Week 10/11 Rise of the Decorator and Women in Interior Design

 In week 10 and 11of class we learned about the rise of the decorator and women in interior design.

Rise of the Decorator

In 1925, the Paris World's Fair occured. The World's Fair contributors were broken down into two groups, functionalists and decorators. The functionalists opposed the overuse of furnishings and accessories in favor of function, form, and theory. The decorator, also known as ensemblier, is one who creates an ensemble, chooses pieces, connects them, and makes aesthetic decisions. During this period of eclectic architecture, there was a growing demand for people who could design interiors that suited specific historical styles and building architecture. By 1900, the role of Interior Decorator had evolved to suit this demand. Previously, architects relied on diverse craftsmen to construct interior features. Interior decorators were in charge of fully furnishing interiors, including choosing furniture, art, accessories, and floor coverings to ensure a unified look. This profession emerged in response to the upper class's need for houses that reflected their economic status.

Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950) 

Elsie de Wolfe was an American actress who turned to interior design, becoming a pioneer in the profession. She studied in New York and Edinburgh and is credited with establishing interior design as a distinct discipline from architecture. Her groundbreaking book, The House of Good Taste (1913), and her successful profession paved the way for women in interior design.

Design Philosophy and Style: De Wolfe rejected the dark heavy aesthetics of Victorian places. She favored for light, airy environments that represented the homeowner's personality—especially the woman of the house. Her style set the standard for modern residential design, focusing on functionality, comfort, beauty, and high-quality lighting.

Elsie de Wolfe emphasized quality lighting, both natural and artificial, and used bright, light colors in fabrics, rugs, and furniture. Her rooms had white walls and painted furniture, small-scale 18th-century French pieces, exotic animal print upholstery, and chintz fabric. Inspired by gardens, she utilized mirrors frequently to increase light and give a sense of space.

Women in Interior Design

Women have long struggled to acquire popularity in the design professions. While only 18% of American Institute of Architects members were women in 2012, women currently account for 69% of the 87,000 interior designers in the United States, demonstrating that women are taking the lead in the profession of interior design—a trend that has been growing for some time.

While architecture has few prominent women like Zaha Hadid, interior design has seen many celebrated female figures such as Clodagh, Barbara Barry, Kelly Wearstler, and others. Despite this, historian Gura notes that interior design was long seen as frivolous—until men entered the field post-WWII, giving it more legitimacy. Today, even though women outnumber men in the profession, most top firms are still male-led, and women continue to face underlying prejudices.

Top Five Most Famous Female Interior Designers

 
        Dorothy  Draper                                    Francis Elkins

    Petra Blaisse                                     Clodagh

 

             Laura Day

Modern Applications


   Modern X Bench                             Billy Baldwin's X Bench
      Modernized Slipper Chair                                  Billy Baldwin's Slipper Chair

                                                 Modernized Elsie de Wolfe styled living area 



Modernized Loop Chair
















One Step Further:

Dorothy Draper (1869-1969)


Dorothy Draper is an American interior decorator with no professional training who created her career through social contacts. Her style was colorful and inviting, with a focus on combining traditional furniture in new, non-traditional ways. She published a syndicated news column, was featured on the covers of "Time" and "Life" magazines, and started America's first interior design firm, which still operates today. Draper's characteristics and style consisted of dramatic use of black and white on walls, flooring and upholstered pieces. Her style also included clear vivid colors and modern baroque. Her design approach centered on huge public spaces, using bold materials such as stripes and chintz cloth. To create dramatic interiors, she used vibrant flashy colors,  bold plaster moldings, and an attractive combination of dull white and slick black flooring. In the Greenbrier Hotel, you can see her style is used with shiny black and white flooring and flashy colors on the walls.

Greenbrier Hotel Interior


     






Comments

  1. Professor VanderNoordaaApril 5, 2025 at 10:05 AM

    Gabriel,
    Excellent Blog entry. You covered the works of Elsie de Wolfe, Billy Baldwin and Dorothy Draper. You also mention 5 influential women i Interior Design. Great modern applications! 50/50 points

    ReplyDelete

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