Pagáč hastily shed his pastel Rococo ribbons, swept the silver stucco from the table and, with a heavy sigh, pulled out a long ruler, a compass and a set square.
Pastel frivolity and asymmetry are officially forbidden. After the famous ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum were uncovered, all of Europe fell prey to a new fever: reason, strict order, symmetry and marble whiteness. Everything must now have a clear order and look as though it has just been transported from an Athenian temple.
Pagáč stands in a newly designed hall, casually leaning against a massive Doric column. At his touch, a cloud of white flour spills from it, while he studies scholars poring over ancient drawings.
“Friends, you have completely lost your minds. You have turned antiquity into a cold, unsalted flour cake without a single drop of colour.”
Pagáč on Inspection: Greek Columns, the Marble Myth and Chilling Muslin
1. In the Art Historian's Study
White antiquity is a historical mistake
Pagáč peers into the study of the famous German connoisseur and art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who is writing his celebrated books on the noble simplicity of antiquity at his desk and admiring the purity of white statues.
Pagáč:
“Johann, where did you hide the colours in your books? Why do you describe antiquity as chalky white, like the moment a bag of plain flour bursts in my bakery?”
Winckelmann looks up from his papers and explains solemnly:
“Master, antiquity was pure, noble and free from wild colours! Look at those wonderful excavated statues, that perfect white marble!”
Pagáč:
“You naive muddler. Those statues lay underground for two thousand years and got rained on! Many of them were originally red, blue and gold, like painted gingerbread at a fair. You spread a myth in your books and build pale cities simply because time washed the colour from the surface. Here is a little flour, so that your ‘pure whiteness’ on paper gains at least some texture!”
2. In the Fashion Icon's Salon
Transparent muslin and living statues
The celebrated Parisian beauty Madame Récamier enters the salon in astonishingly light white dresses made from translucent Indian muslin. She is shivering with cold, but proudly holds her pose.
Pagáč: “Madam, did you forget to get dressed? It is freezing outside!”
Juliette Récamier straightens up and tries not to chatter her teeth:
“It is the latest ancient trend. Muslin dresses must follow the lines of the body perfectly and form folds, exactly like the marble drapery on statues in Rome.”
Pagáč: “So you risk pneumonia simply to make your silhouette resemble an ancient column? Beauty should warm the soul, not turn you into a cold marble statue. Here is a warm, freshly baked butter brioche straight from the oven and a cup of hot chocolate, statue! Perhaps some of that marble pallor will finally leave you!”
3. On a Building Site with a British Architect
Optical illusions and secret tricks
Pagáč examines a wall lined with a vast avenue of columns designed by the Scottish architect Robert Adam. He measures them with his compass; something does not add up.
Pagáč: “Wait, Robert. This column is not entirely straight. It widens ever so slightly in the middle. Were you not paying attention in geometry?”
Architect Adam smiles mysteriously:
“That is entasis, an optical correction inherited from ancient architecture. If the shaft were perfectly straight, the human eye might perceive it as unpleasantly bowed inward. The slight swelling gives it visual stability instead.”
Pagáč: “I knew it! So, to achieve your famous ‘perfect severity’, you have to deceive the human eye a little. I am glad to hear it. Even the strictest order needs a small secret enchantment to work at all.”
“Classicism believes it has found absolute truth and purity. But even the most beautiful ancient column is partly optical magic and partly cold architecture desperately in need of a little baker's warmth.”
“Being strict and geometric is easy. Giving strict lines life and humanity — that is the true craft of a designer-baker.”
Visual Style: Ancient Geometry, Marble and Cold Order
Colour Palette: Noble Calm
- Marble White: A clean, uncompromising colour of chalk and plaster.
- Wedgwood Blue: The cool, muted pastel blue of the famous English porcelain.
- Pompeian Red: A strong accent — a deep, brick-terracotta red.
- Patinated Bronze: A dark metallic element for candlesticks and details, lending the room gravity.
Textures: Perfect Harmony
- Cold polished marble — perfectly smooth, without a single flaw.
- Translucent muslin — a light fabric folded into vertical pleats.
- Relief porcelain — a matte surface with precisely raised white figures.
- Doric and Ionic columns — clean architecture holding the space firmly together.
Pagáč's Neoclassical Ten Commandments
Rules of ancient severity
- Take a ruler and measure absolutely everything — even your own smile.
- White is king. And the fact that it is a historical mistake? We keep quiet about that!
- Symmetry is law. The left side MUST perfectly mirror the right.
- A sharp, straight edge is your best friend.
- If you want something to look straight, sometimes you have to curve it slightly.
- Clothing should resemble architecture.
- No wild or spontaneous ideas — everything must have clear logic and order.
- There are never too many columns. They belong beside the door, by the window and in the garden.
- Ornaments are allowed only where they make geometric sense.
- If your room looks like a sweet shop, you must fix it immediately!
A Question for Architecture Lovers
How do you experience strict ancient order?
- Are you fascinated by perfect symmetry, logic, clean lines and quiet marble?
- Or does such a space feel too cold, leaving you longing for joy, colour and natural chaos?
Leave us a comment on Instagram: would you rather live in a severe ancient temple, or in a cosy and slightly chaotic home?
Next time?
Pagáč puts away the set square, brushes the flour from his sleeves and watches as the severe marble begins to crack.
Glass vines, metal water lilies and rippling lines push through the cracks.
A return to nature is approaching…
Art Nouveau & Natural Magic™ — this October!
P.S. The collector's sticker Pagáč Edition 2026 is still available in our e-shop.