“Too Many Notes” Amadeus and Home Design

Posted by jondavis on Monday, 9 of June , 2008 at 3:16 pm

If you haven’t seen the movie “Amadeus” you owe it to yourself to watch it. It is one of my all-time favorites. Everything about the movie is wonderful and it will make you laugh and wonder what life was like over a century ago. The location, settings and costumes are exquisite. The film is somewhat historical, chronicling the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

I’m sure you are wondering what this has to do with home design. There is, indeed, a connection. A little background will be helpful. In the movie there is tension between the current royal court composer Antonio Salieri and the upstart young Mozart when Salieri (who always admired Mozart’s work) realizes that Mozart is crude and carefree and his personality doesn’t match the grace of his compositions. At some point Mozart plays a complex and beautiful piece of music in stark contrast to Salieri’s less-inspired score. As Mozart finishes his piece Salieri turns to the emperor and tells him that Mozart’s piece had “too many notes”.

I have often used the notion of “too many notes” as an analogy in other areas of our lives and it seems relevant in the design of homes as well. Mini-castles seem to be the style of homes during the last decade in the US. It seems that there was mania to throw everything possible into the design of the house both inside and out. No constraint, just wild and crazy design and an abandonment of modest and restrained design. I have seen homes that have multiple styles piled on each other with the result being a gross example of “too many notes” from the perspective of good design.

Good design is an exercise in balance, restraint and modesty. Many of the homes I see being built look like they came straight out of Disneyland— lots of flash and very little substance. Too many of the owners their homes really are their castle. Add a moat and the picture is complete.

I have always had an affinity for the aesthetics of the Asian countries with their Zen-inspired, clean design and constrained use of the materials. Balance is part of the Eastern design philosophy and I think there is much that we can learn from the Eastern worldview. Good design is conscious in its implementation. We in the US should take a lesson from these older cultures; especially given the environmental constrains we face and the crisis in fossil fuels. Good design has the right amount of “notes” leading to a balanced overall design.

Leave a comment

Category: Passive Solar

• Add this post to
• Del.icio.us