What comes into your mind when you see or hear the word “classic”? We have classic golf tournaments. Classic cars. Classical music. Classical literature. Classical architecture and design, et cetera. You often hear the expression: “It’s a classic.” While there are many opinions on almost all areas of knowledge, most people will agree on what is a classic.

Webster’s dictionary’s definitions of the word classic includes many references to the ancient Greco-Roman period of history when it was at it’s highest level in architecture and the arts and has served as a standard of excellence since that time. There are many other aspects of that time in history which serve as examples and standards and have had their influence over the ages.

Such is not the full use of the definition of the word. As used for my purposes, the word classic can be applied to that which is the best and highest level of what it represents. It manifest all of the traits and characteristics of it’s time and place in the annuals of history. It needs to have nothing added and nothing taken away. While it is of a certain period of history, it does not become dated. It is timeless because of the quality of it’s design.

These traits and characteristics can be, I think, applied to all times and things.

There are usually classic examples of almost all periods of history since that time, but they have not been as important nor as influential as that of the Greco-Roman era.

All of which is well and good. The problem with the classics for houses and interior design is that they are treated as if they represent the time in which they are built. The current time is not the Greco-Roman era. The present time is the present time. Over the centuries, millions of copies and reproductions of Greco-Roman designs have been made. Such has become a status symbol of the highest nature. From the mass produced ticky-tacky developments to multi-millions dollars single projects, Greco-Roman styles have influenced residential architectural and interiors design. For all of their quality of construction, location, size, skills of workmen, imports, and cost of materials, and financial value, these results are still reproductions.

It’s what many people like, want, and what sells. And status and selling becomes the most important factors.

The same situation applies to interior design and furnishing of many residences as well. More people will go to the past than to the present or the future for their residential designs and furnishings choices.  Again, more reproductions and no advancement of civilization.

With all of the education, knowledge, experience, intelligence, imagination, tools, resources, and creativity available in today’s world, many people still go back to previous eras. When such is done, civilization is not advanced. It goes backward. 

Is it not of merit that the advancement of civilization go forward rather than backward?

Why does such happen? Is it because we like that with which we are familiar. We are afraid of the unknown. Status is more important than the advancement of civilization. Our emotions over rule our intellect in such choices. Maybe, we are unfamiliar with the options, don’t do the research,  or may be,  we just don’t want to put forth the effort or care.

Because something is old (design ), does not necessarily make it good (design).

Food for thought.

I asked a friend how he liked his newly purchased new car. He replied: ” I didn’t purchase a new car. I bought a computer system with a car attached.”

Much of such is beginning to be true for new houses and is a movement that is ever expanding, becoming more technical, and will continue well into the future.

A central control computerized system is now a sought and desirable feature for many new home buyers. Some home builders are meeting this situation with information, options, and demonstrations. Such is considered a distinguishing feature for an aware, progressive, proactive home builder orientating itself to every day life in the 21st century. Other non-such home building contractors may well be left behind.

Currently, such technology is more advanced and readily available for light control, entertainment, heating, cooling, air circulation, appliances, security, and window treatments. More options will become available and standard as improvements, new inventions, and discoveries are made.  Houses with such ” brains ” will become a day-to-day familiarity as computers and cell phones are now used.

Such is all will and good and making progress. What we need to think about is how much do we want our residential environment to be controlled by a computer, Do we want to have to change these computer network systems for different schedules, moods, and activities? How much control over our personal behavior and environment do we as human beings want a non-human thing to have?  How much such control is fun, practical, effective, economical, and comfortable?

And how much control is too much?

I recently watched a video of an owner showing off his newly purchased smart mansion and how everything was programed to operate on a set schedule. Once, his visiting brother was taking a shower when it was time for  the bathroom windows to be uncovered and opened which was done leaving his brother in a natural state being exposed to all of the people on the terrace and surrounding garden. Alas,  the unexpected joys of a smart house.

Food for thought.

  That which we call taste is what you like. It is what works for you. It is the choices that you make to satisfy your needs, emotions, intellect, educational level, and what fits you inside. It is like your personality. It’s you.

The existence of taste does not depend upon it’s quality for it’s existence.

Interior design taste is like water. It always finds and remains at it’s own level. It cannot go where it is not true to it’s being self.

