wildly romantic attention to beauty

This next house, which he’d worked on for years… was as stately and gorgeous a home as existed in New Orleans. High ceilings, a grand winding staircase descending into the foyer, hand-carved everything, each room themed with a distinct character. Zeitoun had painted and repainted probably every room in the house, and the owners showed no signs of stopping. He loved to be in that house, admiring the craftsmanship, the great care put into the most eccentric details and flourishes – a mural over the mantel, one-of-a-kind ironwork on every balcony. It was this kind of willful, wildly romantic attention to beauty – crumbling and fading beauty needing constant attention – that made this city so unlike any other and such an unparalleled sort of environment for a builder.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Random House. 2010.