Throughout history, the diversity of cultures has found expression in many directions, including the way people have designed and furnished their built environment. Design is shaped by many factors, including environmental, religious, and political circumstances. As these factors change, design reflects these changes while building on previous design theories and philosophies. Styles of design, therefore, reflect these social surroundings and their foundations.

The term style generally refers to a segment of design history that is typical of an individual, a period, or a philosophy of design. Style may also refer to a particular culture or region. Style categories are developed by historians in an attempt to organize history. In reality, however, styles do not necessarily have sharp starting and stopping points. History is fluid. Designs from one region may influence others, and therefore styles intermingle.

Having a working knowledge of these styles is essential. Such understanding deepens the interior designer’s aesthetic appreciation of design and serves as a basis to foster creative energies.

Designers study styles of the past and present to enrich current interior environments. This pectoral essay briefly outlines the major styles that have had an impact on architecture and interior design. The first section, Historical Styles and Their Evolution, reviews classical design styles and how these styles have been adapted through history. The pages on Ancient, Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque eras define universal design styles based on time period classifications; the French, Chinese, Hispanic, African, Japanese, English and American pages define styles that are more typically associated with their respective regions. The second section, Evolution of Modern Design, looks at the development of modern design and how these styles and philosophies have been applied.

Built 1631, the Taj Mahal in India

Interior design and decoration dates back to the Upper Paleolithic era (30,000-10,000 B.C.). Drawings found in caves in Spain and France show evidence of wall decorations using grouping and spacing concepts as well as limited understanding of perspective. Sculptured figures of stone, ivory, and clay depicted the human form and often included enlarged reproductive organs, perhaps to influence fertility and thus the continuation of the species. These drawings and artifacts represent the following important concepts:

1. Creative expression is instinctive. 2. The art of interior design dates from early humankind and serves as an integral

part of the human psyche.

Design evolved rapidly through the last several millennia. The Egyptians (circa 3000 B.C) with their sophisticated art and architecture, made a lasting contribution to the interior design field.

Known for their pyramids built as tombs for kings and pharaohs

Developed trabeated construction, in which vertical posts support a horizontal lintel

Used hieroglyphics (a system of writing using pictorial symbols)inscribed on walls

Columns, perhaps originally made from papyrus reeds lashed together, created vertical lines, which led to fluting on columns in later designs

Utilized the mortise and tenon joint in their furniture

Used straw for flooring, therefore furniture was raised on small blocks so animal-shaped legs could be seen

Motifs included the lotus bud, reeds, papyrus and lilies

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Know for their order, proportion, and refinement of design

Built temples to honor their gods, surrounded by open porticos(porches) and columns

Developed the truss system, a triangulated load-bearing construction to allow for sloped roofs. The triangle formed by the truss is called a pediment

Developed a system of naming the designs and details of columns. These classical orders of architecture, still used today, include the Doric (plain square capital on top of the column), Ionic (capital with spiral design called volute), and Corinthian (capital with two rows of acanthus leaves)

Mastered the art of carving marble into a human form. When used for support the human form is called a caryatid

Developed the Kilmsos chair

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Known for their engineering expertise, particularly the development of roads and aqueducts

Adapted Greek designs Added two classical orders the Tuscan and the

Composite order Developed concrete arch, barrel vault and

dome Developed pilasters (columns partially

embedded in the walls) Motifs included dolphins, eagles, ribbons,

swans and grotesques (fanciful human/animal forms)

Added two classical orders, the Tuscan

(similar to Doric but without column fluting) and

Composite (capital combines acanthus leaves and

volutes)

Vitruvius, a Roman architect, developed

Standard sizes and dimensions for the

architectural orders (columns)

Designs dominated by religion, particularly Christianity

Four general divisions: 1. Early Christian era (325-800)

characterized b the development of the basilica church plan, rectangular, with side aisles and with clerestory windows lighting the central space

Byzantine era (330-1450): church still the dominant building, with domed structures and elaborate mosaic designs

3. Romanesque era (Norman in the British Isles) (800-1150): massive stone structures, including churches, monasteries, and castles, with round arches and heavy columns

Gothic era (1150-1500): architectural features commonly associated with ecclesiastical design include the pointed arch and vault, tracery, slender columns in clusters, and buttresses or flying buttresses

Means rebirth Major influence came from Italy (1400-1580),

although it spread throughout Europe Rejected Middle Ages design and returned to

classic design motifs Included work by Andrea Palladio,

Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci

Savonarola ChairIvory inlaid Cassapanca

Plan, Villa Rotonda

Villa Rotunda, 1550 A.D.

