History of interior design, Ali Bakri,

The Beginning of Modernity

In the end of the 19 century till the middle not he 20 century the designers developed both skill and enthusiasm for the imitation of work of the past. They focused on Historicism, Revivalism and traditionalism. Historicism, based on the history for inspiration and for detail, is common since the renaissance and is a natural part of progressive development in design. Revivalism is the return to a particular historic style as the Greek, Gothic… revivals of the 19 century. Finally Traditionalism is an alternative direction opposite to modernism that showed the new belief that design is all about imitating old work of historical periods.

Eclecticism is about that all designers should be a matter of choosing some  historic work and imitating it as convincingly as possible. In the USA the rich used this movement to get identification with European aristocracy. It was all about importing things of the past that brought culture, style and status. Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris was the first university of architecture that had an aim of teaching the student with the method of application of classic historicism.

Electric architecture was a need for interior designers that had the knowledge and skill to produce rooms in styles. Decorators were trained to know period styles, to be skillful in assembling the many elements that go into an interior, and often to be an expert in acquisition of antiques, art works and everything that complete a project. Elsie de Walfe was the first successful decorator to transform her home from a typical victorian rooms with a simple white paint, cheerful colors and flowers printed chintzes. Rudolf Steiner is a reformer from the 20 century, he founded Waldorf schools, and he’s one of the key initiators of organic architecture. He founded the anthroposophical movement. The most important work of architecture; and it marks the first use of concrete to construct a sculpturally formed edifice of such imposing size. He gave over 5000 lectures espousing the worldview of anthroposophy in which art, science and spatiality are united.