Rise of the Decorators & Women Designers

The Rise of the Decorator was first seen in the 1925 L'Exposition Unternationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriel Modernes also known as the World's Fair in Paris. During this exposition, architects, artists, and designers developed two distinct categories which consist of functionalists and decorators. Ensembliers and decorator is "one who creates an ensemble, choses objects, combines objects and in doing so makes aesthetic choices" while functionalists "focused on function, form theory and did not promote the excessive use of accessories or furnisher." From these two categories, interior decorators and designer rose in the decorators category while architects stayed in the functionalist category. 

Adding to this information, the rise of decorators increased in the early 1900 in the United States when designs and decorators became a profession for men and women. While this time period was an informal beginning of this career, it became a secondary profession from architects that allowed one to focus more on the interior rather than the exterior and building as a whole. 

INTERIOR DECORATORS

Interior design became popular post WWII due to the political and economic rising, it effected the middle and upper class to want more luxuries design. The role of interior career rose not only for residential homes but as well as commercial from the fact of employment rising. Additionally, at this time it was very popular to talk about style and decor with it being published everywhere with articles in newspapers and magazines on this topic. 

Like architects, interior designers each have a very different and unique style of designing a space. To understand the different interior designs during this period of uplifting a new occupation, it is important to look into three famous interior designers to get a better understand of what the start of this career was like and how it formed.

ELSIE DE WOLFE

Elsie de Wolfe was an interior designers as well as an actress. Wolfe's ultimate goal in entering interior design was to create a way for women to enter into the interior design path while it was majority just males. Wolfes main beliefs come from making a space beautiful, comfortable, traditional, and functional. 

Wolfe used a variety of different design tools and inspirations such as French furniture, Chintz fabric, uses of mirrors and lighting fixtures. When creating spaces, Wolfe turned against the style of the Victorian Period due to it being too clutter and heavily using the space up. Instead, Wolfe used white a lot for walls and limited color choices and furniture placement in rooms. She is most known for using dark heavy woods on floors while also blocking out incoming light with heavy velvet window treatments.

The Dinning Space was created by Elsie de Wolfe and best represents her design by the heavily patterned wallpaper and focusing on the colors green and a cream white. Additionally, the space is oriented in a symmetrical and simplistic way. The last thing to note is the emphasis on the light fixture.

                                                                                                            Dining Room Designed by Elsie de Wolfe
 

DOROTHY DRAPER

Dorothy Draper is an American interior decorator that relied on social connection to make a name for herself considering not having an education. This worked well for Draper due to her being on the cover of Times and Life magazine as well as creating the first ever design firm in America.

Draper used traditional but in a more non-traditional way for her designs to be able to be appealing and fun. She used modern Baroque style for inspiration and having dramatic walls and flooring. Greenbrier Hotel that was designed by Draper showcases her design technique with the vivid colors used dull white and shinny black floors, vibrant colors, and bold plastering moldings. 

                                                                                Greenbrier Hotel

This interior perspective is a modern application of Dorothy Drapers work with the use of vibrant colors in a residential home. Additionally, the use of white is seen with these vibrant colors. 

Image to the left is a modern application of Dorothy Draper's work

BILLY BALDWIN

Billy Baldwin is a male design that had not formal design training but became very successful in the career. He used traditional methods such as cotton fabric, brown coloring, geometric spaces and patterns, dark walls, and plain draperies. 

While Baldwin created and designed interior spaces, he also created furniture such as X Benches and the Slipper Chair. Both these furniture pieces were used in his interior designs as well as other designers in the time period. Cotton fabric and geometric shape was the main concept and idea. 

Pictured to the left is the X Bench 

The interior space is a modern application of Baldwins design. Pictured is a modern design of the slipper chair, which is a little different than Baldwins original design because of the wideness of the chair. The other furniture and coloring of this space matches Baldwins methods due to using white walling and brown color pallet for furniture, flooring, and rugs. 

Pictured to the right is a modern application of Baldwins design

ONE STEP FURTHER

While there are five very influential women interior designers, the one that stood out to me the most was Interior Designer Petra Blaisse. Blasise specialized in not only interior design but as well as architecture, landscape architecture, and textiles. She started her own firm in 1991 which was called Inside Outside that became very successful. While she was an independent interior design, she worked with architects such as Rem Koolhass and Irma Boom who were very famous at this time. 

Blassie focused on large scale curtain and screens in her designs. With that said, a famous work that Blassie has done is the Vast Curtains and Poured Floors for Lille Grand Palais, France. Blassie designed spaced with high tech and fashion based fabrics; which is very succeed in this space. She designed the curtain no one has very seen before due to the sparkly and lavish look it holds. Additionally, the use of connecting the floor and curtain together based on similarity, gives the space a whole new look and togetherness. 

                                                                                                           Vast Curtain and Poured Floors designed by Blassie 

        

An example of a modern application to Blaisse design and use of large curtains would be the string curtains that are seen in the photograph. These curtain are used in rich private spaces that allow a space that feels fancy and expensive. This corporates Blasisse's design style of large curtains and how they impact a space based on the shape, color, and position. 

String curtains- modern application of Blasisse's curtain style

EXTRA SOURCES

Interior Design Trends in 1920s - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLweFzkPWlA

Dorthy Drapers Work Now Vs. Then -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Mei81slgM