If art fairs such as PAD, Masterpiece, Frieze et al aren’t used by gallerists, dealers and interior designers as a vehicle to inspire, stimulate and excite then what’s the point? It’s not asking exhibitors to reinvent the wheel, or to employ a cheap “bells and whistles” approach, simply as a means of garnering editorial attention — but when it’s essentially the same pieces rolled out year after year there’s definitely a problem.
The UK is known around the world for the sheer breadth and quality of its historic architectural offerings, and inevitably, everyone will have differing opinions on the balance between preservation and innovation; but in many ways, it seems odd that at Odiham Lodge Fowler’s particular vision for should be preserved forever in aspic.
The incredibly varied nature of Christian Bérard’s artistic output makes him as an artist somewhat unclassifiable, and whether or not such a trivial matter of art-historic nuance in any way contributed to his fall from grace, it’s sad but true, that however remarkable an artist, without someone to pass on the baton, as it were, they can very easily lapse into obscurity.
For those truly enamoured by the idea of living well, personal proclivities are entirely irrelevant, as essentially, it’s an aesthetic approach, where nothing is left to chance, and where every last detail is considered, chosen for its inherent charm, and with the idea that it will be kept until it wears out or falls apart.
An investment piece is something that should be with you for the long run, that you’ll be able to pass down through future generations, or, if you’re particularly successful, that will be put up for auction, bringing in a tidy profit and some posthumous column inches.
A level of restraint and refinement a la Givenchy is sorely missing in contemporary design, and perhaps were the industry en masse to channel the great couturier’s mastery of refined elegance, we might start to see a far greater level of design, and in which comfort and elegance are not mutually exclusive.
The world has of late seemed such a constant and unrelenting s**t show that sometimes a little make-believe and fantasy are exactly what the doctor ordered, and so perhaps it’s time we all indulge, whether that be in our own homes or in the environs of a hotel or restaurant, and for that matter, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt, if we all took ourselves a little less seriously.
It is the role of design firms and magazines to provide mentorship, so as to ensure the next generation can build, and hopefully even improve upon, those legendary works that came before them. The phrase “those who can’t teach” is a true misunderstanding of how each and every one of us can help to shape future generations and to “give ‘em what they never knew they wanted.”
It’s unnecessary to unpick masculinity just for the sake of doing so, and the rise of hybrid masculinity can be seen increasingly in attitudes to interior design, where elements of decor once viewed as “feminine” are no longer taboo. Essentially, and the crux of that matter, societally speaking, it’s time to grow up and to leave such exclusionary schoolyard mentalities in the past where they belong.
Artistically speaking nothing good can ever come of self-imposed shackles in the form of a rigid design orthodoxy, but one thing is clear; for the industry to move forward and advance there needs to be a far greater focus on the importance of education, and in understanding the whys and wherefores of any given artistic mode or genre.
Essentially, specific binary labels are wholly unhelpful and we shouldn’t think of design in such polarizing terms as placing “Minimalism” and “Maximalism” at either end of a seesaw and attempting to determine at which point any given interior tips in favour of one side or the other.
It would be impossible to come to one singular definition of “good taste”, and for that matter, it would be somewhat reductive, as we’re not all the same, and each of us, from different cultures, backgrounds and generations subscribe to different schools of thought. In that vein, we spoke to a number of leading figures in the design world and asked them the question, what exactly does “good taste” mean to you?
Coming out of a pandemic that prevented us from meeting new people, seeing new things and making new connections, surely we should embrace whatever possibilities might come our way and the idea that something new and exciting, a new chapter, a new design style, might, with any luck, be just around the corner.
In an age of “influencers” and reality TV stars, showing off their newly acquired wealth to legions of Instagram followers, it might be worth remembering the words of American critic Mary McCarththy (1912-1989): “Old money is fully as moronic as new money but it has inherited an appearance of cultivation.”
Despite the prevailing trend for neutrality and wabi-sabi aesthetics, the New York Times recently declared that “fake food is trendy again” maximalism is back; apparently as a result of months of intermittent lockdown induced incarceration, which have led us all to reassess the relative merits of living in artfully curated “minimalist” interiors, devoid of the clutter and detritus of everyday life.
Fashion designer Roger Vivier had no interest in recreating museum-like period rooms, but rather capturing the best of the past and presenting it in a personal, approachable way — an ideal template for the way in which we to approach contemporary modernist design.
England is a country that places a strong emphasis on its historical fabric, as well as an often overly-idealized image of an idyllic past; perhaps accordingly the interiors sector faces something of a struggle in dragging itself once and for all into the twenty-first century.
There’s always a desire to feel included, to be “In With the In Crowd” or one of the “cool kids”, which, when it reaches the mass market, more often than not, results in a poor approximation of something that was once original, but has since become clichéd and unbearably boring. Of course, a classic is a classic, and will remain so however many times it’s trotted out— but it would be nice once in a while to see something new.
After a century laying down the laws of fashion, the French edition of Vogue is apparently in danger of “losing its soul”, or so insiders at the magazine have claimed; this is apparently as a result of Anna Wintour (b. 1949), pushing “American woke values” onto the publication in order to try and help its tumbling circulation figures.
Atmosphere is often thought of in terms of the character, feeling, or mood of a place or situation. Understanding atmosphere, or lack thereof, is key to designing a successful work of architecture and/or an interior.
