Historical DesignersThe Early Socialites:Elsie de WolfeDorothy DraperSyrie MaughamEleanor McMillan BrownSister ParishRuby Ross WoodBilly Baldwin

Elsie De Wolfe

• First to create the occupation of interior decorating• Considered the first

lady of interior decoration• Moved away from the

Victorian design

Elsie de Wolfe

Elsie de Wolfe

Villa Trianon

Dorothy Draper

• First successful commercial designer• Hotel projects and public

spaces• Total design including

china, furniture down to the match books• Her ornate style of eye-

popping colors and oversize prints, lost popularity in the 1950’s

Dorothy Draper

Dorothy Draper

• Metropolitan Museum Café, 1950’s

Draper Furniture by Kindel

Dorothy Draper

Syrie Maugham

Eleanor McMillan Brown

• Started the first full service design firm in 1924 called McMillan, Inc. in NYC.• The company created

many great designers like Albert Hadley, David Hicks and Billy Baldwin• The company is still in

business today.

Sister Parish

• First decorator to decorate the Kennedy White House• Co-founder of Parrish-

Hadley Assoc. 1962-1999• Known for painted

furniture, quilts and a lived-in look.

Sister Parish

Sister Parish

Sister Parish

Ruby Ross Wood

• Career started as a reporter and a writer on interior decorating• Was the ghostwriter or Elsie de Wolfe’s A

House in Good Taste.• Credited for creating the first department

store decorating firm.• She was a longtime employer of Billy Baldwin.

Billy Baldwin

• Began working for Ruby Ross Wood in 1935 and took it over in 1952.• First to use brown

with panache• Known for glossy

brown walls

Billy Baldwin

Billy Baldwin

19th and Early 20th CenturyWilliam MorrisCharles Rennie MackintoshGustav StickleyFrank Lloyd Wright

• One of the most influential designers of the last 150 years

• 1834-1896

• Painter, typography, wallpaper, carpets and stained glass

• Pioneer of the Arts and Crafts Movement

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

• Scottish Architect and designer

• Attended and designed the Glasgow School of Art

• His work was light, elegant and original

• Known for furniture, particularly those with tall, straight backs.

Hill House - Mackintosh

Gustav Stickley (1857-1942)

• American craftsman and business owner• A major force behind the Arts and

Crafts Movement in America• Designed furniture that was

simple with exposed joinery made from oak.• Stressed handmade furniture over

machine made.• His designs were referred to as

Mission or Craftsman

The Craftsman Home

• Designed for the middle class• A lot of wood with

built-ins using available materials• Form follows

function• Light fixtures and

hardware related to overall design.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)

• American Architect• Founded Taliesin Fellowship in

1932 (Wisconsin and Arizona)

• Leader in the style known as Prairie Style

Wright Style

• Created the open floor plan• Used corner windows• Used natural materials and designed for a feeling

of being one with nature• Used low pitch roofs (no attics or basements)

with a horizontal feel• Always used a fireplace – heart of the home• Designed furniture with lots of built-ins

Famous Works by Wright

Johnson Wax Building

Wright Furniture and Interiors

Modern (International Style) DesignersMies Van der Rohe Le Corbusier Philip JohnsonMarcel BreuerCharles and Ray Eames

Mies Van der Rohe (1886 – 1969)

• German Architect• Last Director of Bauhaus School of

Design in Germany• Started the movement of the

“International Style” (use of glass and steel)• Famous quote: “Less is more”• Developed the first cantilever

chair• Famous chair: Barcelona Chair

dating to 1929

Mies Van der Rohe• Farnsworth House in the late

1940’s• International style use of steel

and glass

Le Corbusier (1887 – 1965)

• French Architect• Worked in the International Style• Used a lot of concrete, class and steel

with lots of open spaces

Le Corbusier Furniture• Chaise Lounge, 1927• Grande Comfort, 1929• Basculant Chair, 1929

Le Corbusier• Villa Savoye, 1928 - 31, France• “Machine for Living”• International Style

Philip Johnson (1906-2005)

• American Architect known for his “International Style”

• Pupil of Mies Van der Rohe• Best known for his the Glass House

The Glass House

Marcel Breuer (1902 – 1981)

• Hungarian born architect, furniture designer and teacher.• Trained under Walter Gropius,

founder of the Bauhaus School of Design• Invented the first tubular steel

frame used in furniture. • Known for his tubular steel

chair, Wassily.

Marcel Breuer

• Wassily Chair, 1925• Cantilever Chair, 1928

Charles and Ray Eames

• American architect/furniture designer. • Known for tubular steel

and molded plywood chair called the “Potato Chip” chair. • His furniture is still

produced by Herman Miller.

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles and Ray Eames

Current DesignersMichael GravesFrank GehryMario BuattaLeading Firms

Michael Graves (1934 – Present)

• American Born Architect• Most noted works are the

Swan and Dolphin Hotels in Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL.• Has designed over 200

houseware items for Target and also designs for Kohler

Michael Graves

Frank Gehry(1929 – present)

• American Architect born in Toronto Canada• Deconstruction style• Uses titanium as a building material• Best known structure is the

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Spain.• Know for making furniture out of

cardboard• Furniture is manufactured by Knoll.

Frank Gehry

• Power Play chair• Wiggle Chair

Mario Buatta (1935 – present)

• American Interior Designer• “Prince of Chintz”• He refers to his style as “the

undecorated look”• English Country look• Famous clients: Barbara

Walters, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, and Malcolm Forbes

Mario Buatta

Leading Architectural FirmsHOKGenslerPerkins and WillRTKL

HOK

• Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) one of the worlds largest American architectural/interior design firms. They are best know for their designs of sports stadiums.• Founded in 1955, it now

employs over 1800 employees in over 25 locations worldwide

Gensler Assoc.

• American architectural firms with office in 41 locations across the world• Founded in 1965, they now

employ over 3,000• Most recognized firm

internationally and known as a leader in Green Design.• Studio 585 : branding,

signage/wayfinding/ web design (total package)

Perkins and Will

• Established in 1935• Internationally

recognized • A leader in Healthcare

and Higher Education• Designed Haworth

Showroom in Chicago Merchandise Mart

RTKL• An international firm • Specializes in• Architecture / Interior Design• Urban Planning• Branding • Environmental Graphic Design• Sustainable Design