The Old and The New

Have you ever had to decorate a room from scratch, and find that you can't make your mind up on how you would like it to be? My dilemma usually is that from one side I like vintage things, old looking relics saved from dumpsters or charity shops - and on the other side, I want the practicality and the comfort of more modern furniture. Vintage things seem to have more soul than new looking things, but if you over do it you are left with the feeling that you are stuck in a time capsule and resilient to change. Modernity, with its clean lines an immaculate appeal, on the other hand is only a fleeting state as whatever is modern now is doomed to become obsolete in a short while. The perfect solution for that is mixing the two, and luckily for us indecisive types, it seems to be quite the popular style at the moment.

London managed this extremely well. The old goes with the new, the flamboyant with the tame and the rich with the common, nothing is out of place here because there is a place for everything.  When I visit my friends back home, for a night out in Milan I really struggle to choose what to wear, as it does matter. You feel you need to fit in. It doesn't mean that you always have to be polished, but you better know where you are going and dress appropriately. Mixing doesn't feel right there. Mixing in London instead is expected. It goes beyond the architecture, you will find different menus in restaurant with different types of cuisine under the same roof, different stlye of clothing, of music, of everything. And it reflects a lot on yourself too, you suddenly feel more at ease, you will try new outfits, visit new places, talk to people you wouldn't talk to normally, and you are safe in the knowledge that is going to be really hard to get it wrong.