Help settle a dispute--which is tackier?

[tiltypig]

While my boyfriend and I were having breakfast in a local cafe, I admired a blue vase that looked something like this (http://www.earthandfirepottery.net/images/turqlargeslipcastvase1.jpg)--turquoise, about 10-12" high, glazed with a turquoise/aqua type glaze.

He thought I was joking at first, and then started expressing his utter shock and dismay at my poor taste. He thought it was inexpressibly tacky and couldn't imagine it being part of any nicely decorated house.

That was a few weeks ago. Today, we went to a local Indian restaurant and I whispered to him about how incredibly tacky the wall hangings were, and he said he thought that was pretty rich coming from someone who liked aqua vases. I said that a huge wooden inlay picture of a leopard sitting in a forest was clearly far tackier than a turquoise vase, no matter how bright the color.

We decided it would have to go to the SDMB for a poll. We couldn't find any carvings online of leopards, but we agreed that these two pieces of artwork--the Last Supper (http://www.dargate.com/233_auction/233_images/1857.jpg) and Lakshmi holding some roses (http://www.indiangiftsportal.com/myshop/images/products-big/igpmis008-b.jpg)--illustrate the general style of the inlaid picture pretty well.

So--in your humble opinion--which is tackier? A bright blue vase or an inlaid wood leopard wall hanging?

(P.S. I was initially feeling pretty confident that the world would stand behind me, but I'm having some doubts after seeing that the hideous inlaid Last Supper picture is selling for something like $2000, which means someone must be willing, even eager to pay that much for a thing like that.)

[Richard Parker]

My vote is for the vase. But then, coming from me, you should probably take that as a sign of support.

[picunurse]

They are different styles, one no tackier than the other.
In a modern setting the simple aqua vase with some yellow iris would be lovely.
The wood inlay is intricate and time consuming to make. Its artistic value is, to me, the same as the jade/semi-precious stone inlays in every chinese restaurant. While not to my taste, they both have value for the time and skill to took to make them.


So, because I don't like them, the inlays are tackier. :D

[Shagnasty]

Wow. That vase is, um, something else. My head instinctively recoiled away from the monitor when I opened that link. That last supper carving is pretty tacky too though. Most people probably give it a pass because it is foreign and seems exotic. It is really just a foreign version of a black velvet Elvis painting though.

Verdict 28 - 7 Vase

[Large Marge]

I find them both (vase and pictures) tacky.

sorry.

[Epimetheus]

Strange, I don't see any of them being especially tacky.

Now tie-dye and hawaain shirts, THOSE are tacky.

Some baroque art is pretty tacky though. http://www.getsets.com/library/images/baroque.jpg

[SnakesCatLady]

Loved the vase, hated the inlay.

[Rhiannon8404]

I'm not terribly keen on inlay, so I guess I'd say it's tackier. I like the shape of the vase, but not the color.

[even sven]

I honestly don't see anything wrong with the vase. It looks pretty generic to me.

[TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW]

It's all about context; the vase would be tacky in a modern living room, but not in a cafe. Likewise, the picture of the Leopard in the woods would be perfectly at home in an Indian restaurant, but not in somebody's house.

Also, I read it as "a leopard shitting in the woods" twice before I realized.

[Taber]

Also, I read it as "a leopard shitting in the woods" twice before I realized.

now THAT would be tacky

[FairyChatMom]

I don't know that I'd call either tacky of themselves. Now if the inlay was on red velvet or if the vase was filled with plastic tulips, that's another story.

But I'll tell you what tacky is. The wall our bed sits against is covered with 45 gold-veined mirrored tiles (http://groups.msn.com/FairyChatMom/uglyhouse.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=122). We didn't install them - we just haven't gotten around to removing them. But they're decidedly tacky.

[Orual]

The cuts outs are far more tacky then the vase. The vase would look fine in the proper setting. The cutouts wouldn't look good anywhere.

