Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Lou Tamposi's avatar

Simon, this post is terrific — and I think the most terrific part of it is your discussion on honest and dishonest materials. Authenticity in design, I think, trumps all. And you can’t fake authenticity. I think that’s why so many new homes feel off — there is no cohesion. Is the material used appropriate for the place, for the scale, for the intent? When you don’t put that forethought in, and just use whatever is cheap, or available, or looks cool on Pinterest, you end up with discord.

In many cases, I’m not sure it’s necessarily dishonesty. Most buyers are not as discerning as you are, and builders less so. So what feels like a dishonest design choice might often just be one that’s made lacking the knowledge you could do anything else (I think you wrote about this in an earlier post as it relates to the stone surrounding your foundation, plaster walls, etc.).

Posts like this are so important to help people understand why some things feel right or wrong when they otherwise might lack the vernacular to even notice in the first place.

Expand full comment
jane flowers's avatar

The doorknobs section reminded me of how much i still lust over P.E. Guerin's exquisite creations: https://peguerin.com/productlist.php?section=Door_Hardware&coll=&subcoll=&category=Door_Handles&style=A

(Though from an interior designer friend i learned a single piece is likely more than my not-inconsiderable manhattan rent! One day...)

Expand full comment
10 more comments...

No posts