Bos and Bobos

According to Adolf Loos, a turn of the 20th-century Viennese architect and critic, modern style combines beauty and practicality. Both are necessary: “By beautiful, what we mean is that something has achieved fullness, completion. But no useless, impractical object can really be described as ‘full’ or ‘complete.’”

One can imagine Loos salivating over sleek grills with names like Broilmaster P3, The Thermidor, and the Weber Genesis.

Perhaps the original bohemians were already bobos?

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