5 ms·

The wealthy ancients cared so much about aesthetics. Imagine hosting a party in such a room, surrounded by such beauty, the paintings, the columns. I live in a

The wealthy ancients cared so much about aesthetics. Imagine hosting a party in such a room, surrounded by such beauty, the paintings, the columns. I live in a very old home, built by a wealthy man almost 200 years ago. The cost to rehabilitate this property was staggering and I had to pay extra to get foreign workmen to fly in who had the skillset necessary to do the work properly. If you have the money and appreciate aesthetics, living in an ornate home that is beautiful inside and out is a pleasure. The Scandinavian modern minimalist style is so anathema to me, it goes against everything we as humans appreciate. Classical style, Greek columns, open spaces, ornate decoration. The ancients understood this and modernity forgot what these styles provide to the human psyche. I see these monstrosities for sale in the $5 million+ range that wealthy Americans build as new construction. You don’t need or want ~10,000 sqft. You want livable space that gives you emotional resonance. You need a home that is pleasing to work in, relax in, sleep in, view externally and internally. I think modern society has forgotten so many things. You can build things for the same cost that reflect these ideals but for whatever reason we don’t anymore. Every room in my house has a vibe. I care very deeply about the vibes of every single location. The walls, the art, the motifs, how it appears as you walk up the frontage, enter the vestibule, the space, what it means. Guests to my home sense this instantly. I can’t express the pleasure I get from living in a house I have perfectly created to my exact intention. Some people argue it is financially beneficial to rent vs. own. I argue the benefit of owning, having exact precision and control over every aspect of the surroundings you spend the majority of your life in, far surpasses whatever benefit not investing money into your own home can provide. I want every moment to be surrounded by pleasurable aesthetics as much as I can.

mattlondon 2y ago
Each to their own - I personally find the ornate decoration, richly coloured walls, large pictures etc quite unpleasant, almost eerie. It is mentally too noisy and overwhelming - I much prefer a simpler approach - not necessarily "minimalist", but simple, light and plain are best for me. Calming, relaxing, peaceful, quiet. More important than decoration though for me is the quality of the architecture, the quality of the space it self - light, human-scale, how you move through the spaces, outlook and views etc
- monero-xmr 2y ago
  That’s a fair argument. If you truly like minimalism and it gives you aesthetic pleasure then that is your choice. I think people like to go into cathedrals, museums, travel around Europe, and experience the old world because it resonates with them spiritually and emotionally. I live in my own version of beauty, which is rare today, but I think far more people would prefer to live how I do than the current paradigm. I view minimalism as shorthand for “cheap” that society has foisted upon us in order to cut costs. Everything expensive in terms of time or money that I invest in, I do because of the value it provides me
  - danans 2y ago
    > I view minimalism as shorthand for “cheap” that society has foisted upon us in order to cut costs. Cheap aesthetics (in the sense of quality and thoughtfulness, not necessarily $), can be either minimalist or ornate.
  - brudgers 2y ago
    I live in the American west to be surrounded with natural beauty.
  - 0xEF 2y ago
    Interesting take on minimalism, if not a bit at odds with my own. Rather than align it with cheapness, I see it as a challenge of efficacy in communication, asking how we can convey an idea in as few words, symbols or pictures as possible and still achieve general understanding. In my experience (mostly in writing product manuals and trying to keep them from turning into novel-length publications) communicating in a minimal way requires far more work. I think of the problem of labeling nuclear waste sites as an illustration to my point. You might be right about European tourists, though. I appreciate the cathedrals and the like for what they are, but my draw to travel in Europe has more to do with the reminder and humility that comes with doing something so mundane as eating a piece of licorice in a sweets shop that's been in operation longer than my country has (US), or something to that effect. Things like that are great medicine for staying grounded and alleviating symptoms of American Exceptionalism.
- 2y ago
atomicthumbs 2y ago
>it goes against everything we as humans appreciate. Classical style, Greek columns, open spaces, ornate decoration. Speak for yourself.
musikele 2y ago
The director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, wrote a book about Pompeii (I don't know if it was translated to English, since I read it in Italian), and it described why rich people decorated their homes this way. Of course these paintings served to rich homeowners to show off their power, but also to have some fun during dinners. For example, everybody in ancient Rome knew the mith of <name_your_favourite_roman_god>. So, when entering a room with a painting of such god on the wall, after a couple of glasses with their friends, they'd start arguing, "I understood why Jupiter did this and that..." or, sometimes, they painted the mith with something odd just to have fun. It was a conversation starter, a way to be ironic of life and with friends, and a way to enjoy their lives.
- mr_toad 2y ago
  Europeans liked to depict the same scenes over and over. There must have been hundreds of versions of “The Adoration of the Magi” done over the centuries.
jajko 2y ago
You mean actual old home say in Italy or Greece or some cheap 'me-too' mcmansion copies in US? If that works for you thats fine, but to many Europeans this looks very cheap and bland copy, like building a stone medieval castle in suburban US. Having 'greek columns' anywhere apart where they were built 2000 years ago is tasteless to me for example. Also there is huge room between ornate and minimalist, where most people fall re design taste. I'd say minimalist is for folks who derive their happiness from other aspects of their lives compared to real estate, which is generally a good approach regardless. But thats us Europeans, we like originality and appreciate and respect utmostly where it came from, be it food or culture.
- trgn 2y ago
  > Having 'greek columns' anywhere apart where they were built 2000 years ago is tasteless to me so all the revivals are tacky? e.g. all buildings of importance before 1920 in american and european cities are tacky?
sureIy 2y ago
As you said, maintaining that costs more than a coat of white paint every 5 years. I envy the artists who have a sense of style in their living spaces, but also I gradually emptied my childhood room as I grew up as I could not stand the clutter — or jut the cleaning part. Then you have to consider that the majority of people have absolutely no taste and a minimal home is their best bet at tasteful living spaces. The second choice would probably be green walls and red couches.

