The Strange Afterlife of Decorative Objects
What happens to an object when the culture that gave it meaning disappears? A porcelain figurine once displayed proudly in a sitting room might end up in a charity shop. A brass lamp that once looked sophisticated might become synonymous with dated interiors. An avocado-green refrigerator, a plastic chair or a geometric Memphis-style cabinet might spend years looking hopelessly unfashionable before appearing in an interior designer's portfolio. The objects survive. Their reputations do not. Decorative objects have complicated lives. They move from necessity to status symbol, from fashionable possession to embarrassing relic, and sometimes back to desirable antiques. Their physical properties may remain unchanged, but their cultural meanings shift with each generation Interior design provides a fascinating way to explore this process. It brings together the sociology of taste, the economics of consumption, the psychology of nostalgia, the history of craftsmanship and the contemporar...
