Gold

In my hotel, like in grand churches and theatres, gold is used to make a place special. Even if its not real gold - gold paint, brass, yellow dye in fabrics - the effect is to embellish.

This may seem obvious, but there is a small reminder of this here in my hotel. The door and inside of the guest elevator is richly decorated in brass, gold trimming, rich yellow marble tiles and mirrors to enhance the effect. The service elevator is around the corner from my room and it it painted the same creamy white colour as the walls in order for it to be unseen.

I suppose this makes sense even when we look at our own home. The special areas are more decorated, the utility areas unfinished (like the end of the basement where the furnace and water heater are).

But if you think about how precious gold is, you can see how it is a symbol and used as a symbol after all these thousands of years.