Objects are symbols. Beautiful furnishings, exquisitely tailored fashion, jewelry, jets, yachts,sensational cars aren’t simply inanimate articles silently displaying their value; they are powerful communicators that constantly “ relate ” to us in more ways than we can consciously grasp.
In our own residences, everything that makes a room,furnishings, art, etc. has a “dynamic” relationship with us. We might often be quite unaware of their presence, and yet their representational powers are affecting us in fundamental ways. These creations, with their exquisite quality and design, have the intrinsic capacity to invigorate our will, resourcefulness and character. Like mirrors of achievement and success, they strengthen our motivation and re-empower our original dreams and drive. They are, in fact, material translations of an incredibly influential message.
Luxury Furnishings – Beautiful Interior
A beautiful interior, the acquisition of beautiful furnishings, antiques or remarkable art are potent messages of optimism. They beat the defeatist attitude of scarcity and lack of hope that some rooms try to boast with their languid details and mannered restraint (not always an oxymoron). I call them “ apologetic interiors.” I believe in serenely stylized rooms just as much as I do in exuberant, richly layered spaces; however, there are interiors that try so hard not be “too” luxurious: they scream of guilt in every ungraceful corner. They are not the result of meticulous editing or the overused claim of “ understated elegance ”. These penitent interiors are the physical manifestation of a particular view of the world which is surreptitiously bargained under the forced premise of ”moderation” or some other covertly nihilistic argument about what defines good taste. Most important, they represent a total lack of experiential understanding of clients’ values and their way of life.
I can’t possible imagine the foremost architects of American capitalism being self-conscious abouttheir achievements. These were visionaries empowering an ideology, a way to see the world and a way to live a dream. Can you imagine the Vanderbilts or the Rockefellers restraining themselves and moving into some graceless three bedroom with less than desirable views? Ideologies “need ” symbols to project themselves and survive. Thank God for that drive which left us the collection of true palaces spread around our vast land. I think all this tiptoeing around with burlap isn’t just an attempt to glamorize decadence, but it’s a disservice to the driving principles that have made this country the greatest one in the history of humanity.
Of course, there’s grotesque in trying to create a pseudo Versailles somewhere in Florida. All that clownery and poor taste shamelessly displayed on some television shows are pathetic at best. But the option is not to create an aesthetic of guilt. Manifestations of wealth have always translated into beautiful art, architecture, furnishings, music and the many other cultural legacies that made us this civilized and abundant society we all enjoy. And so, to conclude and exonerate, my motto goes like this: “ You earned it, you deserve it, enjoy it!”.
