Rise of the Decorator/ History of Woman in Interior Design 

1 February, 2023


During the rise of this era, two categories fell into play, the Decorators and the functionalists. The functionalists believed in form and function and strayed away from excessive decoration and furnishing while Decorators or otherwise known as "embellishers" used furnishings as a way to complete a space and design a cohesive room. 

Decorators became known to be around 1900 when people need help to start furnishing their homes and buildings. Before this time it would be the architect's job to hire someone to complete the interior space with decoration, furnishings, paint, and a floor plan, thus creating the interior designer. At the beginning of interior design, there was a sense of status that came with acquiring interior designers to furnish the inside of there house, it was rare for someone who does not come from wealth to have an interior designer design the inside of their house.

During the rise of the occupation interior design a woman named Elise de Wolfe became a prominent name in the industry. Not only was she one of the first women to start working in this field, but she was also and Actress. Wolfe studied in New York and Edinburgh. 


 Some characteristic of Wolfes design is she strayed away from the classic victorian style of dark wood and velvet drapery, instead, she used lighting to her advantage and used bright colors and white walls and furniture to help complete a space.


Another important name when it comes to females in early interior design is Dorothy Draper. What makes Drapers background so interesting is that she had no formal training before she entered the field of interior design. Drapers style was bold, fun, and colorful. Draper designed big interior spaces such as commercial spaces and halls instead of residential ones. 


Billy Baldwin is another famous name that comes to mind when talking about the rise of the interior designers. Although Baldwin was not a women he is still impactful and important durning this time because he had no prior education specific to interior design. Another important fact about Baldwin is he helped middle class learn how to decorate and furnish there home as well. Baldwin was not an interior designer for only the rich but the regular middle class as well.

The benches pictured above (X Benches) are Baldwin's most famous work and are some of the most well-known eclectic pieces of furniture. 


Some characteristics that describe Baldwin's work were comfortable and eclectic. Baldwin used bold patterns and dark colors to complete spaces in his style, however, his designs were always neat and organized despite the eclectic feel. 

 

The chair pictured above is an example of how Billy Baldwin has impacted modern design. This chair has become a popular design and a useful piece of furniture in the present decade, however, we can draw similarities between this chair and Baldwin's famous large slipper chair. 


The image above is a modern bathroom that is using the famous Dorothy Draper wallpaper. There has been a rise of use for this wallpaper in this decade due to the growth and interest in eclectic design. This wallpaper has been shown to be a staple for eclectic design. 


In space pictured above is a modern take on Elsie de Wolfe design. As you can observe there is a great use of color and how it complements the light that is shown throughout the room. The design in the pillows is also another famous pattern of Wolfe that is continued to be used today. 

One Step Further:

Francis Elkins- (1953-1988) 

Francis Elkins is a prominent name in the world of interior design. Elkins had no formal education however followed her brother throughout Europe coming into contact with many architects and designers. Elkins style was focused on the color palette of Blue, Yellow, and White to create a cohesive space.


Elkin designed what is known today as the Loop Chair (pictured above). Elkins appreciated a cohesively designed space that had color palette and patterns.





































Comments

  1. Izabella CleavelandMarch 31, 2023 at 10:05 PM

    Eva,
    You were very descriptive when analyzing each aspect of this period especially giving factual information on the photos you placed throughout the blog. By having the history then going into the different characteristics of design helps with knowing why each designer had a certain way of designing and using a specific material. I found your one step further on Elkins very interesting based on the color scheme that she used.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kahlan DyonApril 1, 2023 at 8:19 AM

    Eva,
    I really enjoyed how you walked us through the steps of how women have impacted the world of design. These women were very important to the interior design career as they were the ones who took the first steps into interior design. What I found to be interesting was that they all had their own ways of showing their design. Such as textiles, colors, and goals really showed us through their work. The photos you provided helped me see a better visual of the designers work to see the difference between them!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Professor VanderNoordaaApril 22, 2023 at 10:29 AM

    Eva,
    Excellent Blog post on the early pioneers of ID and influential women that contributed to ID.
    After laying the ground work of a historical overview of this period you went into specifics on the three pioneers of ID that we studied. I appreciate your descriptions and images.
    I also was pleased to see that you chose Francis Elkins for your One Step Further.
    Total Points: 50/50

    ReplyDelete

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