--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Furniture is like that. Used and enjoyed…" description: "\"“Furniture is like that. Used and enjoyed as intended, it absorbs the experience and exudes it back into the atmosphere, but if simply bought for effec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/will-wiles-45426_furnishings_furniture-is-like-that-used-and-enjoyed_2643040.jpg" --- # Furniture is like that. Used and enjoyed as intended, it… ![“Furniture is like that. Used and enjoyed as intended, it absorbs the experience and exudes it back into the atmosphere, but if simply bought for effect and left to languish in a corner, it vibrates with melancholy. Furnishings in museums... are as unspeakably tragic as the unvisited inmates of old…” quote by Will Wiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/will-wiles-45426_furnishings_furniture-is-like-that-used-and-enjoyed_2643040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/will-wiles-45426_furnishings_furniture-is-like-that-used-and-enjoyed_2643040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/will-wiles-45426_furnishings_furniture-is-like-that-used-and-enjoyed_2643040.jpg) > ““Furniture is like that. Used and enjoyed as intended, it absorbs the experience and exudes it back into the atmosphere, but if simply bought for effect and left to languish in a corner, it vibrates with melancholy. Furnishings in museums... are as unspeakably tragic as the unvisited inmates of old folk's homes. The untuned violins and hardback books used to bring 'character' to postwar suburban pubs crouch uncomfortably in their imposed roles like caged pumas in a zoo. The stately kitchen that is never or rarely used to bring forth lavish feasts for appreciative audiences turns inward and cold.”” [Will Wiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-wiles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Objects gain meaning through use; when they are merely displayed, they become hollow and evoke sadness. **In simple terms:** Used items feel alive; unused ones feel sad. Key Takeaway Use what you own to give it life. Themes design memory authenticity usefulness loneliness Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - home décor - museum curation - personal belongings - interior design decisions Key Concepts material culture psychology of space nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - How does daily interaction change your perception of an object? - What can you repurpose to avoid melancholy? A Different Perspective If an object is never used, its intended purpose is lost, limiting its emotional impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Furnishings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/furnishings/) [Furniture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/furniture/) ## Related quotes > [I did buy a new piece of furniture so it's like, "Oh, that's something new." But generally my goals are made in the fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-did-buy-a-new-piece-of-furniture-so-it-s-like-oh-that-s-something/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [On Furnishing One's Home - Pick your furniture like you pick a wife; it should make you feel comfortable and look nice, but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-halpern/on-furnishing-one-s-home-pick-your-furniture-like-you-pick-a-wife-it/) [Justin Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-halpern/) > [I actually have a hard time finding furniture I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-anstead/i-actually-have-a-hard-time-finding-furniture-i-like/) [Christina Anstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-anstead/) > [“Pick your furniture like you pick a wife; it should make you feel comfortable and look nice, but not so nice that if someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-halpern/pick-your-furniture-like-you-pick-a-wife-it-should-make-you-feel/) [Justin Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-halpern/) > [I grew to resent the way my father treated his furniture like children, and his children like furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/i-grew-to-resent-the-way-my-father-treated-his-furniture-like/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [The Creation is quite like a spacious and splendid house, provided and filled with the most exquisite, and at the same time, the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-creation-is-quite-like-a-spacious-and-splendid-house-provided-and/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“Even his initial stirrings of domesticity had some quirks. He bought a proper house in the Los Gatos hills, which he adorned with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-his-initial-stirrings-of-domesticity-had-some-quirks-he-bought-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we can say with Seneca, "This life is only a prelude to eternity," then we need not worry so much over the fittings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-can-say-with-seneca-this-life-is-only-a-prelude-to-eternity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of people worry about the ' wear and tear ' on furnishings. 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His deep affection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/in-china-there-was-once-a-man-who-liked-pictures-of-dragons-and-his/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [Our clothing, our food, our household furnishings - all could be much simpler than they now are and at the same time be better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/our-clothing-our-food-our-household-furnishings-all-could-be-much/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) ## More by Will Wiles > [“I was woken by a shell-burst in the trench of sleep. 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His deep affection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/in-china-there-was-once-a-man-who-liked-pictures-of-dragons-and-his/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner, so if one's life is cold and bare he can blame none but himself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-mind-like-a-home-is-furnished-by-its-owner-so-if-one-s-life-is-cold/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [The gardens of my youth were fragrant gardens and it is their sweetness rather than their patterns of their furnishings that I now most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilder/the-gardens-of-my-youth-were-fragrant-gardens-and-it-is-their/) [Louise Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilder/) > [The real heretic is not the atheist or agnostic (who are often decent people) but those who murmur "it doesn't matter what you believe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-real-heretic-is-not-the-atheist-or-agnostic-who-are-often-decent/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [If we can say with Seneca, "This life is only a prelude to eternity," then we need not worry so much over the fittings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-can-say-with-seneca-this-life-is-only-a-prelude-to-eternity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even his initial stirrings of domesticity had some quirks. He bought a proper house in the Los Gatos hills, which he adorned with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-his-initial-stirrings-of-domesticity-had-some-quirks-he-bought-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To create an atmosphere dedicated to health..to present charming interiors that will attract maternity patients...to develop distinctive decoration and furnishings that can be installed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-draper/to-create-an-atmosphere-dedicated-to-health-to-present-charming/) [Dorothy Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-draper/) > [Since sane people rarely surround themselves with furnishings which they personally find repellent, it is logical to assume that it will generate a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morice/since-sane-people-rarely-surround-themselves-with-furnishings-which/) Anne Morice > [The room was not impressively large, even by Manhattan apartment-house standards, but its accumulated furnishings might have lent a snug appearance to a banquet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-room-was-not-impressively-large-even-by-manhattan-apartment-house/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No matter how simple the furnishings are, you can always tell a write by his home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafeal-alberti/no-matter-how-simple-the-furnishings-are-you-can-always-tell-a-write/) Rafeal Alberti [Browse all 15 Furnishings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/furnishings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Furniture is like that. 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