week 11: The Designed Interior

Sparke, P. (2008). 'The designed interior.' Chapter 10 in her, The modern interior. London: Reaction Books. 185-203.

This Chapter titled 'The Designed Interior' by Penny Sparke from the book 'The modern interior' takes a look at the evolution of designed interior and the rise of the interior designer. From the time of the 1940's domestic modern interiors begun to shift and take on the some of the characteristics of their commercial counterparts. This bluring of the boundaries between private and public spaces was a result of the post war modernists such as Frank Lloyd wright and Alvar Aalto who were not only designing homes but were also designing the interiors in those homes this wholistic approach to architecture was termed from the German word 'Gesamtkunstwerk' meaning a total work of art. However this public private space convergence was also the impact of designer mass produced modern furniture. Much of this designer furniture was designed by the generation of architect- designers such as Eero Saarinen Ray and Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia and Hans and Florence Knoll, their idea was to create furniture that could be used within both private and public contexts. This chapter was immensely informing as it not only provided an American perspective to designed interiors but it also provided an international one, looking at Italy and Englands post war interior evolution. Sparks also details the evolution in modern interiors right up to current day minimalism and the role that interior magazines and fashion have played on the way we decorate our homes. This was not a light read by Penny Sparke as it at times uses language that is quite heavy and requires a second read to gain comprehension, however it is an insightful read and well worth the effort.