Now you are going to tell me a wedding cake is like interior design? The incomparable cakes by Sylvia Weinstock

In the first post of “Rooms I love – and Why”, I talked about this room at the Pierre Hotel;

I talked about why the room is so impressive to me – to layer on exquisite layer after layer like that, and still have the room feel human is not easy to do. The less educated might see this as just a ridiculous exercise of an ostentatious showing of decorative flourish, which it surely is as was done in those times. But in fact, and much more importantly, it shows the prowess of what great design can be. I see this same thing/different medium in Sylvia Weinstock’s wedding cakes.

A cake by Sylvia Weinstock

Her most elaborate cakes might appear to be very over the top, until you discern the proportions, scale, balance, tension and layers to it all – Just like good design with anything. Below; one of Sylvia’s masterpieces.

The use of the smaller things in relation to the larger things, the layers of colour, and the “negative space” allowed, in the hands of someone untrained a room (or cake!) can turn into a riot of excess, rather than the restrained and glorified beauty that, again, can only really be appreciated in person. Here - in person, you would see that the flowers on this cake are HAND MADE petal by petal. We often have the occasion to use hand-painted wall coverings, hand applied beading and things in a similar fashion – showing the details that are only done by hand, and only seen upon further inspection.

Only in person and as you get closer do you see the details and delicacy of her work. To me, this is much like a lovely metal chasing (the carving of small details into metal) in a lamp, which has great scale, form and proportions. But moving closer we can see the fantastic metal work, the hand chasing, and details in what is essentially a work of art, that – as a lamp - is also a light source.

This is the magic of good design for me- the layers.