Why are so many uber expensive properties in London so darned tacky ?

[maxplanck]

Cold, soulless, blingy, often with a real masculine decor vibe. Some of the furniture looks like cheap as chips stuff you’d get off your local Facebook basket place shop a la mirrored drawers and industrial style metal coffee tables. The art work weird as hell. And random blow up photos of a glamorous woman. One had an abstract picture of JFK. Appreciate everyone has their own taste but there just seems to be a common theme. Why ?

Cornwall Terrace is the original name of that bit of Outer Circle.

Thank you! I'm not knowledgeable about London streets at all, but it's a fabulous city.

Didn’t say it’s bought directly from B and M. It’s reminiscent of the stuff flogged on Facebook market place or bought in B and M. My view was that despite all that money it’s identikit, matchy matchy, ornate with gold and leather. Impersonal. Like something out of Caligula’s bedroom. Not my taste but that’s fine.

No, the proper kitchen looks like a morgue.

Did anyone see Homes Under the Hammer one day this week? Ground floor flat in Pimlico. Was brought for like £750k sold for a £ million. The decor was interesting, The presenter was being very diplomatic but didn't know what to say.

I think that kitchen is for the nanny to make dinner for the children, the cook would cook for the adults in the one that looks like a professional kitchen. 😉

There's always too many objet d'art with the end result that it looks like someone had a trolley dash in TK Maxx. Too much Rocco style furniture and a lot of gold leaf. Often out of proportion with the room.
I heard someone called it Dictator Chic before.
The prime example of money but zero taste is Trump's NYC apartment
https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/donald-trump-gold-apartment

People just like different things. You have period properties that have ‘period’ aesthetics from the wrong period, new builds with panelling, Victorian houses with glass kitchen extensions. There’s no right or wrong, and a lot of the negative comments tend to come across a little on the snobby side with no nod to the fact that London is a multicultural city and people’s tastes reflect that.

I’m not sure why other peoples interior design, in houses you are unlikely to be invited to, annoys you so much? Are you insecure about your interior design? If so, don’t worry, nobody else cares, just live how you like and enjoy it!

Was once a time that if someone made or came into money they wanted to imitate the aesthetic of people here that had been in money before them. Now there's an international no taste look for super high net worth individuals that is based on the appearance of luxury hotels. The great houses of England look requires research, expertise and effort to replicate and is of negligible appeal and interest to many of the modern rich who care only for the postcode and price tag.

Money can't buy taste op 🤷🏻‍♀️

They are for foreign investors.

This in spades. English, old money 'good taste' is not the same as Chinese/Nigerian/Russian/insert any nationality 'good taste'. I was in the ME when William and Kate got married and they were horrified by Kate's dress, saying she didn't know how to dress for a wedding. I was trying to explain that blue eyeshadow and coloured sequins attached to a white dress isn't really the current look the British royals are into.

Didn't Harry say he had to furnish Frogmore from Ikea and second hand sites?

Yes - the white one is the staff kitchen, and the metal one is the chef's kitchen. The homeowner would never set foot in either of them!

So many uber expensive properties look like a 90s hotel decorator has done a makeover - especially the black/green marble- Probably too expensive to remove.