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Walk around a block in an affluent neighborhood at night and you might be surprised at the breadth of the view. Through his single uncovered window, you might be able to see the glow of a flat-screen TV across from the curved couch. Another window offers a glimpse of the marble kitchen island and chandelier. Of course, some of the curtains are closed, but many are left open, exposing the interior of the house, as if looking into a showroom.
Uncovered windows have quietly taken hold in luxury homes across America. new york times He recently mentioned the “mandatory curtainless windows” in Brooklyn Heights, a wealthy enclave in New York City. its roots He noted that this seems to be common among wealthy young white people living in upscale urban areas. On TikTok, onlookers are perplexed by this trend and sometimes want to pry. Although this phenomenon is most evident in urban areas, the relationship between wealth and exposed windows extends across the United States. Although most people still keep their shades closed, Americans who earn more than $150,000 a year are far more likely than those who earn between $20,000 and $29,000 a year, according to a major 2013 study by the U.S. Department of Energy. They were almost twice as likely to leave their windows open, nearly 20% of the first timers. group compared to just over 10 percent of his second group. The line is not smooth, as the income scale slides up and down, but the overall trend is clear. The choice to draw or not draw the curtain is partly determined by class.
No matter who you are, there are many benefits to ditching the tint. Uncovered windows let in natural light, increasing your sense of well-being and offering views of the outside world. The alternative, of course, is to display what's inside to passersby and keep the heat out in the summer. For many people, privacy and financial concerns are more important than aesthetic or mental health benefits. But the math is different for people in the highest income brackets. People with larger homes have easier access to natural light. and Your privacy is protected and you don't have to worry too much about heating and cooling costs. Gradually, uncovered windows became a status symbol.
Letting go of the curtains wasn't always appealing. When clear glass windows were introduced in Europe in the late 18th century, concerns about prying neighbors and excessive light grew. Oscar Wilde complained in 1884 that “most modern windows are too large and dazzling.” Curtains were a natural solution, says New York University professor Daniel Jutte, who discusses the history of windows in his book. Transparency: A critical history of ideas, he told me. They helped create a feeling of “isolation from the outside world,” as the 19th-century German architect Richard Lukae argued. As a German manual from the 1880s put it, a house without curtains came to be seen as “the epitome of poverty.” (Aristocrats were probably the exception to this, as they lived in very large houses and could retreat to internal rooms if they didn't want to be seen.Privacy wasn't much of a concern to them. )
by Daniel Jutte
In mid-20th century America, window coverings were even more controversial, essentially serving as a proxy for the struggle between the country's cities and suburbs. At that point, large single-pane “picture windows” were a feature of suburban homes. Andrea Vesentini, who wrote the book, said it was thought to be good for health because it allowed an unobstructed view of the outdoors and plenty of sunlight. Indoor America: Inside the Postwar Suburbs, he told me. According to Vesentini, such bright living spaces were thought to be “impossible in cities” because tall, dense buildings block the sun. Additionally, it was considered dangerous to keep windows closed in urban areas. In 1985, a newspaper warned city residents to “close the curtains when you leave your house” so as not to tempt thieves. Police often complained that people who forgot to cover their windows were “putting valuables on display.” While city dwellers may have had to draw their curtains, suburban homeowners were throwing open their big windows and declaring they had nothing to fear.
However, support for bare windows still eventually spread to cities, at least in wealthy areas. In 2000, new york times The article stated that sheer curtains, or no curtains, were trending in Manhattan. Thomas Jayne, an interior designer who works with wealthy clients in places like New York City and New Orleans, said the trend started in the 1990s with a desire for simple window coverings. “And in the last 10 to 20 years, some people have started saying they don't need curtains,” Jain says. This may sound surprising. Kevin van den Wimerenberg, an architecture professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who studies window light, says that in crowded areas, people “tend to value more privacy because they're right on top of each other. ” he said. However, for wealthy city dwellers these factors are less pressing, and they are more likely to have more rooms and therefore more windows. “There are more options,” Van den Wimelenberg told me. It is important to note that this also includes the option of installing some covered windows for privacy and some uncovered windows for light. was.
Allowing someone to look inside your home may seem dangerous, but it's actually a statement of safety. For example, the Dutch rarely cover their windows at night, showing their neighbors what's inside them as an act of faith. Similarly, in rural Denmark, drawn curtains are treated with suspicion, especially if newly arrived immigrants have their blinds drawn. In the United States, uncovered windows are probably more an expression of personal protection than an expression of communal trust. Wealthy homeowners who can afford state-of-the-art security systems may not see the need for awnings. Curtainless windows have become one of the most subtle expressions of our privilege. They capture our attention not only because they give us a peek inside a beautiful home, but also because they project a sense of confidence and stability that most of us dream of emulating. Masu.
by andrea vesentini
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