  Welcome to our potted history of interior design and architecture; we hope that we can help you with some ideas about how to achieve the look you are after to best suit you and your home. Part historical journey, part inspirational gallery, we hope you enjoy our guide through the ages. The Victorian era is perhaps the most complex and far-reaching of all historical periods, due partly to its seventy year span. Encompassing the influences of Gothic flamboyance and the revival of Rococo as well as the rise of Art Nouveau, you can read more about the changing styles and impact of the Victorian era here. We’ll also be visiting the freshly feminine designs of the Edwardian era, and the airy yet austere legacy of the earlier Georgian period. At the beginning of the twentieth century, art, architecture and design were going crazy. From the geometric shapes and prints of Art Deco, to the Arts and Crafts obsession with nature, combined with an emphasis on natural materials and traditional skills. This movement had much in common with its later contemporary, Art Nouveau, except that the designers associated with the latter positively embraced the rise of mass production. Art Nouveau was the first movement to really look forward to the future rather than backwards to history for its inspiration. As such, it is often regarded as the first 20th century modern design – read more about Art Nouveau here. Art Nouveau and its contemporary movements created the opportunity for the revolutionary rise of Modernism, the impact of which is hard to overestimate. We are so used to modern-influenced design that it can be hard to imagine how radical a departure this movement represented during World war I. Find out more here. |
