Write a 5-7 page paper that will examine the influence of historical styles on contemporary interiors.
1. Look through Interior Design and Architecture journals, and identify two to four interiors from the past 15 years that reference (directly or indirectly) a style from the past (Greek, Renaissance, Neoclassical, Baroque, An Nouveau, De Stijl to name a few) In order to do this, you will have to go beyond visual observation to understand the deeper meanings that these interiors have.
Journals can be either academic, trade or commercial. Some options include: Journal of Design History, Journal of Interior Design, Interior Design, Wallpaper, Design and Culture, Donuts, Frame, Architectural Digest, Architectural Review Interiors. Ask for help if you need!
2. Your paper will present your findings, explaining how the interiors you have found reflect the earlier design style through one or more of the following: form, spatial layout, color scheme, materials chosen, theoretical underpinnings, geometry, and ornament. This will entail research about the context of the chosen interiors as well as discussion of the historical styles.
3. Websites are not a good place to do research. Visit the library! Use books and scholarly journal articles. You must have at least two hooks and two articles in your bibliography, and not more than one website.
4. Discussion should include considerations of the following questions:
– In what ways is this interior a reflection or contradiction of its time or of the history of interior design?
– How does it respond to the values of its contemporary society (think about gender issues, class issues. aesthetic issues, etc)?
– What is the main value of the interior’s stylistic traits? How are design and decoration informing the layout of space?
– What purpose did the interior originally serve, and who was its primary audience? How did the designer(s) respond to all of these constraints?
– How did the interior relate to the rest of the building and/or the designer’s other work (if known)?
– What are other references or influences on the space?
– What were the technical and engineering considerations and/or constraints?
