Summer reading
The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 6 of 13, SS24 *
Subscribe free *
It's a guy-with-an-eye tradition to have a summer reading issue. For days when it's too hot and you need a distraction, here are some design articles to keep you amused and engaged.
Contradict the experts
The best thing about best-of lists is that they provoke disagreement. If you know anything about modern furniture, you'll find something to upset you in this New York Times list of the 25 most defining pieces of furniture from the last 100 years.
What's smart about the format here is it incorporates friction. The list was created by six experts, and each entry includes a snippet of conversation in which they debate one another. The debate spills into the Comments section where readers get incredulous at which classics were left out.
If you want to dig deeper, there's a companion article that lists almost every piece the panellists considered. And while the Comments section is now closed, you may be tempted to draw up your own top-25 list to defy the group's eccentric collection.
Discover Dixon's revenge
Self-taught British designer Tom Dixon faces a problem common in the world of high-end lighting and furniture. His work is endlessly copied by unauthorized imitators. These fakes may seem attractive to consumers for their superficial resemblance and lower price point, but they must be infuriating to the originator of the designs.
Now, Dixon has launched a counter-offensive, and it sounds like a brilliant plan. Get all the juicy details here:
Recommit to quality
We've all done it: made do with less-than-ideal furniture to quickly meet a need while adhering to a budget. What we probably didn't do was give some thought to the larger consequences. The Washington Post's article "Why furniture got so bad" is a much-needed corrective, taking us back to an earlier way of looking at furniture and tracing the pressures that led to where we are now. The article wraps up with some helpful tips on how to know you're buying something that will last.
Have a good laugh
The mismatch between designers' lofty ambitions and the brute reality of everyday life is a perennial source of comedy. Don't believe me? Check out this article made up of quotations from older adults who've run into the drawbacks of some interior design trends:
Ross YoderBuzzFeed Staff
The article is interspersed with polls, allowing you to weigh in on which trends you like the least.
Stay cool this summer!
Thank you for reading.
Member discussion