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 The rise of the decorator began to take shape after tensions between functionalists and decorators at the Paris world fair. The world went through the lavish art deco design as well as traditional but, the decorators wanted their time to shine and show the importance of interiors. This rise started by attempting to display people's wealth through the design of their homes. In this role we began to see more women, such as Elsie de Wolfe, Elizabeth Marbury, and Francis Elkins. These women started to pave the way not only for decorators but, women in general. These women all had their own take on style and how to approach it, these bold choices helped to make interior design a separate entity from interior decorating. With this, the role of the interior designer became more formed and further from the role of a decorator.  Designed by Elsie de Wolfe One step further: When looking into the different designers of this time period one of them stood out to me and that was Dorothy Dr...

When modernism first started to emerge the idea seemed outrageous and by far the most radical of the art movements. It came at a time where artists wanted reinvent the world post war, and create something different than what had been seen and made for years. This movement has know become very well known and appreciated and still has a strong hold in art and design. Architects like Frank Llyod Wright continue to be studied by architects today, being one of the industry pavers for modernism especially in the United States. He has been known for being an early founder of modernism and creating a new regional style for American architecture. Others that helped carry this Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe were a massive part of the success of this movement, and some argue they were more prominent than Frank Llyod Wright.   One Step Further: Mies van der Rohe  Mies van der Rohe is an architect who I have studied previously and his work is something that draws my eye every time...

During this time period new and innovative ideas were all the rage, artists and designers kept pushing the boundaries. Protomodernists were among this group of artists and designers looking for new ways of expression. They were often described as "avant-garde" for their experimentation with forms and ideas that were considered unorthodox. This started to shape what is known as the Vienna Secession, where there was a withdrawal from conventional academic learning in this field. Riegl was one of the most important people to helping establish modern "rules" and ways to view artwork. Riegl believed " that an artist's individual works are apart of a historical development" (Hinchman page 454). Art and design is supposed to grow and change and just because the style may change it is not from outside pressure but rather evolving in and with art. This mode of thinking is something I feel is still very much true today, we can recognize that styles come in waves...

 Art Nouveau swept Europe during the late nineteenth century, and eventually captured the attention of those in America. The presence of this movement did not have the same impact as places such as Belgium and France but, designers such as Louis Sullivan and Louis Comfort Tiffany shaped this movement within the states. Sullivan was a talented architect, designer, and drawer who built some incredible early skyscrapers in the 1890s. The goal behind Sullivan's architecture style was to create something new, and American with ornate detailing that would appeal to new wave of design. While some may think he drew inspiration from European design with the detailing in his projects, he actually made these details more American and different. While Sullivan focused primarily on architecture, Louis Comfort Tiffany focused on furniture and lamp designs. Tiffany came from a family of merchants, jewelers, and designers and picked up the talent along the way. He was inspired by his family and Ro...

  Art Nouveau was a design style that focused their importance on using new materials and paving their own way in the world of art and design. This was another movement that did not want to follow with historicism within their pieces. The pieces during this time tended to be more ornamented and often depicting nature scenes, specifically showing flowers, vines, birds, and insects. While this movement stretched across all areas of design and art, interior and designed objects stole the spotlight with many European architects being skilled furniture designers. This style of art become such a powerful style because countries around the world were able to participate due to the lack of historical images used within.  During this time certain colors schemes and forms started to take over the art and design world. Purples, greens, reds, and dark woods were seen in most Art Nouveau interiors as well as furniture pieces. Curvilinear lines and shapes blended in with the focus of nature...

 During the second half of the nineteenth century architects, artists, and furniture designers began to quickly become tired of the Victorian style of design. The Arts and Crafts movement started as a way to opposed Victorian ways and create pieces that were vastly different. While each designer had their own reason for being anti-Victorian, many disliked the historicism and the virtues of the time period being represented. Writers William Morris, John Ruskin, and Pugin "objected to trends in which historic forms were grafted onto new structures with little thought given to their history or meaning." (Hinchman, pg. 367). Along with anti-Victorian views the industrial revolution was also something disliked by the Arts and Crafts movement. Those in the movement felt that the attention to detail and care of furniture pieces had been lost and needed to be rejuvenated. Pieces made in factories were seen as cheap, as the main goal was a quick production and sale. This sparked furni...