Jugendstil oder Funktionalismus?

Or Art Nouveau vs. Functionalism. I've been learning about the two styles in the context of German classes and museums, so the German terms come more naturally to me at the moment. Anyway. Both of these styles flourished in Germany around the turn of the century, and I really like both of them. At the same time, both can be overdone--a room full of art nouveau can feel kitschy and stifling, but at the same time, a room with nothing but functionalist designs (think Bauhaus furniture) can feel cold and jarring. The Bauhaus school's principle of functional beauty for everyone is one that I admire very much, but that doesn't mean I think they always succeeded at it.

Nonetheless, I think a little art nouveau goes a long way. I like tins and stationary with art nouveau designs, but that's really about it. One thing that art nouveau was heavily influenced by was nature (resulting in furniture with asymmetrical, organic-looking designs, tableware with various flower or vine designs, and craploads of paintings of fields and forests.) Personally, I would rather have very functionalist tableware and simple furniture with craploads of actual plants. If said plants are edible, then they become useful (functional!) as well and create a sort of fusion of the elements of both styles.

Simplicity in general is something I generally find pleasing. When I was younger I enjoyed clutter as long as it was MY clutter (or clutter that was so wondrous to behold that it didn't matter whether it was mine--like 15 Minutes, a store absolutely crammed full of vintage toys that used to exist in Minneapolis.) I used to marvel at rooms like Howl's bedroom in Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle and aspire to one day have a house like that, but as I get older I realize that would actually be rather nerve-wracking for me. I'm actually trying to get rid of as much stuff as I can bear now (which still leaves more stuff than I want to have, but I'm scaling back more and more.)

The important thing is finding the balance--for example, I like pin tucks and ruffles in lolita, but not craploads of lace or busy prints or even complicated designs in general. Often times I find myself deciding I don't like much of anything being offered when I decide to really look through brand websites, even if I enjoy the overall aesthetic. As for interior design, I like simplicity, but the textures and colors must be pleasing and well-coordinated.