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Means “misshapen pearl” Major influence came from Italy and

France Ornate asymmetrical designs Flamboyant and heavy proportions

St. Peter’s, Rome, ItalyBaroque Cassone

Baroque Chair and Loveseat

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Coincides with reign of Louis XV Means”rock and shells” Flowing, feminine design with delicate

decorative details and free-form curves Pastel colors Gilded, painted, or chinoiserie lacquered

surfaces on furniture (see Chinese styles) Chinese influence introduced by Madam de

Pompadour Motifs included fret designs, and Chinese

influences such as exotic flowers, birds, pagodas, monkeys, and mandarins (officials at the royal court)

Commode

Cabriole legs Fauteuil

Tete-a-tete

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Coincides with reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Similar to Rococo, but focused on straight lines, rectangular forms, and symmetrical balance

Motifs and designs influenced by the discovery of Pompeii, an ancient Greco-Roman resort city in southern Italy, which had been buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79

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Coincides with reign of Napoleon

Characterized by return of classic Greek, Roman and Egyptian designs

Massive, asymmetrical designs

                                                      

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Designs for lesser nobility and merchants

Copied or adapted rococo and Neoclassic designs in simpler and unadorned styles

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Heavy masculine designs Architecture characterized

by half-timbering and oriel windows (bay windows)

Interiors characterized by plain, plastered walls or ornately carved panels

Furniture frequently made of oak

Elizabethan furniture had bulbous legs

Jacobean furniture had turned legs

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Symmetrical designs exhibited dignity and formality, reflecting classic Greek and Roman architecture

Queen Anne furniture based on cyma (S) curve

Most significant piece of furniture was splatback or fiddleback chair with cabriole leg and pad or club foot. Later chairs had ball and claw foot

1.

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Golden Age of

cabinetmakers, including Thomas Chippendale

Chippendale chairs characterized by yokebacks with Chinese, Queen Anne, Gothic, French and Neoclassic influences

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Architecture influenced by Roman

Palladian style; even more formal Coincided with French Neoclassic

style and the discovery of Pompeii Robert Adam and his four sons

designed classical interiors. Known for their sideboard designs. Utilized paterae (oval shaped decorations)

George Hepplewhite designed furniture with straight, square, tapered legs usually terminating with a spade foot. Known for his shield and heart-shaped chair backs

Thomas Sheraton designed furniture with straight lines, and classical motifs such as urns, festoons, and scrolls

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Influenced by Dutch, German, Swedish, English, French, and Hispanic styles

Most common styles: Salt Box, Garrison Jetty, Gambrel and Cape Cod

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Most common Early American interiors included Tudor, Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Spanish Mission/Colonial style influences

In southwest America, furniture designs were called the Santa Fe style and incorporated bold colors and geometric forms

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Greatly influenced by English Georgian styles with variations in wood usage, specific ornamentation, and proportions

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Distinctive designs including Federal, Greek Revival, Duncan Phyfe furniture and Empire Furniture

Duncan Phyfe furniture characterized by fine proportions and simple lines

Empire furniture was bold and monumental

Industrial Revolution (circa 1830s-1900) brought about machine-made, mass-produced furnishings and a decline in the fine art of furniture making

Federal design emphasized Greek and Roman design, rejecting English influence. Thomas Jefferson was an advocate

Greek Revival architecture prominent in the South for plantation homes

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Coincided with reign of Queen Victoria

Nostalgia for past styles prevailed with machinery producing intricate designs, details and carvings referred to as gingerbread

Four major architectural styles in America included the following: Gothic Revival, Italianate, Mansard, and Queen Anne

