Interior Design by Decade

A LOOK BACK AT Interior design by decade The look and arrangement of the British home has changed dramatically throughout the decades. Whether defined by the economy, culture or a reaction against the status quo, let's take a look at how things have changed. 1950s In the midst of the atomic age, Britain was experiencing the highs of the post war boom. Consumerism became rampant. People had money, families, and homes to fill with furniture. 50s interior design is typically characterised by modernism, open living spaces and appliances upon appliances for literally anything. An interest in products composed of materials reflective of the booming industrial process occurring all around. Vivid colouring used to break from tradition and look forward to the future. Hallmarks of 50s interior design included crisp sweeping lines. One of the classic themes of 5os interior design was architectural functionality, a Danish design movement built on frequent usability and long lasting durability. 1960s The swinging 6os saw the free love movement flourish underneath the dark spectre of probable nuclear annihilation. Striking out against modernism, the 6os sought to radically combine elements of the past with the new, forming post modernism. Elements from the past, especially Victorian and Georgian times were borrowed and fused together to create distinctly different looks yet still carrying the airs of history and conventional taste. Explosion in television ownership, the TV became the focal point of the living room, not just a dispenser for entertainment but news and live events climaxing with the Apollo moon The UK retailer Habitat 1911119414. achieved significant The lava lamp was created landings in 1969. international success with by British accountant Edward Craven-Walker in its affordable modern styled furniture. 1963. 1970s Despite recession and mass unemployment, the 70s did see living standards and homeownership in the UK rise. The house was the crucible for the family. With economics leading to DIY culture and 'built to last' furniture. 70s housing usually had open planning, grand entrances leading into lounge and kitchens, big windows brought in the light and large sprawling staircases would take you to Evolving out of the egg chair, the pod chair reflected the space age, which was now in full the first floor. Wooden swing after the 1969 Apollo paneling, door frames and beams coupled with exposed moon landings. With some even including stereo brick work and stacked sound, the chair was stone fireplaces were also designed to provide security popular. and comfort. The hippie movement continued unabated with an anti-consumerist alignment and an appreciation for nature and the preservation of mother earth. There was a prevalence of earth tones, minimalism and teak and pine furniture. Hanging plants, exposed ceiling beams and wicker furniture all carried a rustic tone. The 70s was renowned for its use of colour and bold geometric shapes parti and flooring. larly in its wallpaper 1980s The decade of excess introduced a number of bold and startling approaches to design. In its extremes it is remembered for stark coloured geometrical nightmares but for most normal homes it meant beige and teal colourings along with the prevalence of carpets and wall to wall wallpaper. Avant garde artstyles such as the Memphis Milano utilised striking colours and bold angular geometric shapes worked together to Shabby chic was used to relay a sense of age and distress to furnishings giving it a recycled or inherited look conveying a form something that was sense of history with the very abstract. freshness of re-invention. Influenced by native America and the old west, 8os southwestern brought something of the ranch to Despite all the trappings of 8os Deco and Memphis Milano, there was also a the home interior. movement towards calming colours and clean lined fonts and curves. Quite normal in other words. 1990s The 9os provided sobriety after the heady excesses of the previous decade, introducing Britpop and New Labour. Interior design was toned back for a more minimalist look with natural colours and lots and lots of pine furniture. The 90s reinstated a feeling of minimalism after the 8os, interiors were set to be clean and less busy, saying a lot less than the bold statement of the previous decade. Leather settees were common, a sign of class and the affluence of the time. Proud to be British, union jacks were incorporated into interior design. Pine Furniture - chairs, tables, dressers and cupboards, all built out of sturdy pine wood. Read more. 2000s With the arrival of the millennium, interior design re-embraced the theme of colour into the home, with spaces becoming more personalised. The popularity of flat pack Ikea furniture reached dizzying new heights, whilst the technological revolution saw devices getting smaller and taking a higher priority in room arrangement. The times were marked by the shock of 9/11, war in Iraq and the recession. The continued progression of technology and particularly the internet and its integration into the home beyond just computers became an influence upon how the interior was set. TVs no longer were big bulky boxes but large flat screens recreating home cinema. After the non descript 9os, Ikea culture became a people were looking to standard of the decade, the communicate their own character through their decor, hence photography, desire for affordable, easy to assemble flat pack furniture feature walls and more positioned Ikea as a household brand. elaborate use of colour. 2010s In an era coloured by always online individuals and social media, self expression has come to define the approach to interior design. Home owners like to wear their influences and inspirations on their sleeve for all too see. In terms of the uncertain future of the economy, homeowners are making use of smaller living spaces and furniture with built in storage. Staying in is the new going out, individuals are happier to decorate their own Technology is set to make an even greater connection in homes in their own image. The internet is providing people with content that is the home, with households becoming smart and interconnected through personalised, hence a quirkier influx or internet built in devices, all controlled by the age kitsch. homeowner from their smartphone or tablet. In early 2014, Ikea retired the Expedit, the vinyl collector's shelving unit of choice. The Expedit was Where previous decades have been defined by judged too large and cumbersome for the mundane colours or the use modern home, but has been of many different colours, replaced by the similar Kallax system. Wood in general is returning to the blue has become increasingly popular in its many different shades. home after its absence since the pine days of the gos, though lighter shades are being favoured. A FEW PEOPLE TO Thank We hope you have enjoyed this interactive review of interior design by decade. This was created by Harvey Water Softeners. Please share it through Facebook, twitter, Google+ and Pinterest. Alternatively, the following embed code will allow you to embed the piece into your blog or website. HARVEY Harvey Water Softeners build the best non-electric Block Salt Water y f in WATER SOFTENERS Softener in the UK. MADE BY IMPRESSION Ф