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Assignment: History of Design Appreciation
Assessing Tutors:
Maria O’Brien
Ian Tracy
Brendan Dwyer
INTERIOR DESIGN:
ARTS AND CRAFT MOVEMENT AND VICTORIAN
ERA
Valentina Ali
1st Year HND Graphic Design
21st of January 2013
LIST OF CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 3
Interior Design in the Arts and Craft and the Victorian movement 4
Conclusion 10
Bibliography 11
INTRODUCTION
The main goal of this essay was to identify similarities of
two art movements: Arts and Crafts with the Victorian era, by
looking in particular style conception, especially in interior
design. From the art history point of view both styles are
significant, being the pioneers of embellishment and elaborates
decoration.
Research that was carried out is important, from designing
point of view, because helps perceive art as a keep evolving
structure of art styles, influenced by each other, also by
economy change, political situation, technology and others.
INTERIOR DESIGN IN THE ARTS AND CRAFT AND VICTORIAN MOVEMENT
The Victorian Era movement that started in 1837 England 1
and the Arts and Crafts Movement that began in nineteenth-century
in Britain 2 had many goals in common. Both movements were
1 Christine Chen, ‘’Victorian Era’’, [on-line], 2008, at http://www.victorianweb.org/art/design/chen10.html (accessed: 22 December 2012)2 V. Ryan, ‘’The Arts and Craft movement 1880 – 1910’’, http://www.technologystudent.com/prddes1/artscrafts1.html, [on-line], 2010, (accessed: 2 January 2013)
interested in uniting all the arts and held an optimistic faith
in the power of new invention.
Most importantly, both movements believed in beautiful
design and well-made work as a part of their life.
Both movements were teaching that art product must have
features like beauty and utility, and they were advocating for
better working conditions. Furthermore both movements faced
industrial production of goods and they have agreed that it
changed the world3.
Here some pictures below about the style in the Victorian
interior design. We can see that this is a dining room with a
beautiful large space, with the
right lightning.
3 Julier, Guy, ‘’Dictionary of 20th Century design and designers’’, Routledge: London, 1993, p.252.
The interior design revolves around finely crafted furniture
and interior features usually of wood as we can see in the images
above; the style is versatile enough to work within a traditional
or transitional environment4. For both movements, nature was an
important source; also the use of glass window is predominant in
the two movements, but it was not only on
windows, it was also used on
cabinet’s glasses, normally in the area of
the kitchen.
4 Judith Miller, 20th Century Design: The Definitive Illustrated Sourcebook, Routldegde: London, p.24
Arts and Craft Kitchen Design Victorian Era Kitchen Design
These 2 kitchen examples show how it is a kitchen with a
strong Arts & Crafts feel and an authentic Victorian design. Even
though we can see some difference, the stained glass windows and
the woodwork in both kitchens achieve the similarities on both
styles. The Gothic Revival had a great impact on the Arts and
Crafts and the Victorian style; the interest in all things
Medieval and the use of wood, glass and harmonious colours were
particularly inspirational5.
In addition to design both movements used ornamentation on
their furniture, simple plain lines, forms, and richness of
colour that enhances the beauty of natural materials, and honours
the special designed furniture’s and creates warm and new feeling
in all the spaces.
The principal colours used in Arts and Craft and Victorian
era were a harmonious palette taken from nature, including ochre,
5Jeremy Paxman, The Victorians BBC Book, Routlodge: London, 2009, p.244
madder red, olive greens, blue, beige and dark brown predominate
in almost everything6.
As you can see in both movements, the interior of the houses
were often overcharged with furnishing, creating an atmosphere of
richness, also the historic elements such as, colours combination
and woodwork giving a freshness and originality in both eras7.
The Arts and Crafts just emphasised the handmade, stencilled and
very detailed work, this grew popular as an answer to the
manufactured mass-market wallpapers and other decorative
treatments of the Victorian era.
The Victorians and Arts and Craft movement adopted past
styles to their own purpose instead of
following them strictly.
Arts and Craft – Tube Chair
6 Ian Chivers, The Oxford Dictionary of Art, Routledge: London, 1997, p. 317 Amitabh Bachhawat, ‘’Arts and Crafts Movement: Mission Style Furniture’’, [on-line], 2010, at
http://www.artnewsnviews.com/view-article.php?article=arts-and-crafts-movement-mission-style-furniture&iid=8&articleid=156 (accessed: 12 January 2013)
Victorian Era – Oval back chair
Both chairs are made entirely from wood and both included
the patterns in a different form but with the floral style, that
was typically from both movements.
Arts and craft – Desk
Victorian Era – Desk
These relate to the essential meaning of the work because
the Victorian and the Arts & Crafts movement included the
simplicity and solidity of dark wood. The drawers in both images
above had been made with almost the same ornament with the
slightly variation of the quantities of drawers.
Simplicity was the key, keeping things in simple form, but
very elegant and intricate detailing. They tended to emphasize
the qualities of the materials used in every space.
Both movement likes keeping things in simple form, but very
elegant and intricate detailing. They tended to emphasize the
qualities of the materials used in every space8.
8 Ian Chivers, The Oxford Dictionary of Art, Routledge: London, 1997, p. 32
Decoration, furnishings and interior layout cannot easily be
separated in periods, each aspect of an interior emerged in
association with all other aspects of the house.
Conclusion
The Arts and Craft movement and the Victorian era styles
have their own similarities. Both movements were teaching that
art product must have features like beauty and utility.
In this essay similarities of both movements were identified
and comparison of styles briefly analysed by looking into their
interior style. Although the Arts and Crafts as a preparation for
designing for mass production, both styles understood importance
of teaching the principles of design and also they begun to
propagate work in teams, both movements appreciated cooperation
seen in Medieval Age.
In addition to design both movements used ornamentation on
their furniture, simple plain lines, forms and richness of colour
as well as interest in composition of the elements.
In summary because both Arts and Crafts Movement and the
Victorian did not have so much goals in common, they pointed out
the importance of design history and how has opened new era of
today’s design.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chinn, Adrienne, ‘’Arts and Craft Style’’ [on-line], 2009, at http://www.adriennechinn.co.uk/interior-design-styles/arts-and-crafts.htm (accessed 17th January 2013).
Chivers, Ian and Harold, ‘’The Oxford Dictionary of Art’’, Routledge: Oxford University, 1997.
Jirousek, Charlotte, ‘’The Arts and Craft Movement’’, [on-line], 1995, at http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/artcraft/artcraft.htm (accessed: 14 January 2013).
Julier, Guy, ‘’Dictionary of 20th Century design and designers’’, Routledge: London, 1993.
Knowles, Eric, ‘’Victoriana to Art Deco’’, Routledge: London, 1993.
Paxman, Jeremy, ‘’The Victorians BBC Books’’, Routledge: London, 2009.
Zerbe, Anna, ‘Decorative arts in the Victorian Era’’ [on-line], 2011, at http://www.slideshare.net/Annaz3/decorative-arts-in-the-victorian-era (Accessed: 18 December 2012)