Interiors were profusely decorated with patterned wall paper, fabrics and rugs

Prominent designers include John Belter and Thomas Eastlake

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Coincided with Victorian Era and Traditional Revivals

Pioneer designers rebelled against historical eclecticism

Utilized technological advances in iron frame construction, laminated wood, and plate glass windows

Bridged art and technology Earliest designs came from the

Shakers Austrian designer Michael

Thonet developed process for bending wood into gentle curves

Thonet’s designs still used today, including the famous bentwood rocker and café chair

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Revolted against machine-made products

Advocated handcrafted furnishings

Prominent American architects and designers included Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Henry Hobson Richardson, and Charles and Henry Greene

Greene brothers developed the bungalow

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Louis Sullivan, father of the skyscraper, is credited with coining the phrase “Forms follows function” Many skyscrapers reflect the three parts of a column: the base, the shaft, and the capital

The Home Insurance Company Building (1883-1885), Chicago, by William LeBaron Jenney, was the first fully steel-frame building. Jenney studied in Paris at L’Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures.

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Style based on nature, employing organic flowing forms

Prominent proponents included Victor Horta, Henri van de Velde, Hector Guimard, and Antonio Gaudi

Called Jugendstil in Austria and Germany

Charles Rennie Mackintosh combined aspects of Art Nouveau with strong geometric forms

Louis Comfort Tiffany is best known for Art Nouveau stained-glass designs

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The Tassel House (1892-1893) in Brussels, Belgium, is one of Victor Horta’s best-known town houses and one of the earliest private residences designed in the Art Nouveau style. Swirling organic forms decorate the entry. The graceful stair railings and supports are fashioned in iron.

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Characterized by a building that appears to “grow out of the land” (Falling Water (1936), Mill Run, PA)

Greatest proponent was Frank Lloyd Wright

Wright developed prairie style house

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Style based on functionalism and purity of line

“Form follows function” coined by architect Philip Johnson

Common materials included reinforced concrete, stucco, steel, and glass

Stark white finishes Open floor plan and large expanses of

glass International design movement leading to

the fully developed style included the following:

1. The Secession – an artistic movement in Austria led by Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, and Josef Hoffmann.

2. De Stijl – a movement in Holland that reduced design to its basic elements, including the use of only red, blue, yellow, black, gray, and white

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3. Baushaus – an experimental design school in Germany formed to simplify design to its purest state, incorporating machine-age manufacturing. School was closed by the Nazis in 1933, and designers fled to America. Most famous proponents included Walter Gropius, Marcel Bruer, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies coined the phrase “Less is more”.

4. Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris) a giant of modern architecture;studio was in Paris. Designed the Villa Savoye, the chapel at Ronchamp, and classic furniture pieces

  Description : The Le Corbusier Chaise Lounge (LC4) is the best known and most

successful of his designs that first exhibited at the Salon D' Automne in 1929. The Le Corbusier Chaise Lounge (LC4) was designed in 1928 for the furnishing of a villa in the Ville d' Avray, and utilizes exposed structural elements with padded leather cushion and headrest.

Le Corbusier was borne Charles Edouard Jeanneret, and is widely considered the most important Modernist chair designer in France. As a spirited advocate of Modernism, he created a range of chairs that express his ideals with great sophistication. The Le Corbusier Chaise Lounge (LC4) allows you to select from the various choices of positions for guaranteed comfort. Chrome plated frame structure and matte black steel base.  Along with Walter Gropius, Mies Van der Rohe and Theo Van Doesburg, Le Corbusier was the father of Modernism. Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret in 1887 in Switzerland, Le Corbusier had great interest in the visual arts at an early age. At age 23, he was an active designer and during time in Berlin, met the famed Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe. It was a meeting that would have vast impact on 20th century design. During his career, Le Corbusier spent much of his efforts on designing building and environments for urbanism. His designs called for large blocks of cell-like individual apartments stacked one on top of the other, with plans that included a living room, bedrooms, and kitchen. Around this thought process, he design entire cities.

Le Corbusier's impact on furniture continues to impact current design. He designed several chromed steel tubular designs between 1928 and 1929. 

