Giving up Props

I just read a really provocative article from the NYT via Apartment Therapy  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/propping-how-much-is-too-much-172437  Basically the article is lampooning the over styled and under examined lives so many people appear to be living. The article is, I think, more than a little tongue in cheek but it provokes some interesting questions; poking fun at the abundance of redundant themes in interior design: taxidermy, terrariums, and chevron. Every design blog, website and shelter magazine seems to be liberally peppered with similar images of painted furniture, color coordinated bookshelves and "vintage finds". "Carefully curated" homes peopled with unique individuals that all happen to like the exact same stuff. The prepackaged hipster aesthetic that can be quickly consumed and will just as quickly be forgotten.

It is inevitable that when something (everything and anything) is photographed and cleverly staged and posted on design blogs that many people will say..."Oooh that's cute, I want that" and head to Crate and Barrel or Urban Outfitters to purchase it. That is exactly how marketing is supposed to work. There will always be fashion and design trends and most people will follow them simply because it is easy entre into a certain social strata. In a year or two everyone will throw their papier mache deer heads and cutesy owl figurines and replace them with sad clown portraits or whatever else is hip at the moment. The proof that there have always been trends in design? Look at my knotty pine kitchen and 60's psychedelic shelf paper...or all the "updated" homes with granite countertops and stainless appliances. For all those self righteous folk who would spew so much venom at the trend followers shut off your Internet connection and don't pick up a magazine and very quickly you'll have no idea what the hipsters are buying and you can be your own smugly original self.