The history of interior design

By Clinton Courier | May 27, 2021 |

Have you ever wonder wondered how interior design has evolved? When did we begin to care what our homes looked like? What influences our taste and choices? It is a fascinating area to explore, as our selection of design can reflect our individuality and unique experience of the world. As you travel through time, you learn something about what it means to humans and what we judged to be beautiful and functional. The history of interior design is fascinating.

Before Common Era

It is easy to believe that homes close to the start of human life were nothing but holes and caves. However, even when you dig 8000 years into the past, you learn that the stone age people would decorate their dwellings. Using the fauna and flora they found around them, these people would bring them into the home. This developed with the Neolithic people, where they made pots to adorn the living areas, as found by archaeologists.

However, it is with the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans that we see the first signs of authentic interior design. The Egyptians adorned chambers with paintings and mosaics. The Greeks were the first to be considered homeowners, and the classical pillars and columns were a sign of status. In these design periods, we see the first signs of design representing the civilisation they emerge from.

The Romans spanned BCE to the early years of our modern era. For the first time, laws were applied to the nature of the design. Principals of mathematics were drawn into the styling of space, with the idea of proportion playing a significant part. They were also famous for their mosaic floors, pillars, ornate furniture, and sculptures in bronze and painted marble.

From darkness to newness

When the Romans left, there was a general regression to more practical ways of living. There was a significant emphasis on staying alive, and homes were pragmatically designed in wood panelling. While there was some exception for religious iconography in the house, it was mostly about what was needed for living.

The Renaissance Period brought rebirth and renewal and was the most significant period in design. The wall hangings, wood carvings and intricate designs spread from Italy. Europe was a significant influence on interior design throughout this period. For instance, Baroque was another Italian interior design that spread across the continent thanks to the tours taken by young men before they settled down.

The Gothic Period was something a little darker in influence but ironically sought to bring more light into rooms.

Into the industrial period

Mass production and advances in glass and steel meant that interior design was no longer the remit of the rich. The middle classes were now able to adorn properties with furniture produced in factories. While there was an emphasis on practical design, there was still a clear need to decorate homes with little waste.

Of course, design history is smattered with nostalgia and rebellions. Therefore, interior design around this time was also reflecting back to the Romans and Greeks with Neoclassicism, and later, the Arts and Crafts movement reacted to mass production by making crafted items the go-to item for the best homes.

Design moves quickly

Then, as we enter the 20^th and 21^st century, time and interior design trends stop for no one. From the Art Nouveau period from France to the industrialism of the Bauhaus movement. From the minimalism of the Scandi hug to the crazy postmodernism and transitional design. Trends move quickly and reflect the ever-changing nature of the lives we live.

Now, we enter a new period where interior designers are concerned, like everyone, about the planet and the need to retain the resources we need for the future. Damaging the environment is now out of fashion, and there is a need for sustainability in design. Whether this sustainability comes from the architecture and the creation of the interior or the reusing of old things and making them new, everything is about sustaining resources.