Made in Italy.

Dimensions: H 28 3/4" x D 22 1/2" x W 63" Materials: Chaise, tubular chrome frame and base with upholstered

mattress and foam headrest. Base made of black lacquered steel. Black leather and pony hide are in-stock. Colored leathers are factory

direct.

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Description : Marcel Breuer's Wassily chair (1925) is one of the most famous products of the Bauhaus. It is a club armchair with all the stuffing taken out, leaving an almost skeletal framework and taut lengths of fabric on which to sit and rest one's back and arms.

Marcel Breuer  is considered one of the fathers of Modernism. During his career he was an architect, teacher and furniture designer. Breuer is famous for number of furniture designs, though perhaps no chair design is more famous than his Wassily Chair.

Marcel Breuer designed the No. B3 chair, commonly known as the Wassily Chair, in 1925 for Wassily Kandinsky's residence at the Dessau Bauhaus. Eventually the chair took the name "Wassily" from its intended recipient.

The Wassily chair was later produced in collaboration with Karl Koerner, who was the head smith at the Junkerswerken in Dessau. Over the next four years, the chair went through a transformation while Marcel Breuer was employed by Standard-Mobel. The Wassily chair was again redesigned for Thonet, after his resignation from Standard-Mobel, and would remain the permanent design for Marcel Breuer's revolutionary chair.

Made in Italy.

Dimensions: H 29"   D 30 1/4"   W 30 1/4; SH 16"; ArH 22 1/2" Materials: Armchair with hide and tubular steel frame. Chrome

plated or lacquered.  Steel back and armrests in hide.  Welded and polished caps

Description : Marcel Breuer designed the Cesca Chair in 1928 with the interest of comfort in mind. He choose to use one continuous steel tube in a cantilever style, a style that many designers at the time were using, including Mart Stam and Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. He rounded the front edge of the Cesca seat so as not to cut into the sitter's legs. Breuer's version with a beech wood seat and back was nevertheless a brilliant solution to the structural stiffness of a cantilever frame. This Breuer chair was named "Cesca" as a tribute to his daughter Cheska.

Marcel Breuer, designer of the Cesca Cane Chair, is considered one of the fathers of Modernism. During his career he was an architect, teacher and furniture designer. As a student and teacher at the Bauhaus School, Breuer focused on the integration of technology, materials and art.

Breuer is famous for a number of furniture designs, though perhaps no chair design is more famous than his Wassily Chair. Designed in 1925, the Wassily chair was the first bent-tubular steel-framed chair. The chair is very simple in form; yet quite comfortable and exemplary in its use of the Bauhaus design philosophy.

Made in Italy.

Dimensions: H 31 1/2"   D 23 1/2"   W 18 1/2" Materials: Steel tubular structure, chromium-plated or

lacquered. Seat and back in cane with natural or black beech edge.

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Decorative style advocating strong geometric forms including the pyramid, ziggurat (stepped pyramid), zigzag, and sunburst

Inspired by the glamour of movies and stage, jazz music, African art, and new technology

Prominent designers included Paul Frankl and Donald Deskey

Eliel Saarinen, a Finnish-born designer, started the prestigious Cranbrook Academy in Michigan

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New architectural directions New technology included air-

conditioning, suspended ceilings, synthetic fibers, and plastics

Scandinavian designers included Alvar Aalto, Eero Aarnio, and Hans Wegner

Italian designers in particular exploited the use of plastics

American designers included the following:

1. Charles and Ray Eames – pioneered chairs constructed of molded plywood and fiberglass

2. Eero Saarinen – came to the U.S.with his fater Eliel; known for his womb and tulip chairs

3. Buckminster Fuller – known for his geodesic domes

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The style borrows from the past but in extremely contemporary terms

Major exponents include Michael Graves, Robert Venturi,Robert Stern, and Philip Johnson

Furniture styles include the Craft Revival, Art Furniture, Ergonomic Furniture, and most recently furniture to meet the needs of a mobile work force

Other design trends: 1. High tech Style 2. Memphis Style 3. Classic Modernism 4. Deconstructivism – Frank o.

Gehry

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