Three Important Residential Interior Design Pioneers

Residential interior design hasn't always been the varied and booming business that it is today

. For a long time throughout history, little distinction was made between architects and interior designers, leaving any design remainders to the whims of occupants. It was not considered an art or a profession, at least not in any way removed from the actual and initial construction of the space. This changed as the advancement of building and construction technologies allowed for an increased complexity in building design. Evolving business markets creating greater specialization and need for efficiency also helped to divorce interior design from architecture. As commercial and residential interior design came into its own, a few notable figures stand out in its development.

Some would say that Elsie de Wolfe invented interior design. Prominent in New York, London and Paris social life, de Wolfe was considered one of the best dressed women of her time, was noted for her intense exercise regimen (yoga, standing on her head, walking around on her hands), but most importantly for her work transforming 19th century Victorian interiors into fresh and modern spaces. This was especially popular in the monied circles she inhabited, circles populated by people inheriting the riches of the past but thrust into the oncoming flow of modernity. She helped mitigate this transition with her signature style, working in homes, opera boxes, and clubs, often working for the wealthiest of the wealthy, such as Henrik Clay Frick, one of the richest men in America.

Syrie Maugham is another pertinent early residential interior design figure. She rejected the dark color schemes and small spaces of the Victorian era she was born into, instead promoting the use of light and mirrors. She is especially famous for her prodigious use of the color white, her signature elements including chairs in white leather, silverware with white handles and books covered in white vellum. Most notable, however, is her role in establishing the first all white room, a design which she unveiled to great fanfare amid a candlelight party at midnight. The effects of this approach are still felt today throughout much of commercial and residential interior design.

A third residential interior design figure of prominence is Dorothy Draper. She is famous less for the particular style she advocated than for her role in popularizing residential interior design through her 1939 book Decorating is Fun!Still her design work is nothing to scoff at, including the invention of Modern Baroque, a style that used flourished moldings and plaster designs along with bright and vivid colors. She proclaimed that bright colors would help make people happier, that spaces decorated in such colors would contribute to the overall well being of the people who inhabit them. In this way, her work can be seen as a predecessor to modern psychological studies into the effects of color on productivity and mood.

These are just a few of the important figures in the rich history of residential and commercial interior design.

by: Mark Etinger

POST COMMENT

Rugs By Design A Design For Life Tips For Hiring An Interior Designer For Effective Results - Hire Top Design Agency Conveyor Belts Are Used With Different Designs Belt Conveyor Can Be Called An Innovative Design Designer Luggage Hiring A Landscape Designer In Sydney Be A Part Of Alluring Fashion Industry, Join Fashion Design Courses In Mumbai Re-designed Super Quiet Compact Vaneaxial Fan The Many Ideas Provided By Faux Stone Panels During Interior Or Exterior Design Easily Redesign A Space With Faux Brick How To Find The Perfect Designer Diaper Bags How To Design Birthstone Necklaces For Mom