Who determines what is ” good taste ” ? How much is design standards, laws of physics, and aesthetic principles, and how much is personal knowledge and preference? What are the factors being used?

How much of ” in good taste ” is evaluated using the traits and characteristics of aesthetics and how much is based on snobbery which is usually of an economic and social status nature?

It is not possible for a person to have no taste. Such a person would not exist. One can have good taste or bad taste or any degree in between, but it is not possible for one to have no taste.

Is there any thing such as good taste for all humanity or it it determined by individual cultures?

Economic value, social status, intelligence level, education, political affiliation, address, race, job, religion, and other factors may be a factor in determining one’s taste, but none of these in and of it’s self makes it.

Good taste cannot be inherited, bred, bought, given,  or assigned. It must be learned which can be accomplished by many methods.

Good taste is like good cooking. It makes the whole experience better.

Is good taste a hallmark of an advanced civilization?

How well do you know your own taste and how important is such to you?

Food for thought.

If there is any subject or aspect of interior design that you would like to appear in this blog, send an e-mail. Thanks.

Some where along the way, many people have formed the position that aesthetic design ability is related to one’s genitals and the activity there of.

Once, when I asked a client what was his favorite color, his wife immediately replied: “Well, I pick out his ties.”  Another client took a very strong position on an aesthetic situation because that is what his wife said when he asked her on the way out the door on his way to work that morning. And there is that most often used cliche related to all  residential aesthetics: “Oh, My wife does all that.”.

Men are not an element in the situation and their preferences are not to be considered because men are not recognized as having that ability.

Since when does a marriage license give a woman aesthetic design ability?

Being born with female genitalia does not automatically bestow aesthetic design ability. Both male and female human beings have or not have that ability. There are members of both sexes who have aesthetic design talent and who lack that talent.

And there is that cliche made by women when designing, planning, and ordering decisions arise: “A man doesn’t like to wait.” as if design decisions are to be made immediately available because of one’s genitals. Both sexes are patient or not or any degree in between and such behavior is from their personality and not from their genitals.

Also, there is a movement that gets bigger each year that all male homosexuals have “fabulous” taste and unlimited design ability of which non-homosexual people are not capable and that they know everything positive, good, and desirable about interior design, fashion, entertaining, etiquette, “good taste”, and all of the beautiful and gracious elements of living.

We have all kinds of media and publicity activities which promote these positions and cliches.

Again, nothing could be further from the truth. One’s sexual orientation and the activity of one’s genitals does not give aesthetic ability or mental ability in any field or profession.

Artistic, design, and aesthetic ability is a mental capacity as are all other intellectual and related talents. One’s sex and the activity there of do not manifest mental capabilities.

Stop playing the games, making the jokes, and stop manifesting such thoughts about such misinformation and try to deal logically and intelligently with reality and not follow such popular media trends and expressed opinions. (Are you watching too much television?)

On the bright side, some movements are taking place which are improving the situations.

Food for thought.

It has been my experience in listening to people and observing advertising medias over the years that much of the population is of the position that interior design means buying new furniture. All types of businesses who sell home furnishing items – furniture stores, department stores, floor coverings stores, drapery workrooms, paint stores, et cetera – advertise their design consultants, decorators, designers, experts, et cetera who really only sell their one type of merchandise.

There are many people who call themselves interior designers who brag not of what they have produced that is beautiful, but what and how much they have sold. Their mark of success is not professional aesthetics but dollars sold.

In a manner of speaking, it’s like saying buying food from a grocery store is the same as being served a delicious dinner in a fine restaurant.

Interior designing is way more than a financial transaction of merchandising items for a house. While there are some element items that are bought and sold in designing an interior, they are merely the ingredients for the recipe and not the served courses from the menu.

Interior designing takes talent, education, experience, imagination, creativity, thought, planning, and the coordination of many trades, businesses, and industries to produce a professionally design interior that manifest  function, aesthetics, and personality ambiance. Selling items of home furnishing is not in that league and does not cut it or produce those results.

Most of the public population is ignorant of this reality which is exploited by advertisements and sales people.

Food for thought.

“I don’t know anything about art, but I know what I like”. People who makes such a statement are usually very enthusiastically responsive is stating their position. How many time have you heard this cliche? What does it mean to know what one likes about art ( or anything else ) ?  If you like something, it is because it satisfies you, it gives you pleasure, and it is comfortable.

