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The Secret Garden
From where I stayed in Milan, I could wake up and see one of the famed glass domes of Galleria Vittoria Emanuele which has remained the same since the 1860s. The Town House Galleria is the world’s first “seven star” luxury hotel. In addition to the unique views possible in this tiny but comfortable hotel was a private butler for each room.
My butler, Vitto, had an interesting story to tell. Vitto was Italian and had worked as a butler for eight years. Since Vitto was so used to using his hands to communicate as part of Italian culture, he was faced with the yearly challenge of gradually removing and reduce-ing his facial and animated hand gestures. Vitto had mastered the art of having his two white gloved hands resting in a perfect downward V-formation in front of his completely erect body with no visible expression. There was some clear virtue to being able to express no emotion at all with maximum economy of movement, as the sign of a truly confident butler.
I must admit by the end of my stay, I wish that Vitto showed more emotion but I guess if he did so, he wouldn’t seem so distant and powerful to me. Do you want a doctor that tells a lot of jokes to operate on you? Or instead one that seems extremely serious. Commonsense would make you choose the more serious one. But maybe she’s too stressed out? The one that laughs more might be better balanced in personality, and also thus so professionally. Medical decisions. There’s an area that could use some simplicity.
My body’s still on the mend from a bad cold so my mind’s still a few miles behind me. Pardon my non sequitur on the butler. I can say with confidence that the butler made me do it.
8 Responses to “The Way of the Butler”
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Hello John,
We`re a tean of digital design students who are researching about your work about simplicity and it`s cultural production as a designer. We’d like to know more about how do you apply the concepts seen in the L.O.S. in your currently and older design work.
Regards from Brazil!
Well, if anything I realize now that the concepts in LOS are my work. And my work is defined by those concepts. As for the next step in my work I plan to better understand the concepts. By doing more work. At least that’s the concept I have so far …
Waw, you really apply the third law, John, you almoast answer my question before I ask, LOL
but, how about that post digital term that you create, it`s part of the running for simplicity ? and how it colaborate for your research about simplicity ?
by the way, Great Book, since I started reading I couldn`t stop!
John,
this is what i meant described in my comment to your “Trust the Tempura Master” post:
…it´s either the “good sense of humor” or pure seriousness: somebody who doesn’t talk much (or at all), doesn’t need to comment on everything he does but delivers on time with a decent smile might sometimes be even more trustworthy (eventhough not that intereting to spend time with)…
and actually it’s something that we designers sometimes forget when approaching the world in a rather playful way. ;-D
I rather prefer the doctor who jokes around. About fifteen years ago, I was in the emergency room after having been hit by a car. My head and face were a mess (think Frankenstein), and I needed a lot of stitches - including stitches dangerously close to my eye. If I hadn’t been able to joke with the doctor about sticking a needle in my eye, I might have been in a much worse emotional state. This doctor’s humor got me through a scary and painful experience.
I’m currently seeing a doctor who cracks me up every time we meet. He also remembers personal details, like the fact that my husband cuts my hair. I’d rather talk to this doctor about intimate details of my health than someone who is distant and “authoritative.”
I think you need to go to Italy more often. All of your Milan posts have been really, really cool.
What a hotel! I want to stay there.
Staying playful. I think it’s the takeaway for me today on a cold New England morning. Thanks everyone, John
awwwww we hope u both enjoy ur time v. much.. we are missing u here..
Megs cant wait to see what bag or ehim.. rather bag(s) u got for ur self