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Tom Sachs reminds us all: Always Be Knolling

Because “always be arranging like objects in parallel or 90-degree angles” is too much of a mouthful

Image via “Ten Bullets” by Tom Sachs

This is Furniture Week here at Curbed, and fortunately sculptor Tom Sachs recently decided to remind us all (by signing a copy of a book that he did not write) of an important maxim when it comes to arranging furniture: Always Be Knolling.

Sachs popularized—or at least made known—the expression, abbreviated as ABK, after learning the term "knolling" from its inventor, Andrew Kromelow, janitor at Frank Gehry's furniture fabrication shop. The word refers to "the process of arranging related objects in parallel or 90-degree angles as a method of organization," via Wikipedia. Kromelow created the word based on the angular furniture of furniture company Knoll, for whom Gehry designed chairs. Knolling is sometimes credited for making Apple Stores look so nice, and it can improve anything from rooms to desks.

Remember: Always Be Knolling. Words to live by.