“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful"
(William Morris, 1882).
It's William Morris's birthday today, and as such, we think it's a good time to toss out one or two items of clutter from your house. Morris was an artist by sensibility, and hung out with famous painters from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, including Rossetti and Ford Madox Brown. His wife Jane was a model for many of the famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings. But Morris's greatest contribution towards the world of art was in bringing it into people's homes. He formed a decorating company that sold wallpapers and other artifacts at affordable prices.
His philosophy of interior decor is a masterwork of concision. Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. Usefulness trumps everything--if it's useful, keep it. But decoration for its own sake is fine too. And the two-edged blade of utility and beauty can cut through all manner of clutter: Anything you can't honestly say is useful or attractive can safely go to Goodwill or some other charity shop, where someone else may find it useful or beautiful.
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