WEEK 11 BLOG: Rise of the Interior Designer and Women in Interior Design

 WEEK 11 BLOG: Rise of the Interior Designer and Women in Interior Design

Period of eclectic architecture a need arose for design professionals who could furnish interiors according to a particular period style and the building they were housed in. There were interior designers as early as 1900s before the profession of interior design and architects would hire various craftsmen to complete elements of the interior design. The job of the interior decorator was to fully furnish an interior. This would include the obtaining of furniture, art, accessories, floor coverings, and any other aspect of creating a cohesive interior design plan. There was a growing need of a wealthy class of people for houses that reflected status, including professions to help with outfitting the interiors. An "Ensemblier" is one who creates an ensemble, chooses objects, combines objects, and in doing so makes aesthetic choices. A Functionalist focuses on function form theory and does not promote the excessive use of accessories or furnishing. 

Eslie de Wolfe is an American actress and Interior Decorator Restored Victorian interiors into light and bright spaces using French furniture. She is a professional woman who helps interior design become a separate entity from architecture. She also published “The House of Good Taste" in 1913 and opened the way for women to enter the interior design profession. LC rebelled against the traditional Victorian Era Home interior style She proposed that the residential home should reflect the woman of the home's personality. Her design style was promoted as a “blueprint” of modern residential design. She used practicality, comfort, beauty and quality lighting as her core values. Specifically, the characteristics of the late 1880s Victorian design style that she was against was the dark, heavy wood used for the flooring and walls, heavy velvet or patterned wallpaper, and limited color choices. 

Victorian Style vs. Wolfe’s Style

Dorothy Draper was another Interior Decorator who relied on social connections. She used traditional furniture in a non-traditional way and had a fun and appealing style. She also created America's first design firm which is still in existence today. She was known for her dramatic use of black and white on walls, floorings and upholstered pieces. She liked to use clear, vivid colors. She also focused on large public spaces that she decorated with stripes mixed with chintz fabric.

Billy Baldwin is yet another designer in the 1900’s. He worked with a restricted color scheme and favored the clean-cut hard edged and pared down design. He often said, “Nothing is Interesting unless it is personal” and I think that is a beautiful lesson for all designers. It was his primary focus, but he was known for an American style that was neat, tidy and snappy. He was also known for the Slipper Chair.

While many designers were up and coming during the 1900’s, it is important to recognize the women who made it great and the appreciation they should receive for making the profession what it is. In the American Institute of Architects, of 83,000 members at the end of 2012, only 18% were women. And while Zaha Hadid leaps to mind as a rare female "starchitect," the field of interiors has been blessed with a bounty of female marquee names. Five famous women interior designers were Dorothy Draper, Francis Elkins, Petra Blaisse, Clodagh, and Laura Day. 

Some of my favorite works:

Hall of Mirrors - Francis Elkins

Loop Chair - Francis Elkins

Curtain wall - Petra Blaisse

Miami, Florida - Clodagh

Laura Day

One Step Further:

Petra Blaisse Is a British designer who specializes in interior design, architecture, landscape architecture and textiles. She started her own firm Inside Outside in 1991. Blaisse also collaborated with famous architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Irma Boom, and SANAA. In her designs she created a fluid transition between the interior and exterior. She used high tech and fashion-based fabrics and materials. Some of her famous works included the Golden Theatre Curtain, Vast curtains and floors in France, Spiraling Sound curtain and the Museumpark.