Lincoln's Inn Fields in London exhibits a vivid contrast between the public exterior and the private interior. Although the front outer façade is based on classical form with its arches and caryatids, it is decidedly modern in tone. Soane referred to the building as his 'brick-built modern house'. The white Norfolk bricks must have made it appear much brighter and newer than its neighbours, lending to its modern appearance. Newspapers of the time also methioned the rather minimalistic and modern look of Lincoln's Inn Fields, criticizing the 'stark quality of its almost undecorated facade'. This exterior was, in some ways, an extreme contrast to the interior and contents. Inside, Soane housed his extensive art and architecture collection. It contained an eclectic range of styles, but casts and artefacts from Roman antiquity were the most avidly and passionately collected. Here, the emphasis was on the historical, rather than the modern.