# Must everything be useful? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839 "2012-06-11T18:39:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/21 "2012-06-11T20:31:00Z")
As much as I love creating artwork, I rarely go out and buy it. I have pictures on the walls, but most are those cheap posters you can get at Michael’s. No nicknacks or sculptures. I don’t spend a lot of time with interior decoration. I don’t even wear jewelry most days. But I’m very artistic, very visual, and very right-brained. I’m also quite utilitarian. Looks are important, but so is functionality. An object doesn’t have to be the most useful thing in the world, but I need to be able to think of something I can use it for before I take it home with me. Otherwise, it’s just going to eventually get knocked over or forgotten. Lucky for me, though, being creative means I can designate a use for just about anything. I have a lot of broken flower pots sitting around, holding business cards, lose change, and bottles of paint. Whenever I made “oopsies” in my ceramics classes, I tried to repurpose them so that I didn’t have to throw them away. I had a lot of thin-bottomed bowls turned into berry strainers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/22 "2012-06-11T20:54:35Z")
Do? It’s doesn’t DO anything. That’s the beauty of it. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/23 "2012-06-11T20:56:02Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > One of our friends described our living room as an “emporium”. In fact, [here’s one view - you can see some of the stuff but it’s way more extensive now.](http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/Missy2U_/?action=view¤t=Ceiling.jpg) Snort. My husband has some “eclectic” taste. > > So does everything have to be useful? HELL no!! Now I want a compass rose on MY ceiling. And no offense, but it looks like your husband could get a job as a decorator in Cracker Barrel. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/24 "2012-06-11T23:41:35Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Now I want a compass rose on MY ceiling. > > And no offense, but it looks like your husband could get a job as a decorator in Cracker Barrel. No offense taken at all! [This is my kitchen table.](http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/Missy2U_/?action=view¤t=1020082155.jpg) That was also freehand. He got bored watching TV one afternoon. It’s always fun to come home - I never really know WHAT I’ll find. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/25 "2012-06-12T00:03:39Z")
“Beauty is a function of how beautifully it functions.” - ad by Triumph for the TR-6 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/26 "2012-06-12T07:17:43Z")
I am an artist, and easily 99.9% of what I create is totally non-utilitarian . . . except that I believe that “pure” actually is useful, even necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/27 "2012-06-12T13:44:15Z")
I have enough nonuseful crap taking up space in my house. And I’ve pretty much sworn off all _fragile_ decorative items. Everytime you move it has to be carted up, packed, paid for, and grieved over when it breaks. Ugh, it’s just too much work and, over time, it makes me hate and loathe the item, for imposing its uselessness on me. I got a cut crystal bowl from a friend, a few years back – not food safe of course (sigh). We use it to hold spare lightbulbs. I don’t think that’s what my friend intended! (Edit: art on the walls, I don’t consider useless - but I have more than I need already) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/28 "2012-06-12T14:11:52Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I got a cut crystal bowl from a friend, a few years back – not food safe of course (sigh). We use it to hold spare lightbulbs. I don’t think that’s what my friend intended! Your house sounds like ours. Only we’d use it for something like that even if it _were_ food safe. I know some people use things like that as candy dishes, but we don’t have the willpower to have bowls of candy or snacks sitting around in plain sight and not eat them. I can empty a whole decorative candy dish while watching a one-hour TV show, easy. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839/29 "2012-06-12T14:33:31Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > So to frame my question - when you consider purchasing an artsy/craftsy item, is utility a major consideration for you? It isn’t the primary consideration, but it is a major one. I like looking at pretty things, but I like using them even more, so I’m particularly attracted to beautiful, practical things like hairbrushes, dishes, bottles, etc. My goal is that when I’m old I’ll be able to go through a day and have every single thing I used that day be lovely. Thus, if I see something I like, I like it even more if I have a practical purpose for it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-everything-be-useful/624839.md?page=1)