of a double whammy; we don't want to move things, and we aren't inclined because we barely even see them any more.
But, if we combine some symmetry with a little bit (just a little) of matching, we will get over our fear of movement, and our home will still be interesting, beautiful and composed - like a designed salad ....
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