COMMENT OF THE DAY: EXPENSIVE TASTE “This may be a dumb question, but why is it that the higher priced the house, the worse the interior design? I mean it sincerely. Some of the absolutely, positively, worst interior looks seem to congregate in high priced homes. Is someone trying prove the adage about lots of money, zero taste? Or is it that the interior designers are just so marvelous at sales pitches that their clients will think, what the hell? We are paying them enough, they must know what they are doing! . . .” [Hanabi-chan, commenting on Exploring the Indoor Wildlife in a Pasadena Dead Animal House]
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High end? Pasadena?
Interior decorating is the most crackpot profession out there. And they even dare to say that you need a license for that. It’s entirely setup to milk gullible housewives for money and come up with “designs” with no rhyme or reason. Additionally, they’re a pain in a builder’s *ss because they talk customers out of upgrades and talk them into spending money on overpriced furniture that “only they” happen to sell.
Yes. It is true: more money, horrid design. Yes:the clients DO think what the hell. Which reflects on them-they have NO taste and are desperate/clueless/ill-informed they let others pick not only designs but many other aspects of their lives for them. And they end up making themselves laughingstocks.And their so-called “friends” do talk /gossip /disrespect them behind their backs.We all know people who are may not have as much money but have TONS of taste/style and class.
Like the Copperfield floral earlier in the week, or the Mexican tile marvel for that matter. I think this has to be viewed as a cultural artifact. I don’t think it has anything to do with income. There is a lot of horror in Montrose and the Heights, it is just that for most of us, this is a lot more exotic.
It’s Pasadena. There’s no high end to it. If you want to see high end Houston design, check out http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/ Now THAT’S high end AND good design. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you have good taste. That’s what designers are for. To tell you, “No that’s ugly, do this.”
It’s called confirmation bias. At least, in part.
To each their own…I’d rather see someone make a space unique to their own tastes than baste it in beige.
#5 Sick of BS,
You see, you’re doing the same thing. Are you a friend of that blogger that you’re pushing?
To me, that may be high end in cost, but who (you?)is to say it’s good design?
Not where I’m concerned and the only opinion that matters to me is mine.
I’m more with commonsense on this one.
Being nervous about ‘taste’ inside the safety of your own home is a sign that you’ve got either financial or emotional issues. Folks with richer homes and with poorer homes have few problems with such issues. Poorer lot values can’t get budged by baby blue paint and a Green Lantern logo on the garage door any more than they can be moved by granite countertops. On the other hand, folks on richer lots can generally afford to do what they want and change their homes before sale, if they feel like it. It’s us in the nervous middle who won’t go beyond what “everybody knows” in desigining our interiors and selecting paint. Our homes don’t reflect us, they reflect ‘taste.’ You should spend time on the interior of your home, but you should do so to please yourself. Repaint that sucker later for the potential buyer, if you have to.
Blog photo looks like a furniture store to me. That’s ok, just don’t hit me with the Audi Q7 when I’m riding my bike.
Interior design is a perfectly valid profession. Some designers are amazingly talented and some are not. Many people assume that someone who calls themself an interior designer must be good at it. Clearly not true. Research is required.
And no, rich people do not have poor taste in higher percentages than poor people. That’s absurd.
Were any cameras harmed in the taking of the photos?
A talented designer can add value if they listen to the client. It’s critical to check out their actual work (not photos of other people’s work published on their blog).
My experience? They love to push THEIR taste and they love to oversell. It’s about their relationships with vendors/showrooms/providers with 1 eye focused on the next gig.
I realized this in time to pull the plug on their ill-suited furniture recommendations, costly rugs + fabrics. Clueless. Trust your instincts – you probably have better design sensibility.
@commonsense
I think you are confusing interior design vs. interior decorating. Interior designers can space plan, work within code, and oversee construction. Real, school trained interior designers should be licensed in order to show competency. On the other hand, decorators are usually self taught and only deal with the selection of furniture, fixtures, and equipment. They work on the basis that they have an immaculate eye. I have done both but found it quite difficult to work with rich people because of their bad taste. At least as far as houston goes, I think money is definitely wasted on the rich.