Interior Design and Political Meaning
This little piece in the New Yorker's Talk of the Town is almost the perfect intersection of my Set Decorating Career and my previous career as a diplomat with the US State Department.
The article, "Hillaryburg" in the April 20, 2015 issue of the The New Yorker, discusses the possible aesthetic implications of Hillary Clinton buying up some office space in Brooklyn as the likely headquarters for her presidential run.
It is super fun in the way the writer approaches design and vintage store owners in Brooklyn, people who have decorated or re-designed political offices or regular offices and asks them their advice to Hilary decorating her new office space. Plus the piece catalogues some recent political redesigns of note.
I like how "Hillaryburg" explores meaning and political significance as expressed through interior design especially since after six-design deprived years as a federally employed bureaucrat I completely understand the quote below:
Reading and enjoying "Hillaryburg" reminded me of one of the funniest and most fun gifts I have ever received:
an old diplomatic colleague bought this for me as a gift because even 8 years before I started working as a set decorator she knew, this was THE perfect gift for me.
I once had this book stolen out of the basket of my bike in Beijing's hutongs (true story) but love it so much that I bought another copy to replace it.
And finally I liked how "Hillaryburg" ended with the statement about how powerful interior design is in fact on culture, psychology, and mood: