"The original form of all dwelling is existence not in the house but in the shell. The shell bears the impression of its occupant. In the most extreme instance, the dwelling becomes a shell. The nineteenth century, like no other century, was addicted to dwelling. It conceived the residence as a receptacle for the person, and encased him with all his appurtenances so deeply in the dwelling's interior that one might be reminded of the inside of a compass case where the instrument with all its accessories lies embedded in deep, usually violet folds of velvet."
----From the 5th entry on page 22o of The Arcades Project by Walter Benjamin