history of interiors and furnishings

Post modernism is the period of artistic and architectural development from the 1960's onward. The developments in the 1970's, 80's and 90's challenged the precepts of modernism. In architecture, elements of classicism and of other historical traditions were integrated in buildings.  During this time there were many revivalist movements, and a revolt against the strict rationality of Modernism.  The hopes of the optimistic modernist movement were dashed because of the worldwide energy crisis. This crisis began when members of the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries proclaimed an oil embargo against nations that they believed were supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War, which included the US. In the 1980's, as the economy started to improve, we see a self-orientated consumer culture, and people were "grabbing" all that they could from the past.  In the 1990's, there is a rise of the environmentalists. They saw that the amount of ...

[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...