INTERIOR DESIGN ( RAR – 504)

MODULE 4
UNDERSTANDING INNOVATION IN FURNITURE &INTERIOR DESIGN

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 Neolithic Period Furniture
An excavated site dating from 3100-2500 BC in Skara Brae, Orkney uncovered a range
of stone furniture. Each house was equipped with an extensive assortment of stone
furniture, ranging from cupboards, dressers and beds to shelves and stone seats. The
stone dresser was regarded as the most important as it symbolically faced the
entrance in each house and is the first item that was seen when entering a house.

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 Ancient Egyptian Interiors

•Egyptian domestic architecture, interior

architectural detail and surface treatment were
influenced by the hierarchical status of the owner
as well as by economy.
• Floors were covered with a variety of materials;
mainly mud plaster or mud brick although stone
and glazed tiles were also incorporated in the
palaces .
• Walls were often surfaced with plaster applied
to a base of brick or mud.
• When the owner was affluent, stone or glazed
tiles were used to line the walls.
• Ornamental treatment for wall surfaces include
painting, use of inlay, and relief carving .

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 Ancient Egyptian Furniture
Ancient Egyptian furniture has been excavated and includes 3rd millennium BC beds,
discovered at Tarkhan, a 2550 BC gilded bed and chairs from the tomb of Queen
Hetepheres, and boxes, beds and chairs from Thebes. There were two severe sides to
the furniture excavated, the intricate gold gilded ornate furniture found in the tombs
of the Pharaohs and the simple chairs, tables and baskets of the ordinary Egyptians.

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 Ancient Greek Interiors
Greek Interior Style is Characterized by:
• high ceilings
• stucco columns
• meander patterns
• murals
• a color range in natural shades, lack of bright
colors, minimum of gilding
• granite, ceramic tiles, marble
• furniture – simple in form, made of natural wood,
handmade, leather upholstery, no velvet
• the vertical orientation of all interior parts
• textured plaster on the walls
• decor items – vases, amphoras, figurines,
sculptures
• minimal use of fabrics on the windows

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 Ancient Greek Furniture
Ancient Greek furniture design can be
dated back to the 2nd millennium BC,
including the famous klismos chair.

Characteristic of this early furniture

were highly influenced by the
furniture of the ancient Egyptians with
a stiff, rectangular, and unflattering
shape. In the 4th and 5th centuries,
once the Greeks developed their own
style, furniture became less square
and rigid and more curved and
flowing.

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 Medieval Interiors
• Walls and floors adorned with dramatic stone or
rich wood accents.
• A prominent stone fireplace and hearth
• Wood paneling with carved detailing and exposed
wooden ceiling beams
• Plush and deep toned rugs are often used to
soften stone or wooden
• Heavy furniture pieces like carved wooden chairs,
benches, and tables.
• A large dining room table featuring intricate
wooden inlay designs and carvings Upholstery on
chairs and sofas as well as draperies reflect
sumptuous fabrics like velvet, chenille, damask,
and brocade.
• Deep colors like red, gold, or blue are often seen in
fabrics and accents.
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 Medieval Furniture
The furniture of the medieval period is very distinctive in style. Its most notable
characteristics are ornate wood carvings on the border of chairs and canopy beds,
garish structural layouts and colours that are basically grey, beige or black. Forms were
mainly square or rectangular with very little in the way of curved lines or circular
forms.

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 Renaissance Interiors
• Restrained colors: natural shades of brown, gold
and pastel colors (cream, light green, etc.),
saturated accents of dark red, blue,
and yellow colors are welcome
• Rich decor of furniture: carving, inlay, gilding,
painting;
• Symmetry, proportion, geometric, harmony are the
basics of style;
• Space and freedom, enriched by abundant décor of
a few furniture pieces, as well as the walls and
ceiling;
• Vaults, arches and columns, high windows together
with painting the walls, moldings, antique statues;
• Ceiling: high and preferably vaulted, decorated
with stucco or painting (scenes from the life of
ancient gods and heroes are pertinent).
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 Renaissance Furniture
Along with the other arts, the Italian
Renaissance of the fourteenth and
fifteenth century marked a rebirth in
furniture design, often inspired by the
Greco-Roman tradition. These designs
were distinctly different from that of
Medieval times and were characterized by
opulent, often gilded designs that
frequently incorporated a profusion of
floral, vegetal and scrolling
ornamentation. The furniture was often
high quality, expensive, and luxurious. The
aim of these pieces were often to
showcase the skills of the craftsmen who
made them.

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 Rococo Interiors
• Gentle colors, combined with the glance of gold: light
pink, cream, light blue, light shades of purple, green,
yellow, peach.
• Luxury materials: natural wood, elegant fabrics
(brocade, silk, satin, velvet), glass and crystal, natural
and artificial gilding;
• Elegant, comfortable rooms.
• Decorative elements, mirrors and paintings, figurines
and boxes, antique clock and wrought candelabra;
• Screens, curtains, fans, tapestries with oriental
landscapes
• Images and figures of nymphs, cupids, Dryads, ancient
gods and goddesses adorning the interior in this style;
• The basics of style are asymmetry, smooth lines,
rounded forms, decorative loading.

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 Rococo Furniture
While seperate, all 18th-century furniture, whether American, British, or French
shared a similar style of construction that is distinct from the subsequent mass-
produced furniture of the 19th century. Eighteenth-century furniture is commonly
thought of as representing the golden age of the highly trained master cabinetmaker,
trained in the craft of furniture design which manifests in highly finished, sophisticated
designs.

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 Art Nouveau Furniture
The name "Art Nouveau" is French for 'new art', and it emerged in the late 19th
century in Paris. The style was said to be influenced strongly by the lithographs of
Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. Art Nouveau furniture used lines and curves as graphical
ornamentation and hard woods and iron were commonly used to provide strong yet
slim supporting structures to a furniture pieces.

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 Bauhaus Interiors
The basic principle of the Bauhaus is ‘Form
follows function’. That means that designs
were made to be functional, practical, useful
and simple, often before their beauty was
considered. Bauhaus designs are defined by a
lack of ornament, the use of clean lines,
smooth surfaces and geometric shapes.

The Bauhaus style is all about reducing things

down to their basic elements and it’s
synonymous with clean, pared-back spaces
and streamlined forms.

Minimalism, influencing everything from

open-plan living and fitted kitchens to folding
chairs and flatpack furniture.
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 Bauhaus Furniture
The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919. In spite of its
name, and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus was founded with
the idea of creating a 'total' work of art in which all arts, including furniture would
eventually be brought together. The furniture designs that emerged from the Bauhaus
became some of the most influential designs in modern design.

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 EVOLUTION OF A CHAIR

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 EVOLUTION OF A SOFA

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 EVOLUTION OF DINING SET

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 EVOLUTION OF DESK

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 EVOLUTION OF BED

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 Resources
Books

Online Articles
1. Interior Design 1: Exploring Principles and Theories

Websites
1. https://www.archdaily.com/901164/see-how-the-design-of-chairs-beds-and-sofas-
have-evolved-through-history

2. https://www.smalldesignideas.com/

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