But I think FairyChatMom's house wins.

[BoBettie]

I love the inlay, but that vase is horrid (IMHO)

[Athena]

Wow. I can't imagine that vase as tacky. It's far too generic to be much of anything. In the wrong setting, though, I can see how it would stand out.

The wood carvings could be really nice in the right setting, too. But I'd guess that in the wrong setting they'd look far worse than the vase. So I'm going to say the wood carvings are tackier than the vase, but neither really approaches true tackiness.

True tackiness involves things like those gold-flecked mirrors, paintings on black velvet, and "country-charm" type things.

[Firebringer]

I can't see anything wrong with the vase.

The last supper is okayish but I wouldn't put it up.

Other one is definitely tacky.

[Harriet the Spry]

Based on the OP, I was going to post and say tacky was all about context, that either one of the two items could be good, as long as it is in the right setting and not trying to come across as more than it is. Not mutton dressed as lamb, so to speak.

But Fairy Chat Mom's example demonstrated that there is such a thing as inherently tacky. There is no context where those mirrors would work. I am trying to picture one. Not getting any hits.

[Podkayne]

But Fairy Chat Mom's example demonstrated that there is such a thing as inherently tacky. There is no context where those mirrors would work. I am trying to picture one. Not getting any hits.I am not an interior designer, nor am I known for having particularly good taste, but I could see a few of those mirrored tiles in a bathroom, interspersed with some non-mirrored tiles, with some spacing between them, not all packed flush together. Maybe.

[FairyChatMom]

If you paged through the other pictures at the link I provided, you'd see we had equally tacky blue veined mirrored tiles in the dining room, surrounded by a gold frame. Those, thankfully, are long gone. We remodeled all the main living areas of the house, but we haven't gotten to the bedrooms or bathrooms yet. After the deck goes in, the master bath and bedroom are on the list. We shall soon be tacky-free.

[yosemite]

I agree with others here who say that context is everything. The turquoise vase is a classic vase shape, and if the color fits in with the room, it would be a tasteful choice. The inlays are a little trickier, but I imagine that they might work in the right context.

[racer72]

My wife and I have a vase similiar to the one pictured, ours is white and full of dried pussywillow branches. I rate the pictures about the same as black velvet paintings. ewww.

[Fear Itself]

The vase is stylish, the inlays are not.

[jsgoddess]

The potential tackiness in the vase is in the color. It's out-of-date. In twenty years, it might be back in, and then it won't be tacky.

Not that I'm horrified by anything in this thread except those mirrors.

[Amaranta]

The vase is stylish, the inlays are not.

Agreed. I couldn't supress a shudder when I looked at those inlays.

[Caffeine.addict]

I don't think either is tacky per se. I think the vase is ugly and wouldn't want it in my home. Those inlays are not something I could see having in my home, but maybe in the right context they might not look so bad.

Those mirrors are hideous however. FairyChatMom how can you sleep with those things in the room? I would have removed those. Torn drywall would be preferable to those things.

[cornflakes]

Am I the only one who is thinking of the wagon wheel coffee table from When Harry Met Sally?

[Zebra]

It depends on the room you are putting the items into that will make them look tacky or great.

But I would say that it is easier for the inlaid wood wall hanging to be tacky.

[silenus]

I like the vase...hate the inlays.

I wear Hawaiian shirts, so what do I know? :D

[jimpatro]

Like the vase and the inlay piece is uber-tacky. Along the lines of a velvet Elvis painting.

[Cat Whisperer]

The vase is tacky, and so are the inlays. Sorry, but I can't choose one over the other - I wouldn't have either in my house willingly. I can't think of a way to make the gold mirrors un-tacky, either. Have you considered painting them until you can get around to hacking them off the wall, FairyChatMom? Maybe a faux curtain to hide them?

(I find most Baroque art tacky, too.)

[Giant_Spongess]

They're both horrible, but the vase has brighter colors, therefore is less easy to ignore, so it's worse.

