Tracing Design Trends Throughout the 20th Century

By bruno

These days it seems like everyone and their mother (literally) wants to live in a hip urban loft. But it wasn't always so. The American perception of what the ideal home should be goes in phases, shifting subtley all the time. Shirley Teresa Wajda, a historian with a sense of style (her blog is here), helped curate an exhibit at Kent State University that traced the evolution of American home-making trends over the course of the 20th Century.

Designing Domesticity: Decorating the American Home Since 1876, gives us at what the "dream home" meant before retro was retro. Take a look:

This late 1800s model was actually less ornate than most homes at the time. It was "a rejection of overwrought design."

This 1920s floorplan continued the movement toward "unfussiness". It was part of the Arts & Crafts movement that placed greater emphasis on functionality.

...aaaand then they got ugly. This was was for couples who saw themselves as "pioneers on the suburban frontier", which may have sounded nice then when the realtor said it. But it wouldn't take long before these monsters were out-of-date and eyesore-iffic.

... aaand then they got boring. At the least the fallout-shelter-ramblers of the 50s were insipingly ugly. The McMansions that took over in the 80s and 90s (and still reign in some parts) just smother you with sameness until you don't really care anymore.

For some other looks at the evolution of home design, check out the Design History Society or the New York Public Library's Interior Design Research Guide.

Tagged:
history 50s 1950 architecture

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November 06, 2006

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