What Do You Really Think

New words seem to creep into accepted usage faster than ever. Social network jargon crosses over into everyday speech faster than street and pop music slang (like rap slang). The urge to brand everything, and be clever seems universal whether you are a blogger or a high paid media maven.

So it is no surprise that new words and jargon make it way into the our world of interior design. We no longer buy knicknacks to decorate with, we "curate" a collection. At last look curate used a noun means a church clergyman, and used as a verb means to act as curator -  curate a museum, or curated by the museum's director. I thought the idea is to not make our homes feel like some sort of sterile museum.


Another catchy word bandied about these days is tastemaker. This word came into vogue in 1954, and has been lately revived by online selling sites. A tastemaker is one who sets the standards of what is currently popular or fashionable.

The shopping sites are the stuff of fantasy. There is usually nothing there that you couldn't find on your own, and on sale somewhere. Designers place their old stock or mishaps (everyone makes something that doesn't work out, everyone has fabric swatches and end pieces) on tastemaker sites. They are sometimes asked to create a collection for a specific promotion. 

It was amusing to watch the big name designers on BRAVO"s Million Dollar Decorators shop the marketplace to "curate" their collections for One Kings Lane. Flea market finds were pronounced a bargain at prices in the hundreds of dollars. 

I like fantasy browsing as much as the next person. Part of the creative process is aspirational. I can only wonder who are the shoppers on these sites. When you see "SOLD" brandished across items you know you could find on Craigslist, or at any second hand store (such as Goodwill or any version of such that exists where you live), or at a good estate sale, and then the curated items have huge price tags, you wonder who is participating in this retail feeding frenzy. And let's not forget, this stuff is supposed to be on sale! The main lure on these sites is that we mere mortals get to shop fancy stuff on sale in a private shopping club.


Is there some cachet, some magic I am missing? 

The most interesting sale on OKL was the Bloggers Tastemaker Sale. I love all those bloggers. I am a blogger. But really, the prices were so unblogger like. Does being a tastemaker make you get expensive?


I am not a cheapskate by any means. When I can afford something expensive that warrants the price tag, I save up for it, and perhaps I get it. Some things will always remain out of reach, but this never prevents me from making pretty rooms whether for myself or for someone else.


So do you shop the tastemaker sites? There are so many of them now: One Kings Lane, Fab, Gilt, Rue La La, Ideeli, Joss and Main, etc.


In the spirit of getting real, I did my own Tastemaker Sale over at Houzz.  
It's for mere mortals like you and me. We're not poor, but we're not rich, and we certainly know how to shop for a real bargain, or for something that really goes on sale. So go on over and check it out. Some of the comments there are interesting.

There's also an interesting post on this subject by another blogger HERE



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