[Cat Whisperer]

Okay, FairyChatMom, I have perused your house some more - all I can say is HOLY FLURKIN' SCHNITT! What the hell were these people thinking? Were they perhaps blind?

Your house must be a vintage 1970's (or decorated last in the 70's). My house had bright orange kitchen counters to go with all the shag carpet. :eek:

Oh, that chandelier! Set in all that 70's earth-tones kitsch. Oh my.

What's up with your ceilings? They look like fun-fur.

Yup, that's some house.

[Cat Whisperer]

Okay, update on the gold-veined mirrors - my husband just told me that his parents had something similar in their house when they bought it, but it was a strip of gold-veined mirror alternated with a strip of gold lamé wallpaper with little Dutch boys and stuff on it. I think we have a winner.

[ouryL]

It's the classic vase that you get free from the florist.

[Large Marge]

I don't know that I'd call either tacky of themselves. Now if the inlay was on red velvet or if the vase was filled with plastic tulips, that's another story.

But I'll tell you what tacky is. The wall our bed sits against is covered with 45 gold-veined mirrored tiles (http://groups.msn.com/FairyChatMom/uglyhouse.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=122). We didn't install them - we just haven't gotten around to removing them. But they're decidedly tacky.

[small hijack] Wow, your kitchen picture made me recoil from my computer screen, but your back yard is like heaven.

How long did it take you to redo the kitchen? Did you leave the countertops? The cupboards? Or did it all go? [/small hijack]

[ftg]

The pictures are tacky, the vase is "sub-plain". I.e., not only won't it enhance the looks of the room, it will actually drag it down. Not bad enough to be called "ugly" though.

[swampbear]

The vase might be ok filled with fresh flowers in a sunny kitchen window. Or left on the doorstep of that neighbor you hate. :D The inlays, however, should be just outlawed! :eek:

Y'all don't let FCM fool ya. She and FCD loooooove the mirrors over their bed. :p

[Hampshire]

If I wanted to find a vase like that I may look at The Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Pier 1 Imports.
If I wanted to find a wood carving like that I would probably go to Everything's a Dollar, Dollar Bills, The Dollar Store.

[missbunny]

The vase is okay. Depends on what the décor of the room in which it sits is. I think it could look nice as the one bright color in a modern white room, with about three calla lillies in it.

The Last Supper inlay is exceedingly tacky no matter where it is. Hideous.

The Indian inlay might be tacky - hard to tell without seeing it in person. It does look like a rather cheap pseudo Indian temple thingy, which by default means it's tacky.

Anyone ever see that Goldie Hawn/Chevy Chase movie Foul Play? There's a scene in there where Goldie "picks up" Dudley Moore, who misunderstands things and takes her back to his bachelor lair, filled with every 70s icon of Tack-O-Rama that ever existed. That's what FairyChatMom's mirrored wall reminds me of.

[Ponder Stibbons]

Without being able to touch either object, I don't see how I can possibly render an opinion as to which is tackier.

[Cat Whisperer]

The vase is okay. Depends on what the décor of the room in which it sits is. I think it could look nice as the one bright color in a modern white room, with about three calla lillies in it.
<snip>
I dunno - the mind-picture of that made me go "Gah!" I think I might have a deep-seated hatred of aqua.

[Bippy the Beardless]

I find the vase worse by far. That said the inlay is only really appropriate in an Indian restaurant.

[TheBoneyKingofNowhere]

ixnay on the asevay (imo)

[Who_me?]

I doubt that either are inherently tacky, although not to everyone's taste. Velvet Elvises are tacky, everything else depends on your opinion and the setting (well... with the exception of FCM's mirrors).

[Feydeau]

I don't see anything wrong with the vase -- if it fits into the overall color scheme.

But the inlay things? Laughably tacky. Yuk. :dubious:

[jawdirk]

Anything in that inlay style would be tacky unless it was ancient or abstract, and perfectly executed.

