We scroll Instagram or Facebook, looking at other people’s vacations, relationships, and professional accomplishments. We scan Zillow, imagining what we would put in that extra closet space. We walk past storefronts, longing for tantalizing baubles displayed in the windows. Whatever the temptation, we find ourselves wanting more than we have. But with each goal achieved and each milestone met, our desires still don’t seem to abate.

“Let Them Eat Cake” gives you access to only the simple utilitarian chair outside. But you can take a picture and imagine yourself amidst gaudy excess just out of reach behind the glass, like so much else in our lives.

The chair's backrest is hand-carved and upholstered. The silk fabric is diamond-tufted with crystal buttons and lit by LEDs, and the wood frame is gilded with gold leaf.

Installation at The Center for Craft in Asheville, NC

Funded by Dash Studio

Photographed by LOAM