The 1940s marked a period of transition in interior design: the quarrel between ancient and modern was outdated, the combination of function and art was essential, and interior designers were more focused on new creations rather than on post-war reconstruction. The style of this period exhibits all the contradictions that arise from a society that was in a general state of shock, unsure of what the future would hold. Exemplary cabinet making marks the period, featuring famous names like T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbing and George Nelson from the United States. In France, Adnet, Arbus, Dominique, Kohlmann, Jallot, and Leleu produced sumptuous ensembles, with beautiful detailing. "Furniture and Interiors of the 1940s" features the work of numerous designers in 300 archival images and recent color photographs that shed new light on this transitional period in design, as it evolved both in Europe and in the United States.
"The 1970s - a revolutionary decade born out of the turbulent late 1960s, during which militant outspokenness and cultural unrest shook up society with lasting effects. Protest against cultural norms and a disillusionment in consumerism went hand in hand with a strong sense of social commitment that propelled radical creative and functional changes in design." "Furniture and Interiors of the 1970s bears witness to the fusion of influences - both societal and individual - that took hold during this explosive decade and catapulted design into its contemporary framework."--BOOK JACKET.
A profusely illustrated guide to every aspect of decorating provides ideas and techniques for increasing the beauty and comfort of homes of all styles and sizes
In many different parts of the world modern furniture elements have served as material expressions of power in the post-war era. They were often meant to express an international and in some respects apolitical modern language, but when placed in a sensitive setting or a meaningful architectural context, they were highly capable of negotiating or manipulating ideological messages. The agency of modern furniture was often less overt than that of political slogans or statements, but as the chapters in this book reveal, it had the potential of becoming a persuasive and malleable ally in very diverse politically charged arenas, including embassies, governmental ministries, showrooms, exhibitions, design schools, libraries, museums and even prisons. This collection of chapters examines the consolidating as well as the disrupting force of modern furniture in the global context between 1945 and the mid-1970s. The volume shows that key to understanding this phenomenon is the study of the national as well as transnational systems through which it was launched, promoted and received. While some chapters squarely focus on individual furniture elements as vehicles communicating political and social meaning, others consider the role of furniture within potent sites that demand careful negotiation, whether between governments, cultures, or buyer and seller. In doing so, the book explicitly engages different scholarly fields: design history, history of interior architecture, architectural history, cultural history, diplomatic and political history, postcolonial studies, tourism studies, material culture studies, furniture history, and heritage and preservation studies. Taken together, the narratives and case studies compiled in this volume offer a better understanding of the political agency of post-war modern furniture in its original historical context. At the same time, they will enrich current debates on reuse, relocation or reproduction of some of these elements.
Lileks delivers a jaw-dropping retrospective of the worst of the worst rec rooms, dens, bedrooms, and other interior spaces of homes in the years when shag rugs ruled. Everything here is straight out of the pages of 1970s interior design magazines, books, and other supposed arbiters of style and taste.176 pp.
Exceptional interiors by world-renowned designer Alberto Pinto, revealed for the first time. Revered as one of the greatest decorators of the twentieth century, Alberto Pinto made his distinctive mark on the world of interior design thanks to his style, his extraordinary perception and understanding of locations and local cultures, and his perpetually renewed inspiration. Following in the master's footsteps, the Cabinet Alberto Pinto continues to give form to the wildest dreams, while preserving the founder's unrivaled precision to every element of design. This new volume presents the latest creations by the agency in its luxurious, comfortable, generous, and modern signature style. It provides a unique opportunity to discover exceptional interiors that have never been seen before--sumptuous hôtels particuliers, lavish apartments, historical residences, and even a Middle Eastern palace--all of which reveal the quintessential Alberto Pinto style.
The 1960s and 1970s marked a sharp turning point in the history of decoration and furniture. Until that point, the world was confined to national and elitist forms of expression. At the beginning of the 1960s, the sector took its inspiration from Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, Italian and French decoration. Genres were combined in a frenzied desire to live in symbiosis with one's time. The progress of technology strengthened the conviction that the individual had unlimited freedom and aroused the desire to inhabit in a new manner. Forms became rounder, furniture was in sync with a warm, playful, and anticonformist universe. Colors and decorative motifs took on the brilliance and fantasies of Pop Art and psychedelia. The living environment was transformed into a waking dream in which luxurious furniture in original materials and surprising objects were mixed, associated, for the first time, with early furniture. The end of the 1970s marked the advent of a period in which beauty and classic elegance gave way to a host of expressions that were unclassifiable and rejected any hierarchy. The postmodern period had arrived. Composed of a long introduction that provides a synoptic view and 32 monographs that describe its many faces, this book invites the reader to discover an exceptionally creative period and revels through an abundant iconography.
In this book aimed at designers and home fashion lovers, the furniture designs of Pierre Cardin are described and shown in color and b&w photographs. The story of Cardin's entrance into this specialty is told, as well as descriptions of his studio and collaborators. Full-page photos of many pieces follow the essays; most of the designs shown are fr
