interesting over good
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Our houses often reflect what we believe about ourselves.
If you're reading this newsletter, I'd bet you're the type of person who doesn't just want a "nice" home - you want something that speaks to who you are and says something.
You would like to do something interesting.
The built world is currently experiencing an identity crisis. Most new construction offers spaces that are so neutral and safe, they could be anyone's home in any neighborhood.
Not just homes, but entire cities too. Is there any architectural difference between new buildings in Miami and Singapore?
Isn't that weird?
It begs the question - what are we aiming for?
When you create something, if you care, you're imagining an audience - whether that's just your family or friends, or maybe the public if you share your home on social media.
That's a feedback loop. And what most audiences crave isn't just something "good" by measurable benchmarks, but something unique that delights them.
Something they would tell their friends about.
Great creators push boundaries. They make something that hasn't been seen before, something that might make people slightly uncomfortable. Something interesting.
There's a fine line between being too extravagant and too safe, but in general, the built world is lacking in bravery.
Great hospitality design understands this balance perfectly. Hotels and restaurants make you feel comfortable, but they also transport you to a specific, curated world that creates a feeling.
La Dolce Vita - Orient Express. Designed by Hugo Toro
La Dolce Vita - Orient Express. Designed by Hugo Toro
They don't just welcome you, they provoke something in you.
Why not approach your home the same way?
If you aim for good, the answer often ends up being "do what everybody else does."
But if you aim for interesting, it opens things up.
What is the story? The theme? The motifs? What makes it different?
In the end, a house becomes a home not when it's perfect, but when it's perfectly yours - surprising, delightful, and impossible to replicate.
signs of hope
This is a new building about to be built in Gramercy, Manhattan, designed by Roman & Williams, some of the very best in the game. While certainly not attainable for the masses, I'm very pleased to see some masonry and something being built that resembles New York.
The Conservatory outdoor collection from Claude Home. Two things that always get me are a grid pattern and anything Vienna Secession. This looks like both.
They went for interesting here, and I like it.
