beauty+utility

In The Grammar of Ornament (1856) Owen Jones argued that, “Construction should be decorated. Decoration should never be purposely constructed.” The meaning behind this certainly bold, perhaps edifying, statement initially began as a response to the severe opinion that many contemporary artist's, architect's and designer's (including Jones) had of the Great Exhibition.  The overall consensus was that there did not appear to be any coherent thought placed behind ornamental design; with the quality coming off as "uneven" and "absent of fixed principle."


This is not to say that Jones, as a design reformist and supporter of Pugin's ideals, was not against ornamental aspects in design. In actuality he was very much for ornamental flourish,  abstraction of form and a proponent of utilising historical reference to influence one's work. The crux of his commentary lies in two important statements, "Construction should be decorated. Decoration should never be purposefully constructed" and "Flowers or other natural objects should not be used as ornaments, but conventional representations founded upon them sufficiently suggestive to convey the intended image to the mind, without destroying the unity of the object they are employed to decorate." The meaning behind this is that a natural form placed within a design as an ornamental aspect should not affect the design in such a way as it loses some, quite possibly all, semblance of it identifiable function. Ornament should be loosely based on nature; not be a direct iteration. It should also aid as a unifying element in the eyes of the user/observer.


Having a conditioned history of employment within the field of electrical engineering, with the addition of a watchmaker for a father; has me in agreement with the ideals of Owen Jones almost by default. The use of templates, design and pattern influence from alternative contemporary cultural reference's (ie Japan) and an interest in the dissemination of design from Historical reference's is something I have applied to my own design endeavours and projects. My interpretation of what Jones proposes is that an individual should create a design by following a somewhat strict set of standardised procedures. To him, the inspirational influence, nor point of reference, was of little consequence; the purpose of these procedures was to develop original patterns and concepts through the observational study of nature.


A contemporary example of "Construction Decorated" would be Madrid's International Convention Center (CICCM). Driven by nationalism, sustainable building practices with additional import placed on green space; the complex houses a rainwater catchment system, its concave curves drench the interior with daylight and the exterior facade is bristling with photo-voltaic panels.


To me,  these exterior ornamentals sing loudly about enhancing the construct's functionality while also contributing to its aesthetics in very subtle ways. To surreptitiously embed function within form is perhaps a slight deviation from Jones' ideologies as originally proposed. Then again, I also view the CICCM complex as a concept that has taken reference more from the form & function of the human body over the more traditional, and conservative, doctrine of "nature". Although, one may argue that the best representation God within design is simply to look in the mirror.

An example of "Construction Decorated"
Madrid's International Convention Center (CICCM) via Inhabitat

“Sensuous Impulse” in Contemporary Design

During his "Smoke" collaboration with Dutch design firm Moooi, Maarten Baas has designed three overtly Baroque armchairs. The smooth, curved forms and detailing present on the backrest, arms and legs would be enough justification to indicate that a sensuous impulse is present within contemporary design. A keen eye may also notice the asymmetry of the gilt edges on the tops of the backrest; a very common indicator of a design drawing influence from the Rococo period.

Deeper examples do exist as to why the Smoke series contains elements of a sensuous impulse.  What sets this chair apart from any contemporary, let alone pre-existing, design classification is that is has been damaged through the use of fire, then coated with a very thin layer of clear epoxy to help prevent degradation and to also preserve your clothing. The purpose of the fire application is to create a, flowing organic surface that would, arguably, be very difficult create by hand.

It may even be stated that the chair was manufactured by nature to represent nature.

The Smoke Dining Armchair circa 2009

Brought to you by the fine folk at Moooi, Maarten Baas and the letter Zed

* only available in black

Bridging the Gap of Sculpture & Design

The Badbot is by Australian illustrator Ashley Wood and ThreeA toys. What I consider important about their work is that it is essentially an art canvas realised in a three-dimensions. The concept of allowing a design to achieve only form while ignoring function & contextual justification may baffle many "design purist's" while offering universal appeal to the small child in every one of us.