history of interiors and furnishings

[Mid-Century Modernism]   We see the second phase of modernism in the 1950's. In America, this was a period of continued exploration and experimentation, especially in furniture design because of the manufacturing process. This inspired new creative forms, and allowed for the use of a variety of materials, including molded plywood and plastics, metal composites, laminates, resin, and fiberglass.  Mid-century modern architecture was extremely popular on the West Coast. Joseph Eichler was a real estate developer who developed distinctive residential subdivisions of Mid-Century modern style tract housing in California. He and his Eichler Homes, Inc. build around 11,000 single-family homes in Northern California. This style is characterized by flat roofs, angular details, and asymmetric profiles; with great expanses of glass, and wide open floor plans. Also important was the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. This was done not only with expansive walls of g...

Modernism started in Germany and France, and it spread from those countries to many other countries throughout the globe. Travel, journals, books and exhibitions were some of the vehicles that carried the lessons of modernism worldwide. The effects of World War II also contributed to the spread. The war forced Bauhaus to close, and compelled many of the designers to emigrate to Britain, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Kenya, and Japan. Many of the pioneers of modernism, such as Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe, fled from their original countries and ended up in the United States.  The Unites States was not as affected by the war as many European countries. After the war, many European countries were in a desperate state, and for the years that followed they were still trying to recover from the hit. America, on the other hand, was in good economic shape, and in the years between 1950-1970, it was the world leader economically.  The 1950's in Am...

During the turn of the century (early 1900's), there were Interior Decorators, and Interior Designing began to develop as a secondary profession, other than architecture, in the design of an interior space. Before this, it was the architect who would hire different craftsmen to complete the different parts of the interior. But now an Interior Decorator was in charge of fully furnishing an interior, including getting the furniture, art, floor covering, etc.  "The Rise of the Decorator" is a phrase that Interior historian John Pile used to refer to the phenomenon of the growing need for professionals to help with outfitting the interiors of the houses of the wealthy class so that it reflected their status. What influenced this was the post World War I political and economical culture. More upper middle class people wanted help with their interiors because they were dissatisfied with the Victorian style. There was also a need for office spaces to be professionally desig...

"Art Deco" is abbreviation for "Arts Decoratifs." It was a movement that originated in France after World War I, during the 1920's. The 1920's is a period also known as the "Roaring Twenties" because, in places such as the United States, this was a time of economic prosperity, and technological advancements in transportation electricity, and media. This led to a new focus on luxury, and to a mood of celebration.  The Art Deco movement shows the differing attitudes between the Functionalists and the Decorators. These two groups responded to modernism in different ways. The Functionalists were more interested in mass-production, the value of engineering and assembly line production, and in reaching a wider range of the market place. The Decorators, on the other hand, were interested in crafted exquisite objects that were labor intensive, and they aimed at an elite market.  What makes Art Deco unique is the fact that it is one of the few styles wh...

Modernism is a design movement that happened between World War I and World War II. After WWI, there was a chance to redesign things and step forward in the future. Although it may seem that Modernism sprung out of nowhere, Art Nouveau, the aesthetic movement, and Prairie Style explored issues that contributed to this movement.  What also contributed to the movement was technological advancement, such as the development of skyscrapers, railroad stations, elevators, moving pictures, automobiles, and photography. Modernism embraced the Industrial Revolution. It relied on the use of machinery and mass production; and the machine itself was a source of design inspiration.  Functionalism is a term used to describe this new way of designing. It is a design philosophy that focuses on designing primarily for the function with no unnecessary ornamentation, and on designs that are easy to produce. The materials used to achieve this were: steel, glass, molded plywood, plastic, and conc...

Protomodernism is a design style that predicts the Modernism that is to come.  It began in 1959 as yet another movement against the Victorian style, but it used different methods that were unlike the Arts and Crafts Movements or Art Nouveau. Protomodern designers rejected "ornamentation." And although they also used nature as an inspiration, they used forms that were more linear and geometric. In Europe, Germany and Austria were the key players in this movement. In German, there was the Deutscher Werkbund movement, and in Austria, the Vienna Secession.  The Deutcher Werkbund was a German association of designers and artists who embraced the use of the machine. Their goal was to produce high quality design with mass production. So, design professionals and product manufacturers collaborated to improve the German design. This movement inspired the early works of well known Modern designers Le Corbusier, Gropius, and Mies van der Rohe.   "To secede" means "t...