House and Home
Page 42 A Bit of Interior History
For the next few months I thought I would share some interior design history with you. Past designs and ideas always influence our interior styling today and looking back can give you ideas to develop and create your individual and personal style.
A Brave New Century
I´m going to start at the beginning of the last century as this was a time of a dramatic shift in decorating tastes and priorities that are still relevant to our modern homes. It was a time marked by a burst in the spread of suburban housing which for the first time were routinely wired for electricity and had indoor bathrooms!
There was a move away from the highly patterned wallpapers and carpets, decorative mouldings and heavy voluminous window treatments of the Victorian era where rooms were stuffed with dark solid furniture, overstuffed upholstery and a plethora of decorative items such as photographs, pictures, china, glass and large exotic plants.
Living for the Light A new respect for sunlight and fresh air brought with it plain coloured walls and rooms free of excessive furnishings and clutter. Clear cool colours became the fashion with Wedgewood blue and apple green walls being particularly popular with woodwork picked out in off-white or cream. Furniture was lighter in colour and less bulky and the trimmed, flouncing swags and tails and multiple layered window dressings were replaced with simple curtains hung from a metal or wooden pole. These rooms had much more in common with how we decorate our homes today.
Art Nouveau Beauty This time saw the birth of Art Nouveau; a style that was vaguely associated with the Arts and Craft movement of the late 19th century with designs based on the flowing organic curves of plant and flowers. However, it was not grounded in the past but rather focussed on a style that was entirely new and different with stylised forms that at times were difficult to recognise.
Art Nouveau Interior Style
As many homes now had electricity, light fittings became an important styling addition. Designs that reflected the gas lamps and classical candlesticks of the past were replaced with Art Nouveau inspired fittings with graceful flowery shapes. The distinctive art glass, lamps and jewellery made by Louis Comfort Tiffany from the USA found its way into everyday homes and the colours he used became popular hues; off whites, rose pink, leafy greens and hyacinth blue and mauve. It is a testament to his design prowess that his famous lamps are still sought after today and can be proudly placed in even the most modern of homes.
Mackintosh Chair
Also famous from this time is Charles Renee Mackintosh. He was unique amongst his contemporaries in the Art Nouveau period with his straight lines and rigid verticals, creating whole interiors in creamy white. The Mackintosh Rose motif became symbolic of his work using the form of Celtic roses that are so stylised they are almost abstract. And of course the Glasgow school of art is a perfect example of his unique architectural style.
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Female Focus
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