There are myriads of reasons why we like something from our current environment, our upbringing, and going back all the way to our DNA. What we like fits us like a comfortable shoe.

But shoes wear out after a period of use and we have to buy new ones. The same can be said for what we like or our taste (which is the same thing ) . Explore, experiment, go in a different direction. Shake things up. Life is constantly changing and evolving. Live in the present.

In farming, you rotate where you plant crops. Planting the same thing in the same field year after year gets soil and plants out of balance and produces poor results. Plants need cross pollination to grow. The same can be said for our tastes.

Choosing such a path creates a lively, nurturing, significant, and fulfilling lifestyle. Life is expressed. Not merely existed.

It is of merit to grow, expand, improve, and seek a higher level of expression. Raise your bar! Get out of your rut.

These changes should affect us intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically in a very positive manner. If it doesn’t do that, you’ve missed the boat.

Live it, enjoy it, appreciate it, and never use it to snob, lecture, or make others uncomfortable.

Remember. You are your own unique personality. Respect the pollination of life.

Food for thought.

There has been a lot in the news lately about McMansions. Most of it unflattering. To achieve good to excellent aesthetics  for any building of any size, shape, or price range, the principles of design must be applied as in any designed project.

McMansions seem to have missed that part. They seem to want to express to the world what they have in location, size, price, and status in a most undignified manner without the required intelligent and aesthetic qualities. Beauty, quality of thought, and logic are not leading characters in their drama.

Too big houses are built on too small lots. How many tons of marble can we use? How big and glittering can we make that chandelier? The furniture should be big, of dark woods, ornately carved, and with a very shiny finish. How many swags and yards of fabric can we use to cover the windows? And we must use lots of velvets, damasks, and brocades. And the latest works from the current leading popular artists. And the kitchen must have the latest  equipment to keep the wine and celery at the right temperature. And the final touch, the crowning glory: On how many things can we put gold?

None of these things in and of themselves are bad. It is how, when, where, and why they are used. It’s like a recipe. If the ingredients do not have the right proportions and relationship to each other, the food doesn’t taste good. So, what’s the point?

To many people, and especially for those who build McMansions, one of the main purposes of building a house is to show the world what you have. And if you don’t, then there is something wrong with you.

Using the elements of design – line, form, mass, color, and texture – with intelligence,  imagination, creativity, and well thought out compositions will produce beautiful results in any manifestation.

As in many aspects of human behavior, people who build McMansions let emotions, ego, and arrogance rule their decisions. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.”

Perhaps a more dramatic, profound, and direct way when you want to show the world what you’ve got would be to put on the front of your lot in a very distinct and easy to read attractive font form a statement of all of your financial assets and have it verified by a certified public accountant and that way you don’t have to build a McMansion for the world to see what you’ve got. You just show them.

Food for thought.

In the beginning, “God said ‘Let there be light.’. ” It was a very smart move on God’s part. It is, of course, referring to the Big Bang of Creation billions of years ago. Yet, it is relevant to life as we know it today.

Can you imagine what life would be like if there were no light? Basically, most of what we experience as physical life today would not exist.

The same principle applies to a designed residential interior of today. Light is the most important, biggest, versatile, and determining element of any interior space.

Light includes not just natural light – direct sunlight, indirect sunlight, seasonal light, reflective light, weather light, time of day light, et cetera. All of these different types determine what we experience as natural light in our lives.

Then, there is man made light which is all light not natural. Man made light has advanced from fires, torches, candles, gas jets, and electric bulbs to to a menu of constantly evolving new sources and types of lighting today.

The combination of these two is what determines the light that is seen in residential interiors. There are two mistakes that many people make here. They do not take into consideration the effects of all of the different kinds of natural light, how to use these different lights effectively, and how to combine them with man made light to produce a functional and beautiful lighting result.

The second biggest mistake that most people make is that many of the sources of man made light in the room are decorative and emotional and are designed as if they were still flames, have to have a base to hold it up (decorative bases and arms), and a shade to hide the flame and diffuse the light (of which there are a multiple choices). Light should be treated as light and not as a homage to a past design era.

As time passes, new sources are getting away from such and it is a good thing and is progress being made. Intelligence some times over comes emotion. We live in the 21st century and not in past eras. Treat light as such.

