The danger of Modern Day design and loss of city identity

I’ve just returned from a week-long trip back home (to my hometown - Bucharest, Romania) and while it was lovely to see friends and family again, even at 34°C, what surprised me the most was the town. It felt like I was witnessing two different towns (or dare I say two different worlds), clashing but co-existing, all into one space.

Bucharest is renowned for its late 19th century-inspired Parisian-style buildings, which are incredibly beautiful (although sadly not taken care of by the council). At the same time, new, almost detailless buildings rise up in a competition, almost screaming “Look at me, look at me, I am prettier”! For example, below, on the left is a beautiful building that houses the CEC/Cheques Palace (or the Palace of Deposits & Consignments). Some say it is Romania’s oldest savings bank.

The image on the right used to be The Architect’s Union HQ (equivalent to RIBA here in the UK). This building used to get a lot of attention and not always a positive one. While some acclaimed its “blend” of old vs new, others considered it a very ugly mixture ruining the remaining parts of a beautiful 19th-century building (which was destroyed in a fire during the Romanian revolution of 1989).

CEC Palace Bucharest, image by Saru Robert

Former Architect's Order HQ - photo via wherefoodtakesus

And this made me think! It made me think about how much details matter, not only on the outside (exterior) but also on the inside of a building or a home (the interior). I know I say this a lot but details matter so so much when it comes to creating the “personality” of a space/home.

It seems obvious that as time passes by, in this “modern” day & age, the amount of imagination or creativity put into designing day-to-day objects is decreasing due to technological advances, reducing the need for beautiful details on the grounds that a new, minimal look is better. And the lack of details grows ever so slightly as time goes by. The sad thing about this is that it’s stripping items, interiors, buildings, and cities of their “personality”, of their stories, and us of our own history, without even realising it. We are slowly but surely losing our visual history if you will.

For example, the doorbell on the left is a beautiful Vine and Trellis Doorbell by OakPark Home Hardware, and the doorbell on the right is a new, modern, minimal design from Luxello. They are both beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but which one tells a story from your point of view?

Now I am not against minimal, modern designs or looks. In fact, if you know anything about me you know that that is kind of my style.

And I am also not into heavy details, like the classical style or over-the-top, eclectic design styles.

Vintage doorbell design

Modern doorbell design

I do however have a deep respect for the past, for the creativity and imagination that brought forth so much beauty to this world. As a trained architect and interior designer I deeply appreciate all the details that surround us and enhance our life, all the visual delight if you will.

Let’s take these photos from London as another example. The new, modern buildings look so lifeless, they just “sit” there. There is no personality, nothing really that is speaking about the era in which it is built. It just demands its space. It does speak of the technological advances in engineering and architecture, but when it comes to “personality”, it lacks it completely, in my point of view. 

Just think about it, whenever you go on vacation, you want to see beautiful things, buildings, cities, something that you haven’t seen before, something from our past as humanity. We want to see old, beautiful buildings, that let us glimpse into the past, that make us wonder about the story of that place, of how it once was, and how we once lived. What do full glass buildings, with no details provide us today (expect a big magnifying glass effect)? What visual joy do they offer us?

What I am trying to say here (because I know that this blog post is getting long), is this.

The details matter so so much! Especially inside our homes. If nothing on the outside speaks of who you are, it does not mean the interior has to stay the same. Even if you are a lover of minimalism, for example.

The details are what make the personality of a home! Without them, who are we really? 

Everything starts looking the same, everything becomes so neutral, so lifeless (even if it’s copying a trend). Where is your personal touch? Where are the things that bring joy to you every time you see them? No details, no identity. Just some food for thought for you.

And if you remember nothing else from this newsletter, perhaps you will remember this beautiful quote that sums up my “chain of thoughts”.

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.”

— Edward De Bono

Until next time, my friends! Let your imagination run wild!

Love, R

Photo By Dmitry Vechorko - via unsplash

Join our Thoughtful Edit

The “Thoughtful Edit” interior newsletter. A newsletter unlike any other where the content is shaped by the community for the community, to serve the community.

All images that are credited as '©Detail Movement', are done by Raluca Vaduva for Detail Movement. All rights reserved. All pictures that are not my own, I credit them to the best of my knowledge & research, to their offline/online sources. I do not claim ownership over them in any way. If you see your picture on this site and do not wish for it to be displayed, please get in touch and I will remove it or add additional notes at your request.