The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live.
Albert HadleyRead
So many young decorators are trying to reinvent the wheel, and the results are sometimes very dubious. They're striving to do things that have never been done before. Quite often it is done without authority, without knowledge, and without a background in taste. They need to be educated about the past, and they need a richer vocabulary.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of understanding historical context and foundational knowledge in creative fields.
Albert Hadley suggests that many emerging decorators attempt to create innovative work without a sufficient understanding of established design principles and history. He highlights the need for education and a deep appreciation of past influences to cultivate genuine taste and skill in their craft.
Themes
DecoratingEducationTasteCreativityHistory
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can serve as a reminder during a design seminar to emphasize the importance of foundational knowledge.
More from Albert Hadley
All quotes →Too much of what passes for design now is theater. It's one thing to be eccentric- and by the way, most eccentrics tend to be rather well-educated people - and quite another to be a faddist, by which I mean someone who tries to conjure a totally foreign aesthetic in a misplaced environment.
Albert HadleyRead
Decorating is not about making stage sets, it's not about making pretty pictures for the magazines, it's really about creating a quality of life, a beauty that nourishes the soul.
Albert HadleyRead
Decoration is really about creating a quality of life, and a beauty in that life that nourishes the soul, that makes life beautiful.
Albert HadleyRead
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