mattlondon 2y ago

Each to their own - I personally find the ornate decoration, richly coloured walls, large pictures etc quite unpleasant, almost eerie. It is mentally too noisy and overwhelming - I much prefer a simpler approach - not necessarily "minimalist", but simple, light and plain are best for me. Calming, relaxing, peaceful, quiet. More important than decoration though for me is the quality of the architecture, the quality of the space it self - light, human-scale, how you move through the spaces, outlook and views etc

monero-xmr 2y ago
That’s a fair argument. If you truly like minimalism and it gives you aesthetic pleasure then that is your choice. I think people like to go into cathedrals, museums, travel around Europe, and experience the old world because it resonates with them spiritually and emotionally. I live in my own version of beauty, which is rare today, but I think far more people would prefer to live how I do than the current paradigm. I view minimalism as shorthand for “cheap” that society has foisted upon us in order to cut costs. Everything expensive in terms of time or money that I invest in, I do because of the value it provides me
- danans 2y ago
  > I view minimalism as shorthand for “cheap” that society has foisted upon us in order to cut costs. Cheap aesthetics (in the sense of quality and thoughtfulness, not necessarily $), can be either minimalist or ornate.
- brudgers 2y ago
  I live in the American west to be surrounded with natural beauty.
- 0xEF 2y ago
  Interesting take on minimalism, if not a bit at odds with my own. Rather than align it with cheapness, I see it as a challenge of efficacy in communication, asking how we can convey an idea in as few words, symbols or pictures as possible and still achieve general understanding. In my experience (mostly in writing product manuals and trying to keep them from turning into novel-length publications) communicating in a minimal way requires far more work. I think of the problem of labeling nuclear waste sites as an illustration to my point. You might be right about European tourists, though. I appreciate the cathedrals and the like for what they are, but my draw to travel in Europe has more to do with the reminder and humility that comes with doing something so mundane as eating a piece of licorice in a sweets shop that's been in operation longer than my country has (US), or something to that effect. Things like that are great medicine for staying grounded and alleviating symptoms of American Exceptionalism.
2y ago

atomicthumbs 2y ago

>it goes against everything we as humans appreciate. Classical style, Greek columns, open spaces, ornate decoration. Speak for yourself.

musikele 2y ago

The director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, wrote a book about Pompeii (I don't know if it was translated to English, since I read it in Italian), and it described why rich people decorated their homes this way. Of course these paintings served to rich homeowners to show off their power, but also to have some fun during dinners. For example, everybody in ancient Rome knew the mith of <name_your_favourite_roman_god>. So, when entering a room with a painting of such god on the wall, after a couple of glasses with their friends, they'd start arguing, "I understood why Jupiter did this and that..." or, sometimes, they painted the mith with something odd just to have fun. It was a conversation starter, a way to be ironic of life and with friends, and a way to enjoy their lives.

mr_toad 2y ago
Europeans liked to depict the same scenes over and over. There must have been hundreds of versions of “The Adoration of the Magi” done over the centuries.

jajko 2y ago

You mean actual old home say in Italy or Greece or some cheap 'me-too' mcmansion copies in US? If that works for you thats fine, but to many Europeans this looks very cheap and bland copy, like building a stone medieval castle in suburban US. Having 'greek columns' anywhere apart where they were built 2000 years ago is tasteless to me for example. Also there is huge room between ornate and minimalist, where most people fall re design taste. I'd say minimalist is for folks who derive their happiness from other aspects of their lives compared to real estate, which is generally a good approach regardless. But thats us Europeans, we like originality and appreciate and respect utmostly where it came from, be it food or culture.

trgn 2y ago
> Having 'greek columns' anywhere apart where they were built 2000 years ago is tasteless to me so all the revivals are tacky? e.g. all buildings of importance before 1920 in american and european cities are tacky?

sureIy 2y ago

As you said, maintaining that costs more than a coat of white paint every 5 years. I envy the artists who have a sense of style in their living spaces, but also I gradually emptied my childhood room as I grew up as I could not stand the clutter — or jut the cleaning part. Then you have to consider that the majority of people have absolutely no taste and a minimal home is their best bet at tasteful living spaces. The second choice would probably be green walls and red couches.