Kitsch — the most controversial and ambiguously perceived style in interior design. Kitsch style is not even a single style, but a mix of different styles and trends in design; in a word — a combination of the incompatible. In German, kitsch means bad taste, and this word characterizes this interior style very accurately.
Progress never stands still, but is constantly in motion. Everything changes; the new takes the place of the old. Yet everything new is invariably the well-forgotten old. This claim is borne out, in particular, by a direction fashionable today — kitsch in the interior. The essence of kitsch style is that it is rooted in the traditions of the past, yet what matters most is that this past is mocked. This interior style is a kind of nihilism in architecture that stubbornly denies any achievements of all previous generations. Priority is given not to color harmony, which, quite literally, hits you in the eye. Screaming vulgarity, a rejection of rules — all of this is kitsch in the interior. It draws attention not with beauty at all, but with shock value and flash. As a rule, kitsch is preferred by those who, at any cost, strive to stand out from the surrounding gray mass, whatever it may cost them. Usually, such a kitsch interior is created by the authors of these ideas themselves, for only they know what they want to get in the end.
The nature of kitsch and its origins are bound up with the repetition and rethinking of already established classical images. But in the process of repetition a certain excess occurs: a different material, scale, setting, and so on. The line between the classical and kitsch is almost invisible, because today’s kitsch is of “the highest and finest grade.” The most expensive materials and recognized manufacturers, not concealing the achievements of technical progress, but displaying them. A return to nature and pronounced eco-friendliness. A mix of genuine retro and fantasies about it. The color palette — among a screaming range from pink to toxic green and purple, aggressive red leads the way.
Kitsch style emerged as an imitation of high-society manners, as a replica of a palace interior in an ordinary dwelling. Kitsch is that very philistinism so mercilessly branded in the USSR — porcelain elephants, a canary in a cage, a fringed lampshade and knitted doilies on the television. Soviet “deluxe” style, with its obligatory imported wall unit, a rug on the wall and crystal, is kitsch as well — a philistine idea of beauty.
The core idea of kitsch is mockery of history and artistic traditions, tastes and styles, when outright bad taste becomes a principle of choice, and a clash of colors and furnishings that hits you in the eye — its chief distinguishing feature. Kitsch objects come into fashion when old models of good taste grow stale and induce boredom, while a new aesthetic has not yet taken shape. Historically this usually coincides with some kind of crisis, when the situation becomes unstable and society awaits change.
Kitsch style is for original people who reject authorities. The urge to shock, to show one’s uniqueness, is born either of excessive satiety or wealth, or of blatant, defiant poverty.
Typical of kitsch style is the presence in one interior of elements of different styles — for example, country and classical — color disharmony, numerous mismatched accessories, a passion for mass-market tat. Usually a kitsch interior makes a provocative impression, whether it is a deliberate craving for luxury, for surface prettiness, or, on the contrary, a denial of any aesthetics at all.
According to how this style shows itself in the interior, three varieties of kitsch can be distinguished: pseudo-luxury kitsch, lumpen kitsch and, finally, designer kitsch.
Pseudo-luxury kitsch is easy to recognize by fake luxury objects, finishes that imitate natural materials, and by a general drive to give the interior a deluxe look. Pseudo-luxury kitsch more often arises from an unprofessional approach to interior design. Trying to plan the interior of one’s house or apartment on one’s own, it is easy to get carried away and forget that every object should belong to a single style. For example, a room where a fireplace sits next to fluorescent lamps, Oriental vases and heavy velvet curtains will look kitsch. The desire to gather in one room “all the best at once” — a sure sign that the result will be a kitsch interior.
Kitsch style appears not only in residential interiors, but also in the design of public places. For example, obvious kitsch — plastic tables and chairs in a café against walls with gilded friezes. Whether it is inappropriately loud colors, a pseudo-historical style, or an image of deluxe class assembled with whatever comes to hand, kitsch draws attention, but does so in an irritating, insistent manner. Such an interior as a whole does not create the most favorable impression of its owner.
Kitsch style in the interior can be dictated not only by imitation of the “cream of society,” but also by poverty. A low standard of living and a certain creativity give birth to lumpen kitsch. In this interpretation, kitsch style is represented by pieces of furniture from different sets, a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, deliberately torn wallpaper or carelessly painted walls. Old things remade in a new way complete a kitsch interior — a grandmother’s chest of drawers painted a radically bright color, or a floor lamp with a wire frame instead of a shade. Lumpen kitsch draws attention with anti-aesthetics, a pointed disregard for harmony. The inhabitant of “poor” kitsch is, more likely than not, a rebel at heart and a maximalist.
Kitsch style can also be found in the work of well-known interior designers. In this case kitsch is “art for art’s sake” — for example, a kitsch interior created for an exhibition of design projects. Kitsch from a celebrated designer is, as a rule, irony aimed at mass culture and at the inability to tell the beautiful from the fashionable. A design solution in this interior style is often based on super-popular images and objects. An interior decorated with motifs such as Hello Kitty or pink hearts also fits the definition of kitsch. Cheap Chinese trinkets, sentimentally cloying ruffles and fake gilding — fail-safe elements of kitsch style. In the hands of professionals, kitsch becomes a subtle mockery of the very notion of style and a provocation for colleagues. Designers’ fantasies on the theme of kitsch play with both the pseudo-luxury style and the lumpen style.
So, kitsch style is many-faced, and extraordinarily tenacious. The common trait of all kitsch interiors — the use of elements from different styles and shock value. This interior style often, like a weed, pushes its way into a scheme against the decorator’s will. Consciously, kitsch is chosen by extravagant personalities who love to shock the public and who create a style of their own in everything. Kitsch will also appeal to many teenagers whose tastes, sense of style and views on life in general are only taking shape — usually this is a short-lived infatuation. But kitsch has become a true calling card for the newly rich.
It is unlikely that anyone would want to become famous for a lack of taste, so for conceiving and carrying out major interior projects it is worth turning to interior design specialists; in that case “accidental” kitsch will not threaten you.
Contemporary kitsch in the interior is a distinct direction in design. It is attractive to uninhibited, inwardly free people who think outside the box. It is characterized by striking colors, a mix of different styles, an excessive pile-up of all kinds of objects. One thing you will definitely not find here is boredom. The main thing is that the game of “anti-design” does not turn into ordinary, commonplace bad taste. Today’s kitsch is constant provocation, a balancing act “on the edge.” But if you are a creative person and sure of your powers, then kitsch style in the interior is meant for you!
