Have we lost our sense of Beauty?

Have you ever noticed this strange temporal boundary when walking down the street?

In less than a century, richly ornamented street lamps have given way to uniform utility poles. Houses, even modest ones, which once paid careful attention to architectural details, have gradually been replaced by standardized constructions where function often seems to have prevailed over ornament.

How can such a dramatic shift in style be explained? And why does our sense of beauty appear to have yielded to a form of utilitarianism, both outside and inside our homes?

Contrary to a common assumption, it would be unfair to attribute this evolution solely to modern functionalism. Soviet Brutalism, despite its profoundly utilitarian ambitions, was often not so different from certain architectural trends found in the world's financial capitals. The issue is more complex. It touches upon our lifestyles, our relationship with time, mobility, inheritance, and ultimately our relationship with the century itself.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, a house was often built for several generations. People invested in durable materials, local craftsmanship, and decorative features designed to endure for decades.

Inside, even modest homes sought to create an atmosphere. A wooden chair rail, a molded door casing, a decorative baseboard, or a few raised wall panels were often enough to give a room a distinct identity.

Today, our habits have changed. We move more frequently, renovate more often, and increasingly treat housing as a temporary commodity. Why invest in custom wood paneling or solid oak wall cladding when you may no longer live there five years from now?

This cultural transformation is particularly visible in large cities. Haussmannian apartments that once featured their original moldings, chair rails, and cornices were sometimes completely stripped of their decorative elements during the latter half of the twentieth century, only to be rediscovered and appreciated once again in recent years.

Should we conclude from this that we have lost our sense of beauty?

Research in environmental psychology suggests quite the opposite. Numerous studies have shown that people respond positively to environments that display visual complexity, symmetry, and a certain degree of ornamental richness. The work of psychologist Stephen Kaplan on landscape preferences, as well as Colin Ellard's research on the psychological influence of architecture, suggests that monotonous environments often generate less emotional attachment than spaces possessing a strong identity.

In other words, our brains seem naturally drawn to environments capable of telling a story. Could excessive uniformity therefore contribute, even indirectly, to feelings of isolation and anxiety?

Perhaps we have not lost our appreciation for beauty after all. Perhaps we have simply lost some of the means through which we once expressed it in our everyday surroundings.

Yet things are changing. Sometimes it is enough to look toward the remnants of beauty to remember what still endures.

In recent years, contemporary wood paneling and decorative wall treatments have experienced a remarkable revival. Homeowners are increasingly searching for ways to add character and architectural depth to plain walls without undertaking major renovations. Manufacturers now offer ready-to-install wainscoting frames, paintable wall moldings, and decorative trim elements that make it easier than ever to create elegant interiors.

The current trend is not about reproducing historical styles indiscriminately. Haussmann-inspired paneling can coexist perfectly with contemporary furniture. A wall chair rail can structure a minimalist space. Even heritage-inspired elements, such as large decorative wall frames or Louis XVI-style paneling, are finding their place within modern interiors.

The popularity of these projects on social media further illustrates this shift. Renovations showcasing decorative baseboards, ceiling cornices, classic moldings, and wall paneling attract considerable attention. This phenomenon likely reflects a deeper aspiration: the desire to reintroduce personality into spaces that have become increasingly uniform.

The debate, therefore, is probably not between beauty and utility.

Rather, it opposes two visions of housing. One views the home as a temporary consumer product. The other sees it as a living environment capable of carrying memory, identity, and history. Better still, modern technologies now make it possible to personalize wooden decorative elements easily and affordably.

In this context, the return of moldings, chair rails, wainscoting, and wall paneling appears less like a passing trend than the sign of a gradual reconciliation between functionality and beauty.

After all, beauty may never have disappeared. We simply need to rediscover it within our collective memory.

For a time, we merely stopped making room for it on our walls.

An ancient tradition teaches that Beauty is one of the three fundamental attributes of God.