How to Tell When You’re Over-Propped

How many of the things in your home are props? How about your car or your office? Props in this case mean things that are put there for style or to make a statement, but are really never used for anything else. Kurt Andersen, who wrote for an architectural magazine in the 1980s, noticed the props when he visited the homes he was writing about.
“I was always amazed: they were exactly propped with perfect art books,” Mr. Andersen said last week, recalling how obvious it was that the homes had been styled by someone other than their occupants.

“Maybe all these people were interested in the same Botero coffee table book,” he added. “But I don’t think so.”

Since then, the self-consciously styled home has become almost commonplace, particularly in cities like New York and Los Angeles where creative types congregate. “It’s not just rich people now,” he said. “It’s all of us.”

The article at the New York Times theorizes that the explosion of props has to do with social media. Blogger Elaine Miller says,
“People are insanely self-conscious,” Ms. Miller said. “People act like they’re always being watched. Even their house is a performance.”

Look around you. How many props do you see? Link -via Nag on the Lake

(Image credit: Flickr user Juhan Sonin)

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This is a very interesting post. When I bought my first house, I fell into this trap. I became the "amateur stylist." I imagined hosting parties and holidays, and even having tea with close friends. I even bought an awesome vintage tea set. My house was set, and I was ready, but nothing really came of it. No parties or holiday gatherings, not even tea with close friends. For a while it looked like a show house, not a home where people lived. So I eventually made it perfect for me, and not perfect for the imagined party guests.
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No props for me. I've read all but one or two of the books on my bookshelf which will eventually get read too.

Using props to influence the impression you leave on guests in your home is like photoshopping your personality.
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