How to be fruitful
The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 4 of 13, A24 *
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Earlier this month, my youngest brother visited from Los Angeles and brought me a gift he'd picked up at an estate sale: a large cluster of Lucite grapes. Little did he realize I've been meaning to write about faux fruit for a while now. I have a small but growing collection, now expanded by one item, and I find there's a mysterious appeal in artificial succulence.
So, the new display in my entryway got me thinking again about why this sort of object resonates:
When I started Googling "Lucite grapes," I was delighted to discover a hilarious essay in The Wine Zine about precisely this decor phenomenon. The author, Molly Young, talks about her fascination with these grapes, sharing an origin account of how they became popular in the Sixties, yet falling short when it comes to explaining why they attract her.
She also draws a blank when trying to figure out what they say:
Molly's bewilderment sent me back to some of my other pieces of decorative fruit. What could they possibly signify? I'm especially fond of this wooden bowl full of wooden produce that I picked up at Williams Design a while back. Maybe it's the fact that the display device and its contents are all the same material, giving it a slightly surreal unity:
I also like the fact that you can rearrange it, just like the real thing. But it's never going to be compromised by decay, or by the whims of appetite.
An apple-shaped container isn't at risk of being eaten either:
It's deliriously fake, assuming a familiar form while cranking up the intensity to eleven.
I do have some artificial lemons – you've seen them in previous articles – that are so convincing they could be mistaken for legit. I enjoy adding them to arrangements for an extra jolt of colour:
But it's the admittedly unreal fruit that gets me the most, like this adorable lime:
In the end, I beg to differ with Molly. I don't think these fake fruits are "bankrupt of meaning." In their comical exaggeration, they're essential reminders of life's verdant possibilities. And in their defiance of change, they're also reminders that the clock is always ticking, and the time to be fruitful is now.
Guy's buys
Occasional finds, selected for you
Looking to start a fruit collection – or grow the one you already have? A piece to consider is this Jonathan Adler bud vase, available at Toronto's Black Rooster Decor:
It's exactly the right mix of silly and sublime:
Elsewhere
Can micro-decorating be therapeutic? Check out this New York Times article about how a woman grappling with loss finds solace in building miniature rooms from kits:
Scale up this effort a bit to full-sized shelves and tabletops, and you may have a form of real-life interior design with healing properties.
Thank you for reading.
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