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.
The article at the New York Times theorizes that the explosion of props has to do with social media. Blogger Elaine Miller says,
Look around you. How many props do you see? Link -via Nag on the Lake
(Image credit: Flickr user Juhan Sonin)
“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)
That said, I have two of the props mentioned in the article: A non-functional typewriter and colorful pots. Sigh.
Which, come to think of it, makes them set dressing and not props. Props are things that an actor uses during a performance, whereas set dressing is just there to make the set look good.
The personal items in my office are limited to those that I could grab and put into a box in under two minutes.
Using props to influence the impression you leave on guests in your home is like photoshopping your personality.