The vase doesn't make enough of a statement to be tacky. The aqua color is marginally out of style, but could be salvaged with enough support. But why bother? It's uninspired.

So yeah, the inlays are tackier.

[FairyChatMom]

[small hijack] Wow, your kitchen picture made me recoil from my computer screen, but your back yard is like heaven.

How long did it take you to redo the kitchen? Did you leave the countertops? The cupboards? Or did it all go? [/small hijack]Here (http://groups.msn.com/CaptStevesWanderingStar/beforeandafter.msnw?albumlist=2) are side-by-side before and after pics. That part of the remodel took from early August till 2 days before Thanksgiving last year. Everything else we do will be smaller projects one at a time. The yard is a major project in itself, but I'm attacking it bit by bit.

featherlou, the house was built in 1975, and I'm pretty sure that's when it was decorated. And I'm pleased to say that the chandelier is now in the custody of Cartooniverse - he came to dinner and left with a crystal monster. hehehe

swampy, don't project your gay perversions :eek: into my wholesome marriage!!! :p :D

[Giant_Spongess]

FairyChatMom: I don't know, the salmon pink color you painted the walls is kind of disgusting. And that old chandelier rocked! Just not hanging from an 8" ceiling in front of blue-veined mirror tiles. The kitchen is awesome, though.

[FairyChatMom]

There's no salmon pink - I'm not sure which you're referring to. The living room is a pumpkin color - at least that's what it felt like when I was painting it. The dining room is called (believe it or not) Fairy Dust - it's a pale peachy-pink color. And I know the furniture in the living room looks terrible. Nothing goes with anything else. We haven't decided what we want, so we're making due with the ugly stuff we had, plus the ugly stuff the previous owners left behind.

As for the chandelier - definitely not to my taste. But if you'd been here a couple of months sooner, I coulda sent it to you...

[GIRetchen]

I vote for the vase as the least tacky. However, it does kind of remind me of something you would see in a doctor's office waiting room or a nice restaurant restroom. In fact, it reminds me of a hotel lobby, like maybe a Holiday Inn or a Drury. Definitely not a Hilton. Yeah, that's it.

The leopard wood inlay...that is almost tacky as leopard print itself.

[TokyoBayer]

The Lakshmi reminds me of the "artwork" at the Thai restaurant I ate at last night.

I can't say that I like either of the choices. I must quote Mercutio from Act 3 Scene 1.

[Ashes, Ashes]

The vase is definitely the least tacky, but it's no champion. The big unglazed portion at the bottom just screams that the artist was trying to be arty, either because they didn't know better or they thought potential buyers wouldn't know better. The form looks straight from a mold, the glaze from a jar, very little craft in that art. That said, in a room full of lots of stuff it could work.

The Last Supper isn't the worst inlay I've ever seen, but why? There are so many other ways of interpreting the Last Supper that would better communicate it's meaning. It's not tacky so much as a poor choice of medium. The Lakshmi inlay is nasty-bad. They should be embarrassed to have done that to a tree, much less wasted time on such a poor effort. So tacky I would hesitate to eat in a restaurant where such dubious decision making is in evidence.

[Giant_Spongess]

There's no salmon pink - I'm not sure which you're referring to. The living room is a pumpkin color - at least that's what it felt like when I was painting it. The dining room is called (believe it or not) Fairy Dust - it's a pale peachy-pink color. And I know the furniture in the living room looks terrible. Nothing goes with anything else. We haven't decided what we want, so we're making due with the ugly stuff we had, plus the ugly stuff the previous owners left behind.

As for the chandelier - definitely not to my taste. But if you'd been here a couple of months sooner, I coulda sent it to you...
I don't know about you, but I would call salmon pink a "pale peachy-pink color". Just call me one of those evil anti-pink people. ;)

As for the chandelier, I'm set to inherit far more than my fair share of awesome stuff!