Edgar Allan Poe – decorator
“An extensive volume of drapery of any kind is, under any circumstance, irreconcilable with good taste.”
Who said that? No, not Mark Francis off Made in Chelsea. Guess again.
What about, “The soul of the apartment is the carpet. A good judge of a carpet must be a genius. Yet we have heard discoursing of carpets fellows who should not be entrusted with the management of their own moustaches.”
The answer is the gloriously gloomy Edgar Allan Poe, from his 1840 essay The Philosophy of Furniture. I had no idea he was so interested in interior design. Above is his room at the University of Virginia, where he studied in 1826. Love. It. Stripped back, Arts & Crafts simplicity to the furniture. I’m picturing writing by candlelight before retiring to an very uncomfortable bed.
It’s perfect, and chimes with lots of the super-austere rooms I’m currently obsessing over. Apparently every year a member of the university is nominated caretaker of this room. Read a caretaker’s account of the job here.
Incidentally I worked for a woman in a cafe when I was 14 who loved Poe’s most famous poem, The Raven. Her summary of it ended with her saying, “And he only went and let the Raven in, the stupid bugger.”
OK, last one. Who said, “Nothing is happy unless it’s in climate-controlled storage.”
Yes, that one was Mark Francis. Daaaarling.
I love Poe’s room. No doubt he had the fire lit to make it less austere but I think a nice little wood burner would make it perfect, no?
yes there are earlier shots of it with a very handsome fireplace on one side. I’m sure he got by alright. Those lovely chairs look very burnable too
I love the caretaker piece; what a great tradition. And after seeing a glimpse of greenery through Poe’s study window, I looked up images of the University of Virginia. Gorgeous.