Influential Interiors : Shaping 20th-Century Style Through Key Interior Designers - Hardcover

Trocme, Suzanne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0609603582 ISBN 13: 9780609603581

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 1999

Synopsis

The first book that reveals the history and development of 20th-century interior design through the key designers and decorators who have shaped--and continue to shape today's tastes.

The art of interior design as we know it today emerged in the early 1900s. And Influential Interiors chronicles the most significant people, styles, and moments of the past century, showing how these factors have shaped--and continue to shape--current tastes.
        
International in scope, it celebrates not only the great designers from earlier days, such as Elsie de Wolfe, Jean Michel Frank, John Fowler, and Sister Parish, but also the present-day legends, including Jacques Garcia, Philippe Starck, Albert Hadley, Nina Campbell, Andrée Putman, Peter Marino, Alberto Pinto, and Mario Buatta. In their own words and in the words of their close associates, the text profiles 24 of these key designers, defining their individual decorating styles and discussing their sources of inspiration, whether it be another decorator or a favorite color, shape, or piece of furniture.
        
Chapters in Influential Interiors include "Classic," which examines how traditional styles have been reworked for the 20th century, as in Nancy Lancaster's updated English Country House look; "Elegant," which features the sophisticated, muted palettes of designers such as Albert Hadley and Yves Gastou; and "Organic," which continues the theme of natural inspiration that began with the Art Noveau and Arts and Crafts movements, showcasing fabrics and furniture in smooth, organic shapes from designers such as Philippe Starck and Charles Eames. Other styles examined in-depth are "Eclectic," "Opulent," and "Contemporary."
        
Lavishly illustrated and written in an authoritative and absorbing tone, Influential Interiors is both an indispensible design resource and an inspiration for the home.

About this title

Review:

One of the best methods of gaining decorating inspiration is by visiting other people's homes, a task author Suzanne Trocme expertly carries out by assembling the work of the world's greatest 20th-century interior designers, including such important figures as Jean Michel Frank, Albert Hadley, Nina Campbell, and Mario Buatta, in Influential Interiors.

Many of the men and women included here are key figures in creating our predominant decorating trends, and they offer a wide range of styles that are grouped by chapter in the book: classic styles adapted for the 20th century; sleek contemporary interiors; organic styles using natural fibers, colors, and shapes; and elegant, refined looks, among others. Author Trocme covers how each of the designers got started in the field, their sources of inspiration, and the signature methods of decorating that mark each as an innovator in interior design. Besides profiling each designer, Trocme describes the underlying history that has helped shape new styles of interior decorating in this century. Large color photographs of each designer's work--often of his or her own home--give the reader a clear idea of why these individuals have had such a powerful influence. Some of the designers covered are no longer alive, but their work lives on in the fabric lines and design firms still in business today, which Trocme includes in a directory at the back of the book.

If you're trying to pinpoint a decorating style that's most appealing to you, a walk through Influential Interiors can help you define and create that style. Along the way, you'll learn how some of the world's most renowned interior designers are inspired to seek out and shape their individual looks.--Kris Law

About the Author:

Suzanne Trocmé has written on design, fashion, and art for numerous magazines and newspapers, including House & Garden, Vogue, Details, Architectural Digest, and Wallpaper. Originally from London, she now divides her time between Paris and New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0609603582
• ISBN 13: 9780609603581
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192