In the homes of writers: literature, collectionism and décor

In the 18^th century, intellectual life was lived in salons and cafes, but after the French Revolution and the dawn of the mass society, intellectuals shut themselves off from the outside world, surrounding themselves with evocative and collectible objects, which became the prisms through which they viewed themselves and the world. The home was transformed into a book. In order to better observe their epoch, writers turned their back on it, so as not to be blinded by the glare of progress. Authors’ eccentric collections removed the basic values from objects, saving them in an arc-refuge and infusing them with different values.
In his perennial seclusion, Balzac could not write without the furnishings he readily fell into debt to pay for. Pierre Loti took refuge in a fictitious East, Apollinaire dreamt of inflatable furniture and Jean Cocteau grappled with the use of space. As Robert Montesquiou would say, décor is a state of mind.