Beauty and the Beholder

Beauty and the Beholder: What is beautiful vs. what is popular: I heard something interesting the other day on the podcast More than one thing when Athena Calderone of #eyeswoon was interviewing Reed Krakoff, former artistic director of Coach, presently at Tiffany & Co. He said: What’s good is not what is necessarily expensive, what’s expensive is what’s popular. It’s a simple supply and demand philosophy at hand.

At Marangoni, we heard a lecture from Elena Marinoni, a trend forecaster who studies patterns and predicts what might become the next big thing before it does, so manufacturers can produce in advance of the demand.

In a sense this means we are being told what to like because we are simply seeing it everywhere. I also think we get tired of seeing the same thing over and over, so when something new appears, we are attracted to it simply because it looks different from what we are used to seeing.

But trends are temporary, and eventually, we return to the classics, the tried and true materials or shapes that have served us for centuries. The key is knowing what the classics are, perhaps its a new take on a classic, vs the fad that is here today and gone tomorrow.

To explore this principle, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the classics in furniture and why they stand the test of time.

Beauty and the Beholder: Beautiful or Popular?

Most designers agree the Saarinen table looks great in any setting, with any type of chair or banquette. The clean and streamlined base doesn’t detract from the silhouette of the chairs that surround it, and there is a modernity to the base but also classical at the same time.

I think this table looks best with a marble top as it brings a natural material into play. The base of the table, a modified pedestal, is also a classic form. This can be seen repeatedly throughout history in design in various shapes, forms and materials.

Pedestal Table Bases:

Blue and White:

Another classic design is the use of blue and white. Is this beautiful in the eye of the beholder? Or popular? Or perhaps a classic, tried, tested and true.

‘Greek Key’ Pattern:

How familiar are you with the Greek Key pattern? It hasn’t disappeared for good reason.

Natural Materials:

Certain materials are timeless too. In general, something that comes from nature, i.e. natural stone, wood, metals, leather, woven baskets, will never go out of style. These materials do not have to look old and stodgy when presented in an updated way with clean lines or limited ornamentation.

Certainly, some aspects of design are more vulnerable to trends. The easily replaceable finishing touches, but also I feel that lighting often is a victim of trends. In order to avoid this, stick with classic shapes. Anything that’s rooted in tradition will inevitably be timeless.