Then, there is the difference between functional and decorative lighting which is another area too big to cover here.

Remember!  All colors you see any where and at any time are determined by the light. The sizes, lines, shapes, and textures of what you see are determined by the lighting.

Look at light. Think about light. Analyze light. Appreciate and enjoy light.

Food for thought.

Art is to a designed interior space as seasonings are to food. It’s a small element in the overall composition, but it makes a world of difference in the final flavor and ambiance.

Surrounding your self with beautiful works of art makes you feel good psychologically, emotionally, and intellectually. Art can satisfy you like an excellent meal only it lasts for ever (and you don’t have to do the dishes.).

Art is not just paintings, drawings, printed, and other two dimension  objects, but comes in all shape and sizes. An entire room and all of the furnishings and objects in it can be works of art.

The more you look and educate yourself (in what ever way that might be) the more you will become sensitive to what is beauty and what is you. You will react positively to what works aline with the atoms in your brain and thus you find attractive and satisfying.

One should view, analyze, study, and appreciate art not only for it’s physical characteristics of aesthetics, but also for the intelligence, imagination, spirituality, thought, and creativity that goes into making it and is part of it’s merit. In viewing, all of these characteristics should “grab” you which great art always does and is timeless.

Some people can afford to purchase a single work of art for over four hundred million dollars. I am not one of those people. Any one on any budget can collect art and have it in their residential environment even if it means just cutting out pictures from publications and buying posters. Then, there are art fairs, local shows,  galleries, and auctions for works of arts. You can also hire artists to make specific works for you.

I started collecting what was for me works of art a small boy. Any attractive picture in any printed medium I would cut out and put on my walls. In college, I went to student exhibits and studios. In the work world, I went to auctions and galleries. When you start looking and acquiring, things will come to you, and you will find your own pathway to art and beauty. It is a life long journey of seeking, learning, exploring, growing, appreciating, and enjoying the trip and the stops and rewards along the way.

You should always buy the best art that you can afford and keep it for as long as you can. It is important to purchase art that attracts you, but try to grow and expand your horizons in your purchases. Don’t let your self get comfortable and in a rut.

It never rings true for those people who buy art for status and instant ancestry. The same applies for people who purchase art as an “investment” and are always telling you what they paid and how much it s worth now. They never “get” the work of art and always appear as a hypocrite.

Through out all history, art has lasted through all pulls and thrusts of religions, politics, governments, economics, races, climates, and through all physical aspects of time. Art reflects the level a civilization has reached.

Art endures!

What is the status of art in your residential environment, life, and our civilization?

Food for thought.

As you drive, look, walk, and see residential neighborhoods around this United States of America, what do you see almost always? How many houses have been constructed as representative of the time in which they were built? Most residential development is planned using the design of past time periods. The newest technology and materials, the best climate control systems, up-to-date features, and the most efficient and green energy systems are used. But, the aesthetics of the house go back to a previous era. Such is very popular and sells all over. Many of these houses are not even even considered for where they are built for climate and terrain.

What does all of this say about our personalities as a population and our place in the progress of civilization and intellectual growth? It is a very strong characteristic of human behavior that most often as a choice emotion will trump over intellect. People are drawn to and comfortable with what they know. The new and unknown are not generally as attractive. The seeking and desire of growth to a higher level of aesthetics is not there.

Mass production is geared toward a mass market for mass consumerism. Mass purchases reflect the level of aesthetics, intelligence, education, and life style of it’s buyers and in general are geared toward the average person (Who  or what is the average person?). Houses that reflect a past design era sell.

To many people, a house of a past period design is a higher level of status than a contemporary one regardless of the quality of the aesthetics and design. Status is a very important emotional expression for these people and they will promote and fight and defend that position from all comers. It is not the quality of the design but the perceived status that rules them.

A reproduction of any kind is never of the same aesthetic or intellectual or civilized level as an original. Some people chose a very high level of quality and design for a contemporary house over an expensive reproduction house. They have what becomes a classic. The other house becomes an old house of no intellectual or historical merit. Even them, some people are attracted to a house because it is old as it is their position that such is of a higher level of status. Emotion rules even when lots of money is involved.

It is good to study, learn, be aware of and appreciate the past for the life of it’s time. It not good to be in the present and live in the past.

Older is not always better. It’s just older.

Food for thought.