Form Vs. Function: Why Can’t They Be Friends?

A few years ago, I bought an apartment that was built in 1929. Nothing had ever been upgraded except the refrigerator. They put in a new one, probably around 1955. I gutted and renovated the apartment and installed a fully modernized contemporary kitchen.  When it was time to move in, I made sure that everything down to the potholders would have the same clean lines. All was good in sterile land. Then I decided to start actually using my high-design products. My Dansk knives, which resemble the shape of a humpback whale, look so chic when I set the table. But when guests put them in action, they refuse to balance on the edge of the plate and end up in people’s laps. My all-white Jasper Morrison toaster mimics my all-white kitchen and blends in beautifully. But if you put a piece of bread in the little box, it rejects the bread with a high-pitched whistle.  My boyfriend is currently at war with the toaster. The toaster is winning.

I have an original design vintage Alessi teapot, Il Conico. Alessi is still selling Il Conico. But what they don’t tell you is that when the water hits the boiling point, 212 degrees Fahrenheit, so does the handle. Plan on 3rd degree burns along with your Earl Grey tea.

I started thinking about the whole idea of form over function. Why is that they can’t be companions? Why does functionality equal ugly? Kind of like “sensible shoes.” Stilettos are just not comfy, but there is no way I’m going out in Easy Spirit walking shoes. I just won’t crack on the toaster debate. I’ll live with the expletives being lobbed at the appliance on a daily basis, rather than trade it in for a well operating, but dowdy version.  I will always opt for super-stylish, knowing I am paying top dollar. But, why does it have to be more expensive? I always find it ironic that the simpler the design, the higher the price. The old clichè: Less is more.

So, I am putting this out in the universe hoping that the up-and-coming Philippe Starcks of the world will be able to integrate beautiful design with functionality.  That one won’t constantly outbalance the other and somehow they can find a meaningful relationship together.