An Analysis of Decoration

Decoration, like every other form of art, exists not for its own sake, but for the purpose of expression of the individual, one of the most fundamental needs of human nature. In fact, every product of human workmanship expresses something about the person and conditions that created it, even though the degree of expression may vary greatly. For example, a train expresses a power that would be immediately apparent to someone seeing it for the first time.

While some expression is to be found in every work created by human effort, the degree of expression varies, and as the expression increases, and the qualities expressed rise in value, the product becomes more truly a work of art. A crude and inharmonious interior expresses a lack of taste and appreciation. If the owner did not lack these qualities he would not be satisfied to let it remain as it is. Even with taste, we cannot ignore the value of training, in order to know the best ways of expressing the qualities we want to display.

Interior Decoration, like every other art, has a language of its own. The words and sentences combine to tell a story and are the details of furnishings and enrichment that we use to decorate our rooms. The individual who understands this language can read between the lines so cleverly that the thoughts and character of a person may be fully told by a single glance at the room which this person calls his own.

Wealth has little to do with this art of expression. Gentility and charm of character may be expressed in the simplest of surroundings, while grossness and lack of culture may be seen in an expensive interior. This is not to discredit expensive furnishings and decorations. They must be used with proper discretion and in their proper place. The qualities we may express can be quite varied. Not only is the personality of the artist expressed in his work, but the nature of the materials at his command, the spirit of his times, the atmosphere of thought and tradition in which he lives, and the purpose of the particular object he has created.

Some aesthetic errors are so great that little knowledge is necessary in order to avoid them. Nobody would dream of putting a Greek statue, however beautiful, in a prominent place in a Christian church because the clash of styles would be too apparent, just like no one would put a colossal bust of some departed hero in their bedroom next to their gas fireplace (http://www.ferche.com/). However, smaller errors are constantly committed by those who are not trained enough to obtain true expression and harmony.

In addition to the general conditions of period and place, decoration should express the purpose of an object or a room. In a dining room, for example, everything should be devoted to making it possible to eat comfortably and with enjoyment. Some conditions are usually fixed, such as the size and shape of the room, the location of doors and windows, the material of the floor, and so on. Other conditions can usually be varied, such as the color and material of the wall coverings, the design of the furniture, the use of pictures, etc.

In some cases the design may be determined by objects that are crucial to the scheme of the room. In other cases the decorator may have a blank canvas, making it all the more necessary to determine the most suitable treatment for the occasion. Even though the general function of the room is the same, a change in who's occupying it may call for a change of treatment. For example, the living room of an elderly professor should present a very different appearance from that of a hip young couple, even though the two rooms were similar in size and location.

There are almost infinite possibilities for expression in interior decoration from furniture, rugs, pictures, and hangings to architectural features like mantelpieces, door and window casings, paneling and the like. Sometimes the decorator can feel restricted by their budget, but the primary goal is always the same whether there a great deal of money or very little - appropriateness. The decoration of a room must always depend upon the room's purpose. The attractiveness of the room should appeal to the mentality of the occupant, so that they are unconsciously at ease in the room.

These qualities are dependent on the insight and personality of the artist, but there are certain standards that have been established by experience and certain aesthetic formulas that have been developed over centuries. There are empirical rules that generations of artists have learned from one another, which have been found so valuable in the great majority of decorative problems that they are safe guides for the un-initiated. Only after the beginner has thoroughly mastered them, only when the student becomes a master himself, can he safely dare to improvise.